Skiatook beats Pryor 76-69 in 5A regionals
BY JON POTTS World Correspondent
Saturday, February 23, 2013
2/23/13 at 6:01 AM
Skiatook rallied past Pryor for a 76-69 victory in the class 5A boys basketball regional playoffs Friday night at the Memorial High School gym.
The Bulldogs (11-12) will play second-ranked Memorial at 7 p.m. Saturday in the regional title game. The Chargers (18-5) rolled past Claremore 91-34 on Friday.
Skiatook 76, Pryor 69: The Bulldogs avenged a pair of regular-season losses to the Tigers (13-10). Pryor won 68-67 at Skiatook in overtime on Dec. 4 and cruised to a 75-55 victory at home on Feb. 5.
The Bulldogs used a great team effort to make sure the third time was different. This will be the first time Skiatook has advanced to the area tournament since 2001.
"These kids have changed the face of basketball here," said Skiatook head coach Shane Branscum. "Everyone contributed tonight. I couldn't be prouder."
Jesse Haynes led the charge for the Bulldogs with a double-double, 28 points and 11 rebounds. Teammates A.J. Surritte and Austin Lawless scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Zac Baumert finished with 28 points while Ryan Ogg had 21 points and 15 rebounds for Pryor.
Skiatook didn't lead until a bucket from Surritte made it 64-62 with 3:30 left. The margin eventually grew to 69-62 with 1:58 to play. Lane Estes made some clutch free throws to aid that advantage.
"Lane really led us tonight," said Branscum. "He did a little bit of everything. He hit some clutch free throws and defensively he was a thief on the floor."
The Tigers closed their deficit to 71-69 with a minute remaining. The Bulldogs, however, scored the final five points to seal the deal.
"I could see it in our kids' eyes that they were not devastated being behind," said Branscum. "We played great defense, got key rebounds, contested shots, and made our free throws."
Pryor was ahead 17-13 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 39-32 at the half. The Tigers then built a 49-39 advantage midway through the third period.
Skiatook began its comeback with a 10-0 spurt to tie the game 49-49 at the 1:35 mark of the third quarter. The Tigers eventually led 53-49 after three. That set the stage for the dramatic final frame.
"It wasn't just our kids who played," said Branscum. "The guys on the bench cheered them on and our crowd was the best I have seen since I have been here. I am so thankful that they came tonight."
Memorial 91, Claremore 34: Demari Edwards scored a game-high 19 points to pace the Chargers. A.J. Cockrell had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Spencer Walden finished with nine points for the Zebras (0-23).
Memorial scored the first 16 points of the game and was ahead 22-2 after the first quarter. The Chargers led 38-13 at the half and 65-18 after three periods.
SKIATOOK 76, PRYOR 69
| Skiatook |
13 |
19 |
17 |
27 |
- |
76 |
| Pryor |
17 |
22 |
14 |
16 |
- |
69 |
Skiatook (11-12): Haynes 28, A. Surritte 13, Lawless 10, Massey 8, Estes 6, J. Surritte 6, Lester 5
Pryor (13-10): Baumert 28, Ogg 21, Frailey 11, Ross 5, McCollough 2, Moss 2
MEMORIAL 91, CLAREMORE 34
| Claremore |
2 |
11 |
5 |
16 |
- |
34 |
| Memorial |
22 |
16 |
27 |
26 |
- |
91 |
Claremore (0-23): Walden 9, Lauer 8, Caton 7, McCaughan 4, Williams 4, Garroute 2
Memorial (18-5): Edwards 19, Cockrell 14, Deane 11, Treleavan 11, Kemp 8, Perez 7, Diggs 7, White 6, Murphy 2, Smith 2, Ratliff 2, Grant 2
Original Print Headline: Skiatook rallies to advance past Pryor
