Cashion still standing

If it wasn’t Wewoka’s best punch, it was close to it.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Cashion was still standing.

Fourth-ranked Cashion overcame a double-digit first-quarter deficit Saturday to subdue Wewoka 72-67 in their Class 2A regional title game in Stroud.

The Tigers - behind Kobe Stephens - outscored Cashion 24-14 in the first quarter to put the Wildcats on their heels.

“He (Stephens) was basically a one-man wrecking crew beating us on both ends,” Cashion coach John Hardaway said.

“But after the first quarter, we settled down and got comfortable on both ends.”

That included a 22-7 run by Cashion to reclaim the lead in the second quarter.

The Wildcats maintained it the rest of the way, but couldn’t pull away.

That’s because Stephens scored a game-high 36 points and added nine rebounds.

“Credit to them; they were ready to play,” Hardaway said.

But so was Cashion.

Vance Raney heated up in the second half where he hit a bulk of his five 3-pointers.

He ended his night with 25 points and five rebounds.

Austin Frazier was 8 of 10 from the field and scored 18 points.

Overall, Cashion shot 58 percent (23 of 39) inside the arc.

The Wildcats also made nine 3-pointers.

Three of those came from Jonah Jenkins, who added 14 total points and six assists.

The win puts Cashion (20-3) into Friday night’s area title game against Mangum at 8 p.m. in Chickasha.

Mangum upset No. 8 Minco and No. 20 Hobart in its regional.

A win at area — in two tries — puts Cashion back into the state tournament for the second straight year.

The Wildcats hadn’t reached state since 1995 or reached the area tournament since 1997 prior to last year’s run.

No. 3 Latta girls topple Cashion, 45-22

Latta pulled away in the middle two quarters to send the Cashion girls basketball team into the consolation bracket.

Class 2A’s third-ranked Lady Panthers defeated No. 13 Cashion 45-22 Saturday in their regional championship game in Latta.

Cashion is now one loss away from elimination, but also three wins away from the state tournament. The Lady Wildcats begin their quest at 1 p.m. Thursday against Minco in an area consolation quarterfinal at Chickasha.

Cashion trailed by four points after a quarter, but Latta went on a 28-9 run over the next 16 minutes.

The Lady Wildcats were never able to solve Latta’s defense as the eight points they scored in the first was their most productive quarter.

Neely Tilley-Bedick was the lone Cashion player in double figures with 10 points. Brook Shelly scored five.

If Cashion (17-7) defeats Minco, it plays again at 1 p.m. Friday against the Stratford-Merritt winner.

Latta and Silo play Friday night in the area title game.