No reason to panic at TOC
Self, Boynton watch Jackets erase 14-point deficit to beat Bruins
KHS SENIOR Jud Birdwell (20) goes up for a shot against Bartlesville’s Caleb Rogers (34) and Dayton McCall (11). Birdwell scored four points, pulled down five rebounds and added a pair of assists in the Kingfisher win. [Photo by Russell Stitt/www.stitt.
As adversity was slapping the Kingfisher Yellowjackets square in the jaw, Jared Reese reminded his team to remain calm.
The Jackets did…and it paid off.
KHS made its way into the semifinals of the 57th annual Tournament of Champions with a 52-46 victory on Wednesday night over Bartlesville in Tulsa’s BOK Center.
The Jackets played 5A’s second-ranked Tulsa Memorial on Thursday (after press time of this early- printed edition).
A spot in the semifinals seemed a perilous thought less than midway through the second quarter.
The Bruins used a 15-0 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 23-9 advantage with 4:36 left in the first half.
Timeout Kingfisher. “We didn’t say a whole lot and really didn’t have to,” Reese said of his message to the team.
“Honestly, we felt things were going well, even though we were down. We were just missing some shots and they were making them.
“We didn’t expect that to continue.”
It didn’t. The Jackets instantly responded with an 8-0 run capped by Drake Friesen’s 3-pointer, which forced a Bartlesville timeout.
By halftime, Kingfisher was within 26-21.
In the third quarter, Friesen, Jax Sternberger and Caden Kitchens each knocked down 3-pointers.
The deficit was gone in a matter of moments and by the end of the quarter, KHS was up 40-35.
The Bruins’ standout junior, David Castillo, made a contested 3-pointer from the corner to start the fourth quarter.
That pulled his team within a single possession, but Bartlesville got no closer.
Kingfisher pushed its lead to as many as nine points two different times.
Kitchens knocked down another trey in the fourth. Although that was Kingfi sher’s only field goal in the final frame, the Jackets were 9 of 10 from the foul line.
Kitchens made all four of his tries and scored a gamehigh 21 points to go with his team-high eight rebounds.
“He’s got a way of stepping up in big games and did it again tonight,” Reese said.
Among those in attendance to see Castillo were OSU head coach Mike Boynton, Kansas head coach Bill Self and OU assistant coach Ryan Humphrey.
The 5-star junior led his team with 13 points, but was limited to 4 of 13 Holland Hall, coming off its first loss of the season the day before against Kiefer, built up a big second-quarter lead against Okarche.
The Lady Warriors crept back within 32-18 at halftime, then started the second half with a 17-7 run.
Emma Stover’s free throws at the midway point of the third pulled Okarche within 39-35.
But Holland Hall answered right back.
The Dutch got hot from 3-point range and pushed its lead to 54-39 by the end of the quarter.
After shooting just 4 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half, Holland Hall made all seven attempts in the second half.
Mia Fugate, Elise Hill and Ava Casper made three treys apiece.
Okarche was 9 of 24 from beyond the arc.
Jalie Rother made five of them to score her 15 points.
Stover led the Lady Warriors with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lady Warriors also got eight points from Ruby VanDenDriessche and six from Jadyn Rother.
Tyson Endres grabbed six rebounds to go with seven points and three steals.
Holland Hall had four players in double figures.
Hill and Casper scored 19 apiece.