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Washington forces OT, survives for title
TULSA — Beverlee Caraway and Chloe Martin had Pryor in position to claim the Class 5A championship. Then a Tulsa Washington freshman intervened and kept her team’s hopes alive.
Victoria Nunez’s 3-pointer from the right corner with 58 seconds left cut Pryor’s lead to two, and then a pair of Pryor turnovers and a missed Martin free throw opened the door for No. 3 Tulsa Washington to win or prolong the 5A season.
And it was Rhys Anderson who made a shot in the lane to send the contest into overtime.
Then Nunez struck again.
Her 3-pointer a minute into overtime put the Hornets in front for good, and they held on to knock off third-ranked Pryor, 56-49, for their first championship since 2013.
“Oh my gosh, I have no words,” Nunez said while celebrating with her teammates at the Mabee Center. “This is incredible, just incredible.”
Nunez, a 3-point specialist off the bench, had few opportunities to score throughout most of the game, but she emerged just in the nick of time.
“This was such a team effort,” said Nunez, whose team overcame a 6-of-25 shooting exhibition in the second half. “Every single person contributed. If Rhys doesn’t hit that shot (at the end of regulation), we’re not here.”
Washington coach Rabu Leyva credited his team’s conditioning for surviving when it appeared that Pryor would capture its first title since 2003.
“These are the girls who paid the price; they ran the laps and did all the hard work,” Leyva said. “We were on life support.”
Anderson led the Hornets (25-5) with 16 points, while both Armani Reed and Khalan Richardson both scored 11 points apiece. It was Reed who shouldered most of the load early for Washington, who led 25-15 at halftime after Pryor went 3-of-21 from the field in the first half.
But then Pryor (21-8) caught fire.
Martin, after going 1-of-8 from the floor in the opening 16 minutes, scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Caraway led the Tigers with 15 points, but neither Caraway nor Martin were able to generate any offense during the extra frame.
A layup by Martin with 28 seconds left in overtime cut Washington’s lead to 52-49, but Anderson and Camryn Fennell both made a pair of free throws each to put the game away.
“This is overwhelming, surprising,” Leyva said. “I just feel great for these kids.”
TULSA — Beverlee Caraway and Chloe Martin had Pryor in position to claim the Class 5A championship. Then a Tulsa Washington freshman intervened and kept her team’s hopes alive.
Victoria Nunez’s 3-pointer from the right corner with 58 seconds left cut Pryor’s lead to two, and then a pair of Pryor turnovers and a missed Martin free throw opened the door for No. 3 Tulsa Washington to win or prolong the 5A season.
And it was Rhys Anderson who made a shot in the lane to send the contest into overtime.
Then Nunez struck again.
Her 3-pointer a minute into overtime put the Hornets in front for good, and they held on to knock off third-ranked Pryor, 56-49, for their first championship since 2013.
“Oh my gosh, I have no words,” Nunez said while celebrating with her teammates at the Mabee Center. “This is incredible, just incredible.”
Nunez, a 3-point specialist off the bench, had few opportunities to score throughout most of the game, but she emerged just in the nick of time.
“This was such a team effort,” said Nunez, whose team overcame a 6-of-25 shooting exhibition in the second half. “Every single person contributed. If Rhys doesn’t hit that shot (at the end of regulation), we’re not here.”
Washington coach Rabu Leyva credited his team’s conditioning for surviving when it appeared that Pryor would capture its first title since 2003.
“These are the girls who paid the price; they ran the laps and did all the hard work,” Leyva said. “We were on life support.”
Anderson led the Hornets (25-5) with 16 points, while both Armani Reed and Khalan Richardson both scored 11 points apiece. It was Reed who shouldered most of the load early for Washington, who led 25-15 at halftime after Pryor went 3-of-21 from the field in the first half.
But then Pryor (21-8) caught fire.
Martin, after going 1-of-8 from the floor in the opening 16 minutes, scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Caraway led the Tigers with 15 points, but neither Caraway nor Martin were able to generate any offense during the extra frame.
A layup by Martin with 28 seconds left in overtime cut Washington’s lead to 52-49, but Anderson and Camryn Fennell both made a pair of free throws each to put the game away.
“This is overwhelming, surprising,” Leyva said. “I just feel great for these kids.”
