bluesooner17
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TULSA — Ponca City was looking to bag the biggest giant of them all, and for a half, it looked possible. But Edmond Santa Fe wasn’t going to have any of it, and eventually squelched any upset hopes.
Using a stifling press to force turnover after turnover and wear unranked Ponca City down, No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe prevailed 58-43 Thursday night in the Class 6A State Tournament girls quarterfinals at Tulsa Memorial High School.
Edmond Santa Fe (25-2) used relentless pressure and a deep bench to force a whopping 30 turnovers against a disciplined Ponca City team that had beaten ranked teams Owasso, Norman North, and Midwest City in postseason play.
“I told them either we are going to continue our journey, or going to do what we did in the second quarter,” said Santa Fe coach Paul Bass of his team that lead 14-8 after the first quarter. “We’ve got to play Santa Fe ball, and that’s what we did in the second half. We were a different team in the second half.”
Andrea Cooper, who is headed to Providence to play basketball next season, scored 14 points to lead the Wolves’ impressive inside game. Cooper topped her season average of 6.1 points per game.
“She’s our anchor inside,” Bass said. “She was terrific.”
Ponca City (16-9) trailed most of the first half but went on a 13-5 run at the end of the half to take a 24-23 lead into halftime. The Wildcats overcame 19 first-half turnovers.
Plaguing Santa Fe in the first half was a seemingly endless number of missed inside baskets that spun in and out. Those missed baskets wouldn’t plague the Wolves in the second half.
Santa Fe quickly took control in the second half, retaking the lead and extending it to 41-32 at the end of the third quarter. Ponca City would get no closer in the final quarter, and the Wolves held a double-digit lead for most of the quarter.
Freshman Baylee Fincher led Ponca City with 14 points. She is coach Jody Fincher’s daughter.
“The coaches’ daughter is going to be a star,” Bass said of Fincher. “Ponca City is a scrappy team.”
The depth of Santa Fe in using relentless pressure was the key to the game.
“It’s hard to get into foul trouble when you are as deep as we are,” Bass said.
BY LARRY LEWIS, FOR THE
OKLAHOMAN
Using a stifling press to force turnover after turnover and wear unranked Ponca City down, No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe prevailed 58-43 Thursday night in the Class 6A State Tournament girls quarterfinals at Tulsa Memorial High School.
Edmond Santa Fe (25-2) used relentless pressure and a deep bench to force a whopping 30 turnovers against a disciplined Ponca City team that had beaten ranked teams Owasso, Norman North, and Midwest City in postseason play.
“I told them either we are going to continue our journey, or going to do what we did in the second quarter,” said Santa Fe coach Paul Bass of his team that lead 14-8 after the first quarter. “We’ve got to play Santa Fe ball, and that’s what we did in the second half. We were a different team in the second half.”
Andrea Cooper, who is headed to Providence to play basketball next season, scored 14 points to lead the Wolves’ impressive inside game. Cooper topped her season average of 6.1 points per game.
“She’s our anchor inside,” Bass said. “She was terrific.”
Ponca City (16-9) trailed most of the first half but went on a 13-5 run at the end of the half to take a 24-23 lead into halftime. The Wildcats overcame 19 first-half turnovers.
Plaguing Santa Fe in the first half was a seemingly endless number of missed inside baskets that spun in and out. Those missed baskets wouldn’t plague the Wolves in the second half.
Santa Fe quickly took control in the second half, retaking the lead and extending it to 41-32 at the end of the third quarter. Ponca City would get no closer in the final quarter, and the Wolves held a double-digit lead for most of the quarter.
Freshman Baylee Fincher led Ponca City with 14 points. She is coach Jody Fincher’s daughter.
“The coaches’ daughter is going to be a star,” Bass said of Fincher. “Ponca City is a scrappy team.”
The depth of Santa Fe in using relentless pressure was the key to the game.
“It’s hard to get into foul trouble when you are as deep as we are,” Bass said.
BY LARRY LEWIS, FOR THE
OKLAHOMAN
