Classen SAS girls return to 4A state tournament after claiming area championship; Mount St. Mary boys make it back to state after winning area title on a thrilling finish
By Buck Ringgold
CHECOTAH - They have put together some impressive accomplishments as senior teammates on the Classen SAS girls basketball team.
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Jordan Harrison and Micah Gray each have scored over a thousand points in their careers as Lady Comets. Two of them, Littlepage-Buggs and Harrison, are Division I signees, and Gray is also being looked at by several DI schools.
On Friday, they achieved another milestone: Making it to the state tournament for all four seasons.
All three seniors reached double figures as Classen SAS posted a 58-24 win against Muldrow in Friday night's Class 4A Area III championship game at the Checotah Event Center.
The Lady Comets (21-1) built a 41-12 halftime lead as Littlepage-Buggs, Gray and Harrison each had 11 points.
"We got in a rhythm early; I thought we shot the ball pretty well," Classen SAS coach James Perinovic said. "We need to put two halves together, so we're going to sit down and talk about that, but our overall energy was fantastic."
Classen SAS - ranked No. 2 in 4A behind Tuttle, which won its area title game Friday against Ada - also continued its tremendous season, which included a runner-up showing at a prestigious tournament in Arizona as well as the epic 58-56 win at 6A No. 1 and previously undefeated Edmond North on Feb. 17.
"(I like) how they prepare every day," Perinovic said. "They come in, they're ready to work, their energy is high.
"We have fun, but we work hard, and they know what our accomplishments and goals are, and we're going for it."
Indeed, for all of the success of those three senior standouts, there is still one big check mark left on their to-do list - winning a state title. As a matter of fact, they're wanting to win at least one state tournament game, as the Lady Comets were defeated in the quarterfinals each of their previous three seasons.
"It's really good for us (to go back to state)," said Littlepage-Buggs, a 6-foot-2 forward and a McDonald's All-American who has signed with Baylor. "When we get there, we want to focus and just focus on one game at a time."
Classen SAS never trailed in Friday's win, though Muldrow did tie the score early on at 1-all on a free throw from Kennedi Wight.
But the Lady Comets reeled off the next seven points, capped by a Harrison 3. Later, they went on a 10-0 run, with Littlepage-Buggs scoring the last eight points as the lead grew to 15, 18-3, late in the first quarter.
Gray, a 5-8 guard, ended the first quarter with a jumper and a three-point play as Classen SAS led 23-4 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lady Comets scored their final 15 points on five 3's; two apiece from Gray and Harrison and one from junior Jaida O'Connor with time running out in the opening half, which gave Classen SAS its 29-point halftime margin.
"We just had to have energy and basically box out because we have been lacking in that," Gray said. "But just having energy and just have fun."
Littlepage-Buggs led all scorers with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She also had seven rebounds.
Harrison, a 5-6 point guard who will play next season at Stephen F. Austin State University, and Gray each scored 13 points. Harrison went 5-of-7 from the field and made all three of her 3-point attempts, and Gray was 5-of-10 from the field, converting two treys.
Now, Classen SAS sets its sights on more unfinished work, seeking to cap its memorable season with a state title.
The senior standouts are all aware of the task at hand.
"It's pretty special, especially doing it with these two," Harrison said, referring to Gray and Littlepage-Buggs. "It feels good, but we're not satisfied; we just really want that gold ball."
Muldrow got four points each from Lani Israel and Claire Tabor. The Lady Bulldogs (20-6) will get one more opportunity to join Classen SAS at next week's 4A state tourney as they return to Checotah on Saturday to face Fort Gibson for the area consolation title.
Last weekend, Muldrow defeated Fort Gibson in the regional championship, 26-22, and the Lady Tigers have won two straight games in the area consolation round since, setting up a rematch.
Mount St. Mary 47, Perkins-Tryon 46 (BOYS)
CJ Johnson knew what had to be done.
And when he got the ball in his hands with time running out in Friday's Class 4A Area III championship game, Johnson made it happen.
Johnson made a dazzling drive along the baseline for a lay-in with 3.7 seconds left to lift Mount St. Mary past Perkins-Tryon in a thrilling finish.
"We got lucky, and we were the last team to get the shot," MSM coach Brandon Jackson said. "Perkins is a really good team, but we were literally just fortunate enough to get the last shot because that game could have went either way."
In a game which saw the lead change hands four times in the last three minutes, the Demons took a 46-45 advantage on two free throws from Gannon McCutchen with 16 seconds remaining.
Jackson elected not to call a time out, and the Rockets (21-4) were off and running. The ball went to Johnson, who got past a defender and went along the baseline for the finishing shot.
"It was all my teammates," Johnson said. "We all fought, like the whole game, and they trust me to put the ball in my hands and I just try to go make the play, that's really it.
"Great coaching, from Coach Jackson. He trusts us. ... I trusted my teammates if I had to kick it out or make a play, but they all trust me and we just got the win."
Jackson also knew who he wanted to make the potential game-winning shot.
"He's been our guy the whole year and he's got us to this point, so we're going to make sure we get the ball in his hands and we trust him that he's going to make a play for himself or for a teammate," Jackson said of Johnson.
Perkins-Tryon (20-6) had one last chance following Johnson's go-ahead score, but a deep lob pass near the basket was deflected twice, with the Rockets' Jaxson Daniels finally intercepting the ball as the final seconds ticked away.
Jackson added defense played another pivotal role in the win. The Rockets contained a strong outside shooting Demons squad to just three 3-pointers, all coming in the first half.
"Our key was eliminating their 3-point attempts, and then also just attacking them offensively; our strength is getting downhill, getting to the rim," Jackson said. "At the end of the day, though, the key was we just had the (tenacity) and the will to win the game."
MSM took a 28-24 lead at halftime and remained in front after three quarters, 37-34, before Perkins-Tryon eventually took a 44-43 lead with 2:41 left on two foul shots from Cutter Greene.
After missing on a couple of point-blank attempts, the Rockets' Braeden Lloyd finally got a leaner to fall through, putting MSM back on top, 45-44, with more than a minute to go.
MSM got the ball back and had a chance to extend the lead before missing the front end of a one-and-one. Perkins-Tryon got the rebound and missed a shot, but McCutchen grabbed the offensive board and drew a foul, sending him to the line to hit both foul shots as the Demons regained the lead.
It turned out to be short-lived, though, thanks to Johnson's heroics.
With the win, the Rockets qualify for the 4A state tournament for the second consecutive season. Last season, they were defeated in the quarterfinal round.
"We're glad to be back; 4A's tough," Jackson said. "All the eight teams should be very happy and fortunate enough to be back in the state tournament."
To advance for a chance to play for a state title, both Jackson and Jackson noted it will depend on the team's defense.
"We've got to defend our tails off," he said. "Our bread and butter is creating offense from our defense, so we have to defend, and I think if we defend, we can play with anybody."
Johnson was the only MSM player in double figures with 10. Lloyd added nine, while Daniels and Tay Prestridge each had eight apiece.
McCutchen scored 16 points and Greene 12, with each scoring 10 after halftime. Perkins-Tryon drops into Saturday's area consolation final and will take on Crossings Christian for the right to advance to state.
