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By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer | Posted: Sunday, March 15, 2015 12:00 am
Alexis Gaulden went racing around the arena floor, pumping her fists, hugging teammates and jumping up and down.
The junior guard had every reason to be excited Saturday after her Broken Arrow Tigers had won a second consecutive Class 6A girls basketball title.
“No one believed in us; everybody doubted us. They said ‘Broken Arrow can’t do that, they won’t be here,’ and we proved everybody wrong,” she said.
The Tigers made a screeching turnaround in midseason and won 16 of their last 18 games, capped by a wild, 71-67 overtime triumph over No. 1 Muskogee before about 3,000 spectators at the Mabee Center.
The 5-foot-6 Gaulden had 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Tigers became the fourth school team to win back-to-back 6A titles since the classification began in 1996. Jenks did it twice, in 2000-01 and 2003-04.
“I’m at a loss for words,” BA coach Mike Hughes said in the aftermath. “We battled, we battled, had every chance to win, every chance to lose. Muskogee is a fantastic team. Hats off to them. Either team could have won.”
Neither team led by more than six points, and the game was tied 14 times before BA’s Jalise Smallwood made the go-ahead foul shots with 11.7 seconds left.
Trena Mims, who carried Muskogee for much of the afternoon with junior standout Aaliyah Wilson in foul trouble, missed a runner from the right side of the lane. Gaulden rebounded and made two foul shots with 1.3 seconds left, putting the game out of reach.
Despite missing almost 10 minutes in foul trouble, Wilson finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds — her third double-double in as many days. Mims added 18 points and Ford had 17 for the Roughers, who saw a nine-game winning streak broken and finished 25-4.
Aysia Evans, the move-in from Booker T. Washington who energized the Tigers in January, chipped in 15 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Darian Jackson had nine points and 12 rebounds, and Taylor Jones had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Jackson, who sat out last season’s title run with a shoulder injury, had arguably the game’s biggest basket. With Muskogee leading 59-57 in the closing seconds of regulation, Gaulden drove and missed a runner off the left side of the rim, but Jackson rebounded and scored off the glass with two seconds left, forcing overtime.
“Nobody blocked me out and the ball just fell into my hands,” she said. “I was like, ‘We need it, we need it,’ and I put it up and it went in.”
Smallwood, who made key foul shots in a first-round win over Edmond Santa, opened overtime with a 3-pointer, and Gaulden followed with a basket, and the Tigers were off and running, 64-59, but Muskogee wasn’t done.
The Roughers tied the game at 65 on Jada Ford’s foul shots with 1:33 left and went ahead 67-65 on two more by Ford with 1:02 left.
Gaulden’s free throws tied it again, and the Roughers’ Dia Brown missed two from the line with a chance to put Muskogee ahead.
Taylor Jones rebounded, and Mims’ third foul sent Smallwood to the line for the go-ahead free throws.
The game was easily as entertaining as the first two thrilling meetings between the Frontier Valley Conference rivals. Broken Arrow (24-5) won at Muskogee 58-57 on Feb. 3, giving the conference champion Roughers their only league loss.
At the area tournament last week, Muskogee clawed back from a 16-point deficit to win 63-56, forcing Broken Arrow to beat Owasso to qualify for the state tournament.
“They were just the better team today,” Muskogee coach Doyle Rowland said. “But our girls will be back.”
Wilson, Ford, Mims and Leigh Westbrook all return next year for the Roughers, as do BA’s Gaulden, Evans, Jackson and Smallwood.
The teams could be back in the final next March. Can Broken Arrow go for a three-peat?
“Yes we can,” Jackson said. “But I’m not thinking about that until tomorrow. Tonight, I’m gonna celebrate.”
Alexis Gaulden went racing around the arena floor, pumping her fists, hugging teammates and jumping up and down.
The junior guard had every reason to be excited Saturday after her Broken Arrow Tigers had won a second consecutive Class 6A girls basketball title.
“No one believed in us; everybody doubted us. They said ‘Broken Arrow can’t do that, they won’t be here,’ and we proved everybody wrong,” she said.
The Tigers made a screeching turnaround in midseason and won 16 of their last 18 games, capped by a wild, 71-67 overtime triumph over No. 1 Muskogee before about 3,000 spectators at the Mabee Center.
The 5-foot-6 Gaulden had 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Tigers became the fourth school team to win back-to-back 6A titles since the classification began in 1996. Jenks did it twice, in 2000-01 and 2003-04.
“I’m at a loss for words,” BA coach Mike Hughes said in the aftermath. “We battled, we battled, had every chance to win, every chance to lose. Muskogee is a fantastic team. Hats off to them. Either team could have won.”
Neither team led by more than six points, and the game was tied 14 times before BA’s Jalise Smallwood made the go-ahead foul shots with 11.7 seconds left.
Trena Mims, who carried Muskogee for much of the afternoon with junior standout Aaliyah Wilson in foul trouble, missed a runner from the right side of the lane. Gaulden rebounded and made two foul shots with 1.3 seconds left, putting the game out of reach.
Despite missing almost 10 minutes in foul trouble, Wilson finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds — her third double-double in as many days. Mims added 18 points and Ford had 17 for the Roughers, who saw a nine-game winning streak broken and finished 25-4.
Aysia Evans, the move-in from Booker T. Washington who energized the Tigers in January, chipped in 15 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Darian Jackson had nine points and 12 rebounds, and Taylor Jones had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Jackson, who sat out last season’s title run with a shoulder injury, had arguably the game’s biggest basket. With Muskogee leading 59-57 in the closing seconds of regulation, Gaulden drove and missed a runner off the left side of the rim, but Jackson rebounded and scored off the glass with two seconds left, forcing overtime.
“Nobody blocked me out and the ball just fell into my hands,” she said. “I was like, ‘We need it, we need it,’ and I put it up and it went in.”
Smallwood, who made key foul shots in a first-round win over Edmond Santa, opened overtime with a 3-pointer, and Gaulden followed with a basket, and the Tigers were off and running, 64-59, but Muskogee wasn’t done.
The Roughers tied the game at 65 on Jada Ford’s foul shots with 1:33 left and went ahead 67-65 on two more by Ford with 1:02 left.
Gaulden’s free throws tied it again, and the Roughers’ Dia Brown missed two from the line with a chance to put Muskogee ahead.
Taylor Jones rebounded, and Mims’ third foul sent Smallwood to the line for the go-ahead free throws.
The game was easily as entertaining as the first two thrilling meetings between the Frontier Valley Conference rivals. Broken Arrow (24-5) won at Muskogee 58-57 on Feb. 3, giving the conference champion Roughers their only league loss.
At the area tournament last week, Muskogee clawed back from a 16-point deficit to win 63-56, forcing Broken Arrow to beat Owasso to qualify for the state tournament.
“They were just the better team today,” Muskogee coach Doyle Rowland said. “But our girls will be back.”
Wilson, Ford, Mims and Leigh Westbrook all return next year for the Roughers, as do BA’s Gaulden, Evans, Jackson and Smallwood.
The teams could be back in the final next March. Can Broken Arrow go for a three-peat?
“Yes we can,” Jackson said. “But I’m not thinking about that until tomorrow. Tonight, I’m gonna celebrate.”
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