In an OT thriller, BA nips Muskogee
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
2/12/13 at 6:09 AM
BROKEN ARROW - With seconds to go and the game on the line, Broken Arrow senior standout Toree Thompson had the ball and was streaking toward her basket.
Sophomore forward Tierra Jones did the unnatural thing at that moment. She kept on playing. Jones filled the lane on the right side while Thompson, barreling in from the left, saw an uncovered teammate and slipped her the ball.
Jones cashed a layup almost as time expired and Broken Arrow had a dramatic, 64-62 overtime win over second-ranked Muskogee on Monday night, pulling the Tigers into a first-place tie atop the wild Frontier Conference girls race.
"I ran the court, just in case my teammate needed help," said Jones, who scored six points.
Was the unguarded layup the easiest basket she's ever scored?
"Not at all," she said. "It was a crucial time in the game."
Broken Arrow coach Mike Hughes praised Jones for "continuing the play when the natural thing would have been to get caught up in watching (Thompson)."
Thompson scored 33 points and Muskogee's Kelsey McClure scored 32 in a frantic, back-and-forth struggle that epitomized this season's Frontier Conference race.
Five teams headed into the final week with a chance to win or share the title, and Monday's win by the Tigers only tightened things.
Muskogee (17-4, 8-4), Broken Arrow (13-7, 8-4) and Bixby are now tied for first place, with Union and Jenks a game behind.
The heat continues Tuesday. Muskogee, which also lost a close game at Jenks last Friday, visits Bixby. Broken Arrow, which has won six of its last eight, visits arch-rival Union.
"In this conference, you never know what's going to happen from night to night," Hughes said.
Muskogee had the best chance to win in regulation. After BA's Darian Jackson tied the game with a foul shot at 53, the Roughers ran off the final 1:03 before McClure missed an off-balance shot from the right wing.
In overtime, McClure made the second of two foul shots with 8.1 seconds left to tie the game, but Jackson hustled the ball in to Thompson, who zoomed out of the corner and along the left sideline.
A defender met Thompson as she neared the paint and Thompson flicked a bounce pass to Jones for the layup. From there, the stunned Roughers couldn't get the ball back into play before time ran out.
BROKEN ARROW 64, MUSKOGEE 62, OT
| Muskogee |
14 |
17 |
12 |
10 |
9 |
- |
62 |
| Broken Arrow |
12 |
20 |
11 |
10 |
11 |
- |
64 |
Muskogee (17-4, 8-4): McClure 32, Alexus Wilson 14, Jackson 6, Aaliyah Wilson 6, Carter 2, Gaulden 2.
Broken Arrow (13-7, 8-4): Thompson 33, Jackson 10, Jones 6, Dennis 6, Gaulden 4, Erdmann 3, Stanley 2.
