bluesooner17
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BROKEN ARROW — Living with success can be a process when you’ve been down for a few years. It was that way Friday for the Bixby girls basketball team.
The 13th-ranked Spartans were favored at Broken Arrow, but had to scratch and claw and come from behind to secure a 38-35 Frontier Conference win.
“We came out thinking we were gonna win and we can’t come out that way against any 6A opponent because every team is a battle,” senior guard Maddie Bittle said.
On pace for their first winning season in five years, the Spartans struggled from the field and trailed for most of the final three quarters, but they ran off 13 straight points to rally from a 31-23 deficit, taking the lead on a 3-pointer from Dariann Myles with 1:38 left.
“It was just sheer determination,” coach Tina Thomas said. “These girls have shown a lot of resiliency this year.”
Junior forward Sydnee Schovanc scored 15 points and Bittle added eight and hit a pair of key free throws with seven seconds left.
Broken Arrow, coached by Tiffany Jones, gave the Bixby girls all they wanted, led by Aallya Nascimento with 11 points, Kinsey Callen with 10 and freshman Jada Hytche with seven.
The Tigers led 31-23 before the Spartans came to life around a flurry of Broken Arrow turnovers. Schovanec scored two baskets and Kate Bradley added another before Myles’ 3-pointer put her team ahead to stay.
Bixby’s lead reached 36-31, but a pair of baskets by Hytche kept the pressure on the Spartans. Bittle’s free throws with seven seconds left made it 38-35, but the Tigers still had a chance to tie.
The Tigers retained possession under their basket when the ball was knocked free from Hytche with 1.5 seconds left. But following a timeout, the Tigers couldn’t get a shot headed to the basket and time ran out.
“Broken Arrow did a great job and we missed a ton of chip shots right under our basket,” Thomas said. “And I think our girls are tired. I’ve been seeing that. So we’re taking a day off after we play Muskogee next Tuesday. We’ll have the week off for tournament week.”
Three more wins would give the Spartans (11-3, 4-1) a program high since finishing runner-up for the 6A state title in 2013. The Spartans’ records in Bittle’s first three seasons were 13-13, 9-15, 7-16.
“These last few years have been rough and for my senior year, I’m trying to keep the girls together and focused. We want to keep on winning and leave a legacy,” Bittle said.
Broken Arrow fell to 2-9 and 0-5 on the season.
The 13th-ranked Spartans were favored at Broken Arrow, but had to scratch and claw and come from behind to secure a 38-35 Frontier Conference win.
“We came out thinking we were gonna win and we can’t come out that way against any 6A opponent because every team is a battle,” senior guard Maddie Bittle said.
On pace for their first winning season in five years, the Spartans struggled from the field and trailed for most of the final three quarters, but they ran off 13 straight points to rally from a 31-23 deficit, taking the lead on a 3-pointer from Dariann Myles with 1:38 left.
“It was just sheer determination,” coach Tina Thomas said. “These girls have shown a lot of resiliency this year.”
Junior forward Sydnee Schovanc scored 15 points and Bittle added eight and hit a pair of key free throws with seven seconds left.
Broken Arrow, coached by Tiffany Jones, gave the Bixby girls all they wanted, led by Aallya Nascimento with 11 points, Kinsey Callen with 10 and freshman Jada Hytche with seven.
The Tigers led 31-23 before the Spartans came to life around a flurry of Broken Arrow turnovers. Schovanec scored two baskets and Kate Bradley added another before Myles’ 3-pointer put her team ahead to stay.
Bixby’s lead reached 36-31, but a pair of baskets by Hytche kept the pressure on the Spartans. Bittle’s free throws with seven seconds left made it 38-35, but the Tigers still had a chance to tie.
The Tigers retained possession under their basket when the ball was knocked free from Hytche with 1.5 seconds left. But following a timeout, the Tigers couldn’t get a shot headed to the basket and time ran out.
“Broken Arrow did a great job and we missed a ton of chip shots right under our basket,” Thomas said. “And I think our girls are tired. I’ve been seeing that. So we’re taking a day off after we play Muskogee next Tuesday. We’ll have the week off for tournament week.”
Three more wins would give the Spartans (11-3, 4-1) a program high since finishing runner-up for the 6A state title in 2013. The Spartans’ records in Bittle’s first three seasons were 13-13, 9-15, 7-16.
“These last few years have been rough and for my senior year, I’m trying to keep the girls together and focused. We want to keep on winning and leave a legacy,” Bittle said.
Broken Arrow fell to 2-9 and 0-5 on the season.
