The Class A Caddo Lady Bulldogs ran the gauntlet at the 45th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic and are taking home the hard-earned championship trophy.

Caddo’s latest Mid-America victim was Class 3A power Bethel. The Lady Bruins edged the Lady Wildcats 41-40 in a thrilling title contest Friday night inside a packed Kerr Activities Center.

Caddo, No. 2 in Class A, stayed unbeaten at 10-0 on the year. Bethel, No. 3 in Class 3A, dropped to 8-2 after a strong tournament run.

The Lady Bruins got the best of Class 5A No. 2 Carl Albert (57-46) in the first round and stunned Class 4A No. 3 Tuttle (56-54) in a semifinal showdown.

“I thought we played pretty unreal the first two days. Both teams tonight were a little gassed,” said Caddo head coach Kolby Johnson following the game. “We had a tough road.”

High school basketball oddsmaker would have likely had Caddo as underdogs all three nights at the Mid-America Classic. You couldn’t tell by their play on the court.

“They have so much heart. They could have quit there at the end against Tuttle. They could have quit when we when messed up and gave (Bethel) two layups to get the lead back there at the end. And they could have quit when we missed about 15 threes — it seemed like — when we were wide open,” he said. “But they don’t have any quit in them. They just don’t quit. They kept plugging and kept playing their guts out.”

Caddo was charged with an untimely turnover on an inbounds play with 32.3 seconds left in the game.

Following a Bethel timeout, sophomore standout Josie Megehee scored in the paint to put Bethel on top 40-39 with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

Enter Caddo star Emily Robinson. She caught an inbounds pass while heading to the basket and hit a tough leaner over Bethel defender Brooklyn Duff for the go-ahead basket.

“The only smart thing I knew was who to give it to at the end of the game. I’ll take credit for that one but that’s it,” Johnson said. “It makes it easy on you when you can give it to Emily and get out of the way. She went and did it.”

After a Bethel miss on the other end, Robinson was fouled. She misfired from the free-throw line but Parker Stevenson — another Bethel standout — drew only iron from a few steps beyond halfcourt as time expired, allowing Caddo to hang on.

Robinson, who received the Omega Johnson Trophy as the Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic MVP, finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Johnson said she does a little bit of everything to make his club successful.

“We feed off her. She’ll run through the wall. She’ll dive. She’ll guard the best player. She won’t quit.” Johnson said.

Robinson was also approaching the 2,000 career-point total entering the tournament but her exact numbers weren’t available at press time.

The game was tied at 15-15 late in the second quarter before Caddo hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of just less than two minutes before halftime that put the Lady Bruins ahead 24-15 at the break. Robinson, Rylan Peevyhouse and Kadey McKay hit those late triples.

Bethel kept clawing into the Caddo lead during the third period and got within one at 29-28 late in the frame and again at 31-30 to open the fourth quarter.

Caddo opened up a 37-32 lead on a basket inside by Jaycie Nichols off a nice feed from Robinson at the 4:18 mark but the Lady Wildcats wouldn’t go way.

With 3:03 remaining, a steal and layup by Bethel’s Lilly Megehee cut the Caddo lead to 37-36.

Stevenson then gave Bethel its first lead of the second half with a baseline jumper with 1:49 left that made it 38-37.

Robinson — who plans to play college basketball at Oral Roberts University — answered with a nice move to the basket for a score that put Caddo back in front at 39-38 with 42 seconds remaining that set up the wild finish.

Johnson said it was nice to see the Lady Bruins respond well to the rugged Mid-America competition.

“We hadn’t played really well before this tournament but sometimes they’re a little more pumped up to play somebody they’re going to have to really hook up and get after. They knew going in they had to come to play or they were going to get beat. We came to play,” he said.

No other Caddo player reached double figures. Jaycie Nichols scored eight points and had four assists for the Lady Bruins and all-tournament team member Kadey McKay scored five points. Teammate Harley Mullens also nabbed all-tourney honors.

Josie Megehee led Bethel with 19 points and Stevenson followed with 15 points and eight rebounds. Both players were all-tournament selections.

For three quarters the Ada High School girls basketball team went toe-to-toe with Class 4A contender Tuttle during their matchup in the third-place contest Friday night at the 45th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic before a raucous crowd inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

However, the Lady Cougars couldn’t overcome Tuttle’s red-hot start in a 61-50 loss to the Lady Tigers.

Ada, No. 19 in 4A, dropped to an even 5-5 on the sea on heading into tonight’s home came with Heritage Hall. No. 3 Tuttle left town at 8-2.

“I’m proud of my kids for competing. I felt like we overcame some obstacles and had some maturation moments this week,” said Ada head coach Christie Jennings. “As always this was a well ran tournament. It’s always an honor to play in it. This is a tough tourney and we will use it to get better.”

