TULSA —
Riding a 13-game winning streak, the Deer Creek girls knew one more victory would put them on the verge of winning a state title.
With only Tulsa East Central standing in their way, the Lady Antlers pulled out a 48-43 victory Friday morning in the Class 5A state semifinals at the Mabee Center.
“I think we played pretty good,” Deer Creek coach Totsy Manning said. “We are playing for a state championship. Enough said.”
But it didn’t come easy for the Lady Antlers (26-2). After playing much of the first half without their senior leader Ashley Gibson, they had a 45-38 lead with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter.
Central’s Lauren Billie drained a 3-pointer to close the gap to four points. The Cardinals then forced a turnover and Ariel Williams was fouled attempting a jump shot. She hit both free throws.
Deer Creek’s Whitney Jones was fouled and sent to the free throw line. The junior calmly stepped up and netted both attempts to put the Lady Antlers back up by four with 16.7 seconds on the clock.
Central tried to get a 3-point shot off, but Deer Creek’s defense stifled all good attempts. Bayli Blanchard hit two more free throws to put the game away.
“We told our girls it was going to come down to free throws,” Manning said. “We are generally a great free throw shooting team. So we felt confident with that, to get the ball out and let them come foul us.”
Darreion Clark paced the Cardinals with 16 points while Williams added 13.
Dakota Vann had a game-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Bayli Blanchard chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds. Gibson finished with 11 points.
As a team, the Lady Antlers committed 18 turnovers, but outrebounded the Cardinals 32-19.
Deer Creek had no answer for Clark early in the game. The 5-6 guard was able to get her shot off at will as she gave the Cardinals a 12-11 first-quarter lead.
Deer Creek came back in the second behind Blanchard and Vann. They went into halftime tied at 22-22.
Vann kept firing from behind the 3-point line in the second half. With six minutes left in the fourth, the 5-10 sophomore tied the game at 35-35. Blanchard and Gibson scored the next four points to give the Antlers a 39-35 advantage with three minutes left.
Williams dropped a pair of free throws to cut Deer Creek’s lead in half. But once again Blanchard and Gibson had responses waiting and put the Lady Antlers up by six, and they never lost the lead again.
Deer Creek will play at 6 p.m. Saturday for the 5A state championship. A win will give them 15 straight to end the season. But more important, they would take a gold ball back home.
“I want to see the same thing I have seen for the last 14 games,” Manning said. “I want to see that hustle, that intensity. I want to see them play with that basketball IQ. I want them to have fun and play relaxed.”
Sports
Lady Antlers to play for state championship
- Sports
-
-
UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
At the University of Central Oklahoma’s Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities June 6-9, four athletes qualified for the 2014 World Championships in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) powerlifting competition.
The qualifying athletes include Trevor Bunch from O’Fallon, Mo.; who is making his World Championships debut; Scott Danberg from Cooper City, Fla., a five-time Paralympian; Bryce Segura from New Iberia, La., who is competing in his first World Championships; and Mary Stack from Ann Arbor, Mich., a four-time Paralympian. -
Two UCO rowers named All-American
Central Oklahoma rowers Jenna Goodner and Michaela Stam have been named to the NCAA Division II All-America Team, it was announced by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
Goodner was a first-team selection, while Stam was a second-team choice. All-America selections take into account a candidate’s strength of schedule, regular season record, end of season regatta results, nomination rank, coach’s comments and 2,000-meter ergometer score. -
The remembrance remains fresh
The celebration is not over.
The Deer Creek girls basketball team continued to relive March’s state basketball championship Friday at Deer Creek High School with a Class 5A state championship ring ceremony.
Head coach Totsy Manning greeted each of her players by presenting them with a title ring.
-
Traffic shouldn’t be an issue with upcoming national soccer tournament
About 15,000 people are expected at the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regional at the Edmond Soccer Complex on Danforth Road near Kelly Avenue June 21-27.
