Oklahoma 4A boys basketball semifinals: Kingfisher, Victory Christian survive scares to face off for title
By Ross Lovelace I Photo by Carlos Flores
OKLAHOMA CITY - In 4A semifinal action Friday at State Fair Arena, Kingfisher was able to knock-off Crossings Christian, while Victory Christian was able to hold off a furious Weatherford rally.
In the first matchup of the day, Victory Christian was pitted against Weatherford and a red-hot Cade Jennings. Jennings had the tournament's top performance thus far with 32 points in the quarterfinal matchup.
In the semifinal game, it was Victory Christian coming away with a 54-51 win behind stellar defense and the play of senior guard Joshua Udoumoh.
Udoumoh poured in 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists doing it all for the Conquerors. Luke Patton also added 12 points and six rebounds.
"We’ve been in this situation before for pretty much the last four games we have played to get here, so we are used to this type of pressure and all that," said Udoumoh. "As long as we focus on the adjusted game plan and relax, we’ll be successful.
"I just use the pressure and turn it into opportunities to make an impact for my team."
For the Eagles, CJ Nickson led the way with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Jennings was never able to get going, finishing 1-of-11 from the field.
Jennings came out cold, and the Eagles went to Nickson early. The talented freshman did it all for Weatherford, adding eight points, four rebounds and two emphatic blocks.
Shockingly enough, Jennings was held scoreless for the entire first half.
Despite Nickson’s efforts, the Conquerors were rolling behind Udoumoh. He really started to heat up in the second quarter when he made a 3-pointer and a deep two.
With time running down and Victory Christian in possession, Udoumoh stepped into a deep 25-foot 3-point attempt and found the bottom of the net.
The deep triple gave Udoumoh 14 first-half points and sent the Conquerors into halftime with a 33-18 lead.
In the third quarter, Weatherford made a furious run. Nickson got to work on the inside and converted bucket after bucket.
With 58 seconds left in the third period, Nickson drove right and banked it softly off the glass to cut Victory’s lead to seven, 42-35.
Things really started to heat up in the final frame as Weatherford closed in on its comeback quest. A steal and score by Tai Vu with 7:10 left put the Weatherford lead at two, 45-43.
From there, the entire fourth quarter would be a dogfight, with each team hitting massive buckets down the stretch to keep it close.
Michael Doctor’s free throws down the stretch sealed the deal for Victory Christian as the Conquerors punched their ticket to the state championship game.
"I’m just ready to play for a championship (Saturday)," said Udoumoh. "I’m looking forward to what Kingfisher will bring to the table and also I’m looking forward to just playing the game of basketball and enjoying my last game of my high school career and to have so much fun doing it."
Kingfisher 39, Crossings Christian 36
Crossings versus Kingfisher was one of the best matchups of the year on paper and the hype proved to be true.
In an instant back-and-forth classic, the Yellowjackets prevailed, beating the Knights and earning a chance to defend their 4A crown.
Chase Davis led the way for Kingfisher, pouring in 16 points and six rebounds. Caden Kitchens also notched 11 points, while Xavier Ridenour added nine.
"I am probably most looking forward to trying to carry on the tradition that Kingfisher basketball has made for itself in the state tournament," said Ridenour following the victory.
For the Knights, senior Reid Lovelace had 13 points, while freshman Cal Furnish contributed 12.
In the first quarter, it was all Jackets, as Davis got hot early on. His eight first-quarter points gave the Jackets a 13-5 lead heading into the second period.
From there, it was all Crossings. Lovelace had six quick points and the Knights were right back in it.
After free throws from Furnish, Crossings headed into halftime with a 22-21 lead.
In the third quarter, the Jackets were able to regain the lead behind strong play from Davis and Ridenour. Ridenour was Kingfisher’s go-to-guy down the stretch and delivered some huge buckets.
With just over 1:30 to play in the game, Lovelace drove to the hoop and converted a tough bucket. From there, the Jackets went right back to Ridenour, who finished a floater off the glass.
"I was able to stay composed by knowing that my teammates were alongside me and that we were all in this together," said Ridenour.
The Knights had the ball down by eight points with just eight seconds remaining. The play was busted and Lovelace had to improvise, never getting a clean look at the bucket.
Kingfisher was able to hang on, advancing to the state championship to take on Victory Christian. That game will tip off at 5 p.m. Saturday at State Fair Arena.
"Our coaching staff does an amazing job with scouting and game planning for teams, and they prepared us for Cal and Reid throughout the week which allowed us to pull out on top," said Ridenour.