Tuttle opened the game by hitting 11 of its first 15 field goals and outscored Ada 26-14 in the first quarter. Ada outscored the Lady Tigers 36-35 over the final three frames.

Tuttle’s Allie Rehl led her team’s early charge with 14 points in the opening frame on 6-of-8 shooting. She scored on numerous drives to the basket. Rehl continued her superb play throughout the contest and finished the contest with a team-best 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Rehl, a member of the all-tournament team, went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and also had 10 rebounds and three assists.

Rylynn Truett sank a 3-pointer at the 5:25 mark of the second quarter to get Ada within 28-21.

The Lady Tigers led by as many as 20 in the third quarter after a conventional three-point play by Rehl made it 47-27 at the 5:53 mark.

Ada ended the game on a 23-14 run.

Tuttle post player Landry Allen, who will continue her basketball career at the University of Oklahoma, registered a double-double that included 18 points and 12 rebounds. She also had three blocked shots. Allen was also an all-tournament pick.

Samantha Teague hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Lady Tigers.

Ada all-tournament selection Sania Richardson continued to find ways to keep the Lady Cougars close. She exploded for a tournament-high 35 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

“I’m proud of Sania for making the all-tournament team. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be our point guard,” Jennings said.

Truett hit a pair of triples for her six points and Tyley Dotson also scored six for the locals.

Tuttle finished 11-of-16 from the free-throw line compared to a 3-of-4 outing by the Lady Cougars.

“To beat a Top 5 team in any class, we will have to find a way to get to the free throw line more than four times,” Jennings said.

The Cougars committed just three turnovers in the contest. Tuttle — who won last year’s Mid-America Classic crown — out-rebounded Ada 30-16 and outscored the Lady Cougars 42-22 in the paint.

The Lady Titans, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, left the tournament with a 10-1 record, while Georgetown — a Class 5A team in Texas — fell to 12-9.

“For this group — somebody had to set the screen, somebody had to make the right pass — it was the ultimate team victory. I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Carl Albert head coach Kyle Richey told The Ada News.

In the seventh-place game, Pittsburg turned back Frontier 60-50.

The Class B No. 2 Lady Panthers, under the direction of head coach Jim Jenson, are now 9-4 on the year. Class A No. 5 Frontier fell to 11-3.

5th Place

Carl Albert 52, Georgetown TX 49

Georgetown senior Taylor Meynes scored on a drive to the basket with just under six minutes to play to put the Lady Eagles on top 43-35. After Meynes knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:24 left, Georgetown still led 45-39.

Meynes fed Georgetown post player Chasidy Lee for a layup with 1:46 remaining to make it 49-45.

But Carl Albert didn’t panic.

“I told them we had an eternity. We just need some people to step up and make some plays offensively and defensively. And they did. They found a way. This team has guts,” Richey said.

Kamryn Sutton hit a huge 3-pointer for Carl Albert with 40.7 seconds left to get the Lady Titans within 49-48.

“She missed a couple early and I told her I was going to call it again and she knocked it down,” Richey said.

Then, after a defensive stop, Carl Albert’s Kennedy Coder hit a pair of clutch free throws with 15.7 ticks left to put her team ahead for good.

Coder then helped the Lady Titans seal the outcome with a steal and two more free shots.

Sutton and all-tournament selection Ariana Diaz both scored 12 points to lead the Lady Titans. Ausha Moore was next with 10 points to go with nine rebounds.

Madelyne Furr — an all-tournament pick —led the Texas club with 13 points and 10 boards, while Meynes notched 11 points.

7th Place

Pittsburg 60, Frontier 50

Pittsburg looked like it was going to run away from the Lady Mustangs, leading by as many as 21 in the first half. However, when Kenly Kauk hit a free throw with 3:26 left in the game, Frontier had cut its deficit to 49-41.

Bonnie Childs buried a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to trim the FHS deficit to 55-48 but the comeback stopped there.

Catyn Graham, an all-tournament selection, poured in a game-high 25 points to pace the Pittsburg club. She also had five rebounds and three steals.

Akiera Hawk followed with 15 points and six rebounds, while Camryn Graham also hit double figures with 11 points.

Childs, who finished 7-of-12 from the field and sank a trio of 3-pointers, led Frontier with 17 points. Olivia Littlecook was next with 12 points and six rebounds. Jamie Molina just missed double figures with nine points for the Lady Mustangs.

Friday, Dec. 30

2022 Mid-America Classic

Championship

Caddo 41, Bethel 40

CADDO 5 19 7 10 — 41

BETHEL 8 7 13 12 — 40

CADDO: Emily Robinson 8-20, 3-6, 22; Jaycie Nichols 3-6, 2-3, 8; Kadey McKay 2-5, 0-0, 5; Harlee Mullens 1-4, 0-0, 3; Rylan Peevyghouse 1-5, 0-0, 3. Totals: 15-44, 5-11, 41.