The number of out-of-state guests should not be a problem according to Assistant City Manager Steve Commons. The tournament will attract more than 200 boys and girls teams, ages Under-13 through Under-19, from the 12 state associations that make up U.S. Youth Soccer Region III (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, north Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, south Texas and Tennessee).
As a matter of fact, Commons feels very upbeat about the prospect of Edmond hosting the national tournament. -
LaFaye takes Pick-A-Partner crown with 135
The KickingBird Men’s Golf Assocation’s Pick-A-Partner was won by Robert LaFaye Saturday with a 135.
Sean Conrad took second (136) while Kevin Wright and Kevin O’Neil deadlocked for third place at 137. -
UCO overtakes Division II foes for national title
Starting out the postseason, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos softball team puttered out in the MIAA Tournament.
But UCO shifted it into another gear when the rounds of regionals began and rode the wild momentum going undefeated en route to securing the NCAA II national championship over Kutztown (Pa.) in Salem, Va.
The Bronchos dominated, going 9-0 straight through to the national title contest on May 27. -
2013 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships to bring more than $8 million to Edmond area
he 2013 US Youth Soccer Region III (South) Championships presented by the National Guard, to be played June 21-27, will provide an estimated economic impact of more than $8 million to the Edmond area.
Local restaurants, hotels, retail stores and others will benefit from the more than 3,600 players, coaches, teams and tournament officials, along with an estimated 12,000 spectators attending the seven-day tournament. Visitors to the Edmond area will book an estimated 10,000 room nights at area hotels.
The top 200 Boys and Girls US Youth Soccer teams from Region III, including at least 19 teams from the host Oklahoma Soccer Association, will compete at the Edmond Soccer Club Complex. -
Memorial graduate Morris totes home MVP trophy
It’s always good when Oklahoma beats Texas in anything and Saturday night’s 101-95 victory by Oklahoma over Texas in the annual Faith 7 Basketball Bowl at Oklahoma Baptist University's Noble Complex was a real cause for celebration.
But the happiest person in the gym might have been Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. You might remember that Marshall and his band of opportunistic Shockers shocked the basketball world and several NCAA experts with their improbable run to the much coveted Final 4 in April.
But Marshall, one of the clinic speakers during the annual Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association annual festival, didn't want to talk about the Shockers’ monumental achievements of the spring. His big grin and jovial nature could easily have been a glimpse into the Wichita State future. -
Stars’ Crabaugh, Jensen become MLB draftees
Oklahoma City University’s Cody Crabaugh and Chase Jensen have been chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday.
The San Diego Padres took Jensen in the 22nd round with the 658th overall selection, while the Miami Marlins picked Crabaugh, a former Edmond North player, in the 32nd round with the 952nd choice.
Crabaugh, a senior right-handed pitcher from Edmond, compiled a 13-2 record and 2.12 earned run average, three complete games, a shutout and 77 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched this year.
In the NAIA, Crabaugh ranked fourth in wins this year. He led the SAC in wins and ranked second in ERA to his teammate Derek Howell. Crabaugh struck out seven in eight innings, both season highs, against Mid-America Christian on May 3 in the SAC Tournament. His whitewashed St. Gregory's on March 20 in Shawnee, Okla. He became a second-team NAIA all-American and first-team all-SAC selection this season. -
UCO Endeavor Games come to a close
The UCO Endeavor Games for athletes with physical disabilites began with clinics used for warm-ups for competitors and a learning session for athletes new to the sports.
From beginners to Paralympians, the competitive fields wound down on Sunday throughout the Edmond area.
The UCO Endeavor Games are Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, USA level 3 sanctioned event. Athletes ages 7-21 are encouraged to use their Endeavor Games results to qualify for the National Junior Disability Championship (NJDC). NJDC is the largest multi-sport, multi-disability event for juniors in the United States.
The WASUSA premier event brings together hundreds of athletes with physical disabilities from all over North America to compete in archery, field, table tennis, track, swimming, and weightlifting. - More Sports Headlines
-
UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
