6A boys basketball: Owasso earns state tournament trip
BY JON POTTS World Correspondent
Saturday, March 02, 2013
3/02/13 at 6:03 AM
Third-ranked Owasso beat sixth-ranked Broken Arrow 69-59 in a Class 6A boys basketball area championship game Friday night at the Will Rogers Activity Center.
The Rams (22-3) punched a ticket to the state tournament that begins next Thursday in the Tulsa area at sites and times to be determined.
The Tigers (18-7) will get a second chance to qualify for state against seventh-ranked Stillwater at 8 p.m. Saturday in Catoosa.
The Pioneers (18-7) stayed alive after a 68-63 victory against Bixby in Friday's elimination contest.
Owasso 69, Broken Arrow 59: The Rams and Tigers split their two regular season games with tight home court wins.
This game was very similar but the Rams prevailed mostly because of Jaylen Lowe, Shake Milton, and Avery Culbertson.
Lowe scored a game high 20 points. Milton and Culbertson finished with 18 and 14, respectively.
"We feel really fortunate to have those three guys," said Owasso head coach Mark Vancuren. "They all did a great job tonight."
Dontae Campbell scored 19 points to pace the Tigers. Teammate Jordan Phelps also reached double figures with 16.
The Rams held a slim 44-42 lead after three quarters, but then turned up the defense in the final quarter.
The Tigers did not score until a pair of free throws from Phelps cut their deficit to 49-44 at the 4:17 mark.
Lowe, Milton, and Culbertson combined for all but three points in the final quarter. They all had crucial buckets and were solid at the free throw line as well.
"We knew free throws would become big," said Vancuren. "It was also important to guard their shooters, rebound, and play solid defense."
The Rams were then able to keep the Tigers at bay in the final period thanks mainly to the trio of Lowe, Milton, and Culbertson.
"I can't say enough about these kids," said Vancuren. "They are a pretty tough group. It's extremely exciting for me as an alum and for our program."
Stillwater 68, Bixby 63: Carson Teel and Rico Thompson scored 24 and 17 points, respectively, for the Pioneers. Mitch Solomon had 33 points and 15 rebounds for the Spartans (10-16).
The Spartans led 16-15 after one quarter, but the Pioneers turned things around to take a 41-30 lead at the half.
Teel scored 16 points in the second quarter for Stillwater. Solomon had 18 points in the first half to try and keep things close for Bixby.
Bixby scored the final six points of the third quarter to cut Stillwater's advantage to 52-46.
The Spartans got as close as four points on a number of occasions in the fourth quarter, but could never get any closer.
OWASSO 69, BROKEN ARROW 59
| Broken Arrow |
15 |
9 |
18 |
17 |
- |
59 |
| Owasso |
22 |
8 |
14 |
25 |
- |
69 |
Broken Arrow (18-7): Campbell 19, Phelps 16, Cantrell 8, Huffman 6, Rovang 5, Gaulden 3, Waymire 2
Owasso (22-3): Lowe 20, Milton 18, Culbertson 14, Neph 8, Anderson 7, Ellis 2
STILLWATER 68, BIXBY 63
| Bixby |
16 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
- |
63 |
| Stillwater |
15 |
26 |
11 |
16 |
- |
68 |
Bixby (10-16): Solomon 33, York 12, Barnat 6, Fivecoats 5, Selvidge 4, Wilson 3
Stillwater (18-7): Teel 24, Thompson 17, Brown 11, Budke 9, Dickey 4, Williams 3
Original Print Headline: Owasso earns state tourney bid
