KHS run stopped 1 win short of state
PEYTON WALKER shoots over a Tuttle defender during the Lady Jackets’ loss Saturday night. [Photo by Russell Stitt/ www.stitt.smugmug.com]
In the previous two years, the Kingfisher girls found a way to string together three wins at the area tournament and punch a ticket to state.
The Lady Jackets’ attempt to make it three years in a row fell one win shy.
Tuttle ended Kingfisher’s season Saturday, downing the Lady Jackets 44-29 in a Class 4A area consolation championship game at Hennessey’s Eagle Event Center.
The win put Tuttle into the state tournament while Kingfisher’s season ended with a 24-6 record.
The loss ended a fourgame win streak for Kingfisher, each one with the season on the line, after the Lady Jackets were defeated by Plainview to open the regional tournament more than a week before.
“I was proud of how this team battled back and gave themselves a chance to play on Saturday,” said coach Taylor Young.
Among the wins was Friday’s 46-38 over No. 17 Weatherford in the consolation semifinal.
It was the Lady Jackets’ third win against Weatherford this season.
Up 19-13 at halftime, the Lady Jackets dominated the first half of the third quarter to build a 34-17 lead.
Addy Matthews made two 3-pointers and Abbie Myers scored nine points during the outburst.
Reese Roof made two fourth-quarter treys as Weatherford clawed its way back into it, but Kingfisher held firm.
Myers and Raegan Snider combined to go 6 for 6 from the free throw line to help seal the win.
Myers scored 22 points, 17 of them in the second half.
Snider added 12 and Matthews nine.
The scoring was tougher against eighth-ranked Tuttle.
Peyton Walker and Matthews each made a 3-pointer in the first quarter, but KHS didn’t have one the rest of the night.
Tuttle then used a 13-4 run in the second quarter to stake a nine-point lead.
Kingfisher couldn’t dig out of the hole.
The Lady Jackets again just scored four points in the third quarter as Tuttle extended its lead to 14 points.
“Rebounding and turnovers hurt us,” Young said. “We gave them too many second-chance points and/ or extra possessions to score.”
The Lady Jackets scored 14 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the gap.
Allie Rehl led Tuttle with 17 points.
Myers scored 11 for Kingfi sher.
Snider scored all eight of her points in the second half.
Walker and Matthews scored two points apiece.