BETHEL: Josie Megehee 7-16, 5-7, 19; Parker Stevenson 5-15, 4-6, 15; Baylee Tapley 0-1, 4-4, 4; Hannah Davidson 1-4, 0-0, 2;. Totals: 13-41, 13-19, 40.

Turnovers: Caddo 13, Bethel 10.

Steals: Caddo 3, Bethel 6 (Davidson 3).

Assists: Caddo 9 (Robinson 3); Bethel 6 (Davidson 4).

Rebounds: Caddo 31 (Robinson 12); Bethel 26 (Davidson 9).

3-point goals: Caddo 6-24 (Robinson 3-8, Mullens 1-3, McKay 1-3, Peevyhouse 1-5).

Fouled out: None.

3rd Place

Tuttle 61, Ada 50

TUTTLE 26 12 19 4 — 61

ADA 14 11 16 9 — 50

TUTTLE: Allie Rehl 11-15, 5-5, 27; Landry Allen 8-13, 2-3, 18; Samantha Teague 3-7, 0-0, 8; Kinzley Battle 2-4, 0-4, 4; Ave Battle 0-4, 2-2, 2; Marissa Sandlin 0-1, 2-2, 2. Totals: 24-44, 11-16, 61.

ADA: Sania Richardson 16-33, 1-2, 35; Tyley Dotson 2-3, 2-2, 6; Rylynn Truett 2-3, 0-0, 6; Jakobi Williams 1-7, 0-0, 3. Totals: 21-49, 3-4, 50.

Turnovers: Tuttle 7, Ada 3.

Steals: Tuttle 3, Ada 2.

Assists: Tuttle 9 (Battle 6); Ada 5 (Richardson 3).

Rebounds: Tuttle 30 (Allen 12, Rehl 10); Ada 16 (Dotson 5).

3-point goals: Tuttle 2-8 (Teague 2-3); Ada 5-16 (Richardson 2-6, Truett 2-3).

Fouled out: None.

5th Place

Carl Albert 52, Georgetown TX 49

CARL ALBERT 13 15 5 19 — 52

GEORGETOWN 10 16 15 8 — 49

CARL ALBERT: Kamryn Sutton 4-9, 1-2, 12; Ariana Diaz 5-12, 1-1, 12; Ausha Moore 4-13, 1-2, 10; Skylar Anderson 3-6, 1-1, 7; Kennedy Coder 0-5, 6-6, 6; Essence Curry 1-4, 0-1, 3; Audrey Plunkett 1-3, 0-0, 2. Totals: 18-53, 10-13, 52.

GEORGETOWN: Madelyne Furr 4-9, 5-6, 13; Taylor Meynes 3-7, 4-4, 11; Reese Hoadley 3-8, 1-1, 9; Chasidy Lee 4-8, 0-0, 8; Erica Ramthun 1-6, 0-2, 2; Mckenzie Bernard 1-3, 0-0, 2; Jane Butler 0-0, 2-2, 2; Katie Peiffer 1-2, 0-0, 2. Totals: 17-46, 12-14, 49.

Turnovers: Carl Albert 8, Georgetown 13.

Steals: Carl Albert 5, Georgetown 4.

Assists: Carl Albert 4, Georgetown 9 (Meynes 3, Ramthun 3).

3-point goals: Carl Albert 6-25 (Sutton 3-8, Diaz 1-4, Moore 1-5, Curry 1-3); Georgetown 3-11 (Meynes 1-2, Hoadley 2-4).

Fouled out: Coder (CA).

7th Place

PIttsburg 60, Frontier 50

PITTSBURG 19 16 9 16 — 60

FRONTIER 10 7 10 23 — 50

PITTSBURG: Catyn Graham 7-15, 8-12, 25; Akiera Hawk 5-10, 3-6, 15; Camryn Graham 4-6, 1-2, 11; Aspen Duvall 2-5, 0-1, 5; Paege Kinsey 2-4, 0-0, 4. Totals: 20-42, 12-21, 60.

FRONTIER: Bonnie Childs 7-12, 0-0, 17; Olivia Littlecook 5-7, 1-2, 12; Jami Molina 3-12, 0-0, 9; Kenly Kauk 2-6, 3-4, 8; Diane Faw Faw 1-1, 0-0, 2; Kye Ruff 1-2, 0-0, 2. Totals: 19-40, 4-6, 50.

Turnovers: Pittsburg 12, Frontier 17.

Steals: Pittsburg 14 (Kinsey 5); Frontier 8.

Assists: Pittsburg 16 (Duvall 4, Camryn Graham 4); Frontier 10 (Ruff 5).

3-point goals: Pittsburg 8-16 (Catyn Graham 3-7, Camryn Graham 2-3, Hawk 2-3, Duvall 1-3); Frontier 8-18 (Molina 3-7, Childs 3-5, Kauk 1-3, Littlecook 1-2).

Fouled out: Littlecook (F).