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By Michael Kinney Transcript Sports Writer | Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2015 8:27 pm
TULSA — Southmoore knew its road to a state title would be rough. But even they didn't realize how much it would test them each stop along the way.
Facing a scrappy Sapulpa squad in the quarterfinals, the SaberCats had to hold off a furious rally Thursday to win 42-41 at Daniel Webster High. With the win the Cats advance to the Class 6A semifinals.
“That was a total team effort and I'm so proud of them,” coach Britney Kannady-Sayes said. “It took every one of us tonight.”
With 4:33 left, Serithia Hawkins gave the Cats a 35-27 lead. But the Chieftans responded with a 3-pointer. Kyra Johnston went to the free throw line and made 1 of 2 attempts before Sapulpa turned the ball over with four minutes left on the clock.
Alyssa Jones scored on a fastbreak to push the lead to nine and Sapulpa turned the ball over again. It looked like the Cats were set to run away with the game.
But Hawkins fouled out of the game going up for a rebound over Oklahoma commit Chelsea Dungee. Dungee made 1 of 2 from the line to cut Southmoore's lead to 38-30. When Kyeria Hannah fouled out with 2:30 left, the SaberCats only led 38-35.
Everything seemed to be falling apart.
Jamia Shepard and Nikale Maciel calmed the game down when they scored three straight and pushed the advantage to 41-35.
Sapulpa went on a 6-1 run to get within one point. Johnston was fouled with 7.1 seconds left on the clock. She had a chance to give the Cats some breathing room but missed both free throws.
Sapulpa had one last chance to win the game, but they were unable to get a shot off in the final 4.9 seconds.
“Remember I told you we would have to fight through anything,” Kannady-Sayes said. “Whether it would be foul trouble, or turnovers or whatever it was. I meant that. And that's exactly what our team did. We fought no matter what happened. They had more fans, we fought through it. We had more fouls, we fought through that. We kept our heads up and fought.”
Bryce Calip led all scorers with 18. Dungee added 13 in the loss.
Johnston led Southmoore with 11 points. Hannah and Hawkins each scored 10.
“We played together as a team from start to finish,” Southmoore's Alexis Young said. “Basically that's how we won. We played as a team. It was just basically our little quote that we have on the back of our shirts. 'Don't Panic.' Fight through everything. Even when the refs aren't calling it like we want them to, just play through it. It's just adversity.”
The SaberCats had a chance to give themselves a big lead in the first quarter as the Chieftains played tight. However, the Cats missed a handful of layups and turned it over even more.
Southmoore was still able to lead 8-6 heading into the second period.
Dungee picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter. But the SaberCats weren't able to take advantage because of the turnovers.
The one constant in the first half for Southmoore was its control of the boards. Hannah and Hawkins kept the Chieftans at bay by not allowing them to get second-chance points.
The SaberCats took a 17-10 halftime advantage.
“Anytime we made a mistake, we didn't duck our heads,” Kannady-Sayes said.
Despite foul trouble, the Cats began to pull away in the third. The rebounds began to turn into fastbreak opportunities as Johnston and Alyssa Jones were able to get behind the Sapulpa defense. They led 28-19 midway through the quarter.
"We play together through anything,” Young said. “You can put any player in off the bench. It doesn't matter who it is. We all play as a team.”
The Cats face Broken Arrow at 9 a.m. Friday in the semifinals at the Mabee Center. The winner earns a spot in the state title game. The loser goes home.
The Southmoore coaching staff already knows they can't let Hannah and Hawkins get into the same foul trouble again.
“Obviously I have to get them some rest," Kannady-Sayes said. “We have to talk about that some of the fouls they got weren't very smart. We have to do a better job resting. Make sure we bring our mental game and don't put ourselves in a position to give the referees a chance to blow the whistle.”
TULSA — Southmoore knew its road to a state title would be rough. But even they didn't realize how much it would test them each stop along the way.
Facing a scrappy Sapulpa squad in the quarterfinals, the SaberCats had to hold off a furious rally Thursday to win 42-41 at Daniel Webster High. With the win the Cats advance to the Class 6A semifinals.
“That was a total team effort and I'm so proud of them,” coach Britney Kannady-Sayes said. “It took every one of us tonight.”
With 4:33 left, Serithia Hawkins gave the Cats a 35-27 lead. But the Chieftans responded with a 3-pointer. Kyra Johnston went to the free throw line and made 1 of 2 attempts before Sapulpa turned the ball over with four minutes left on the clock.
Alyssa Jones scored on a fastbreak to push the lead to nine and Sapulpa turned the ball over again. It looked like the Cats were set to run away with the game.
But Hawkins fouled out of the game going up for a rebound over Oklahoma commit Chelsea Dungee. Dungee made 1 of 2 from the line to cut Southmoore's lead to 38-30. When Kyeria Hannah fouled out with 2:30 left, the SaberCats only led 38-35.
Everything seemed to be falling apart.
Jamia Shepard and Nikale Maciel calmed the game down when they scored three straight and pushed the advantage to 41-35.
Sapulpa went on a 6-1 run to get within one point. Johnston was fouled with 7.1 seconds left on the clock. She had a chance to give the Cats some breathing room but missed both free throws.
Sapulpa had one last chance to win the game, but they were unable to get a shot off in the final 4.9 seconds.
“Remember I told you we would have to fight through anything,” Kannady-Sayes said. “Whether it would be foul trouble, or turnovers or whatever it was. I meant that. And that's exactly what our team did. We fought no matter what happened. They had more fans, we fought through it. We had more fouls, we fought through that. We kept our heads up and fought.”
Bryce Calip led all scorers with 18. Dungee added 13 in the loss.
Johnston led Southmoore with 11 points. Hannah and Hawkins each scored 10.
“We played together as a team from start to finish,” Southmoore's Alexis Young said. “Basically that's how we won. We played as a team. It was just basically our little quote that we have on the back of our shirts. 'Don't Panic.' Fight through everything. Even when the refs aren't calling it like we want them to, just play through it. It's just adversity.”
The SaberCats had a chance to give themselves a big lead in the first quarter as the Chieftains played tight. However, the Cats missed a handful of layups and turned it over even more.
Southmoore was still able to lead 8-6 heading into the second period.
Dungee picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter. But the SaberCats weren't able to take advantage because of the turnovers.
The one constant in the first half for Southmoore was its control of the boards. Hannah and Hawkins kept the Chieftans at bay by not allowing them to get second-chance points.
The SaberCats took a 17-10 halftime advantage.
“Anytime we made a mistake, we didn't duck our heads,” Kannady-Sayes said.
Despite foul trouble, the Cats began to pull away in the third. The rebounds began to turn into fastbreak opportunities as Johnston and Alyssa Jones were able to get behind the Sapulpa defense. They led 28-19 midway through the quarter.
"We play together through anything,” Young said. “You can put any player in off the bench. It doesn't matter who it is. We all play as a team.”
The Cats face Broken Arrow at 9 a.m. Friday in the semifinals at the Mabee Center. The winner earns a spot in the state title game. The loser goes home.
The Southmoore coaching staff already knows they can't let Hannah and Hawkins get into the same foul trouble again.
“Obviously I have to get them some rest," Kannady-Sayes said. “We have to talk about that some of the fouls they got weren't very smart. We have to do a better job resting. Make sure we bring our mental game and don't put ourselves in a position to give the referees a chance to blow the whistle.”
