Boys high school basketball: Webster keeps state tournament hopes alive
BY BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer
Saturday, March 02, 2013
3/02/13 at 6:05 AM
Two weeks ago, a berth in the Class 4A state tournament seemed far away to Webster guard Kortney Smith after a playoff-opening loss to Central.
That setback meant the Warriors needed to win six in a row instead of potentially just three more plus having the luxury of being able to afford a loss.
"I was mad," Smith said. "But Coach (Scott Bowman) kept telling us we could do it,"
It's five down and one to go for unranked Webster, which defeated No. 20 Vinita 59-44 in an area tournament losers bracket game Friday at the Skiatook Multipurpose Activity Center. Anthony Wilson had 15 points for Webster (16-13) while Smith and Craig Villa scored 14 apiece. The Warriors have clinched their first winning season since their last state tournament appearance in 2004.
Webster will have a rematch with No. 12 Central for a state tournament berth at 8 p.m. Saturday. Central has won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, including 54-51 on Feb. 16.
Webster went on a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take a 27-17 lead it didn't relinquish as Vinita never got closer than five points during the rest of the game.
Smith had seven points in the fourth quarter to help seal the Warriors' win. Phillip Willis led Vinita (20-8) with 20 points.
Ketchum 52, OKC Northeast 51: Tanner Mouse scored 21 points and Jeylyn Sharpe added 19 to help the second-ranked Warriors (26-0) edge the No. 1 Vikings (18-7) in a 2A area title game at Claremore.
Chouteau 55, Yale 39: Jordan Shive scored 17 points to lead Chouteau (18-9), which will face Northeast at 8 p.m. Saturday in a rematch of last Saturday's 2A regional final.
Tahlequah Sequoyah 71, OKC Centennial 67: T.J. Jones had 20 points and Ryan Helsley added 19 to lead No. 8 Sequoyah (19-8) in a 3A area final at Fort Gibson.
Adair 47, Keys 46: Brady Bradbury sank two free throws with nine seconds left to lift the 16th-ranked Warriors in a 3A elimination game. Adair (20-9), which never led until Bradbury's final free throw, will face Centennial at 8 p.m. Saturday. Adair has won five in a row.
Roland 45, Muldrow 43: Marcus Chestnut made a 3-pointer with five seconds left to lift No. 1 Roland in a 4A area final at Muskogee Civic Center. Seth Youngblood had 16 points for Roland (26-1), which advances to the state tournament for the third consecutive season and eighth time overall.
Okla. Christian 48, Perkins-Tryon 35: Jonathan Gibson scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter to lead the Saints past the Demons in a 3A elimination game at Sand Springs. Gibson was 6 of 10 on treys. OCS made 8 of 8 free throws in the final 1:46.
Original Print Headline: State tournament hopes remain alive for Webster
World sports writer Mark Foster contributed to this story.
