Millwood wins 3OT classic
BY JOHN D. FERGUSON World Correspondent
Monday, March 11, 2013
3/11/13 at 5:48 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY - Cameron Baston and Ashford Golden sank nine free throws during three overtime periods and OKC Millwood won the Class 3A state championship 59-53 over Okemah before 4,000 in the State Fair Arena.
It was the second straight night the Falcons went to extra periods and their third heart-stopping finish in the tournament.
Millwood outscored Okemah 8-2 in the third overtime for its 15th state basketball championship and first since 2010.
They advanced when a Hugo player scored in the wrong basket with three seconds remaining on Thursday and on a miraculous tip-in at the buzzer on Friday.
Batson sent the game into a second extra period with three free throws for a 50-50 tie with seven seconds left. He hit two more in the third overtime to insure the victory. He finished with eight points.
Golden was golden, too. He made four third-overtime free throws to put Millwood (20-9) in the lead for good at 52-51 with 54 seconds remaining.
Okemah finishes 26-4.
Notes from the Class 3A championship
Oklahoma City Millwood's triple-overtime victory over Okemah for the Class 3A boys state championship late Saturday brought up a few history notes:
First, Varryl Franklin extended his record of most basketball titles by a coach.
Here are the ones with the most:
13: Varryl Franklin (OKC Millwood boys 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013)
10: Nate Harris (B.T. Washington boys 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002)
8: Tommy Griffin (OKC Classen boys 1975, 1980; OKC Marshall boys 1996, 2000, Oklahoma Christian boys 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
8: Bertha Frank Teague (Byng girls 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1951, 1952, 1965, 1969)
7: Johnnie Johnson (Star Spencer boys 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1996)
7: Henry Roland (Sasakwa boys 1972, 1973, Konawa boys 1980, Beggs boys 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994)
7: Rick Wilson (Weatherford girls 2007, Elk City girls 1985, Seiling girls 1993, '94, Carl Albert girls 2000, Hydro-Eakly girls 2001, 2002)
- The 3OT game is the second-longest championship game in boys basketball history. In 1991, Tupelo defeated Washita Heights, 53-51, in four overtimes. Mark Campbell, an assistant for Bixby's state runner-up girls team this year, coached Tupelo, and Jeff Mahoney was Washita Heights' coach.
- The three overtimes bring the total number of overtimes played in the state tournament games this season to 13 for the eight classifications. That ties the record for the most in one year, which was set in 1984 during five state tournament games and tied in 2000 in nine games.
3A Boys State
Quarterfinals
Thursday at Yukon
Tahlequah Sequoyah 73, Sperry 65
Okemah 68, Crooked Oak 51
OKC Millwood 38, Hugo 37
OKC Centennial 61, Verdigris 48
Semifinals
Friday at State Fair Arena, OKC
Okemah 55, Tahlequah Sequoyah 35
OKC Millwood 59, OKC Centennial 57, 2OT
Final: Boxscore
Saturday at State Fair Arena, OKC
