The Lady Buffs jumped into the lead and never looked back during a matchup with Kingfisher Thursday in the opening round of the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic at East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center, where the Lady Buffs pushed out front early for the 45-36 win.
Class 5A McAlester improved to 6-2 on the year, while Class 4A No. 11 Kingfisher slipped to 2-3.
McAlester 45, Kingfisher 36
Tori Kilburn opened the game with back-to-back scores, and points from Madi VanDorpe and Jada Ponce put the Lady Buffs ahead 7-2 as Kingfisher called a timeout. On the other side, Katie Allen and VanDorpe hit a pair of swishing triples, giving McAlester an early 13-4 advantage late in the opening quarter.
The Lady Yellowjackets closed the gap to 17-12 after a pair of free shots from Talor Mecklenburg at the 3:04 mark of the second period before the Lady Buffs carried a 21-15 lead into the break.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — McAlester junior Tori Kilburn (15) looks to pass the ball over the head of Kingfisher defender Peyton Walker during their first-round matchup Thursday at the 2023 Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. McAlester advanced to the semifinals with a 45-36 victory.
Kilburn and Allen knocked down five quick points for McAlester to start the second half and pushed the MHS lead to 26-16.
Kingfisher again closed the gap to five at 26-21 after a strong drive to the basket by Raegan Snider, but McAlester ended the frame on an 8-1 surge to build a 34-22 lead after three periods.
The Lady Yellowjackets rattled off another small run to start the fourth, but it’d be broken by a pair of free throws from Jada Ponce. Kingfisher never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Kilburn led McAlester with a double-double that included 12 points and 10 rebounds. Allen also reached double figures with 10 points, Ponce was next with eight points and Davis added seven points for the Lady Buffaloes.
Kingfisher got a game-high 15 points from Raegan Snider, who also pulled down six rebounds. Abbie Myers also hit double digits with 11 points and she also had four steals.
McAlester sank 8-of-10 free throws while Kingfisher made 7-of-10 attempts.
Note: McAlester News-Capital Sports Editor Derek Hatridge contributed to this report.
The Merritt Lady Oilers were efficient on offense and finally used a triangle-and-two defense to keep Byng’s top two scorers in check on the way to a 62-39 victory over the Lady Pirates in the late game Thursday in the first round of the 2023 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Byng’s Hannah Wort (13) puts up a shot in the late while Gracee Carnes (5) of Merritt tries to swat the attempt during their matchup Thursday night at the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. Merritt won the game 62-39.
Merritt, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A, stayed unbeaten at 6-0, while the Lady Pirates dropped to 5-5.
Merritt 62, Byng 39
The Lady Pirates sank a trio of 3-point baskets in the first period — two by Alona Cooper and another from Blakely Miller. Cooper’s second triple knotted the score at 13-13 late in the first period.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Byng freshman Kaidynce Moore (31) keeps the ball away from Merritt’s Chloe Stout (10) during first-round action Thursday night at the Mid-America Classic, held inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.
However, the Lady Oilers responded with a pivotal 12-0 run, that carried into the second period. After a 3-point basket from Marlie Long — who just seconds earlier had rushed behind the Mid-America scorer’s table to throw up — Merrit led 25-13 at the 5:55 mark of the second quarter.
A 3-pointer by Byng’s Lorren Shaw stopped the MHS streak and after Cooper drilled her third triple of the game late in the period, the Lady Pirates trailed 36-22 at halftime. Merritt shot a blazing 15-of-21 (71.4%) from the field through the first two quarters.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Members of the Byng High School girls basketball team line up for the Parade of Teams during the 2023 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
Cooper finished 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first half — it was her only field goal attempts during that span — but scored just four points in the second half to finish with a team-best 13. Thanks to Merritt’s tricky defense, Cooper was limited to just eight total shot attempts.
Cooper scored on back-to-back Byng possessions late in the third quarter to get the Lady Pirates within 42-28 but Merritt ended the game on a 20-11 run.
Miller was next for Byng with seven points and Carlos was limited to six. Carlos also had six rebounds and three steals.
Long was the Lady Oilers leader. She finished with 17 points and went 3-of-4 from 3-point territory. Ella Porter was next with 14 points and six rebounds, while Addison Hartman also hit double figures with 10 points.
The Washington Lady Warriors had their hands completely full against Hartshorne Thursday during the first round of the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
However, a late surge — keyed by several big defensive stops — proved to be the difference in Washington’s 64-57 come-from-behind victory. The Lady Warriors, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, advanced to the semifinals at 8-0. Hartshorne — No. 10 in Class 2A — fell into the loser’s bracket at 5-4.
“I think we just decided to lock down and get a few stops,” said Washington head coach Kale Simon of his team’s big ending. “I put a girl in that guards really well (sophomore Laney Gay). She was able to guard (Brooklyn Suringer), who was killing us. That was probably the difference in the game.”
Washington 64, Hartshorne 57
Hartshorne raced to an 8-1 lead and was still on top 21-16 after a fast-paced first period. Washington responded by outscoring the Lady Miners 18-6 in the second period to build a 34-27 halftime edge.
Hartshorne outscored Washington 19-12 in the third period to carry a slim 46-45 advantage into the final frame.
The Lady Miners got a tough basket inside by Brooklyn Suringer and a free throw by Alanna Williams that followed an offensive rebound to build a 51-47 lead with 5:07 left in the contest.
However, Washington ended the game with a decisive 17-6 run to snag the victory.
The Lady Warriors went on top for good after an old-fashioned three-point play by Kelby Beller put her team ahead 55-53 with just over four minutes to play.
Washington followed with a jumper from Preslee Johnson and two free throws by Beller that extended the lead to 59-53 with two minutes left.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Harthorne’s Brooklyn Suringer (1) looks for an open teammate with Washington defender Breanna Lindert by her side Thursday during the first round of the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. Washington won 64-57 despite a game-high 24 points from Suringer.
Breanna Lindert sank four late free throws to keep Hartshorne at bay.
“I thought Hartshorne played their butts off the whole game and were a part of our struggles. We did enough late to win but I think we have to find that every possession of the game to be successful moving forward,” Simon said.
Lindert, who had a number of baskets at the end of Washington’s fast breaks, finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead her club. Johnson contributed 12 points to the balanced WHS attack. She sank a trio of 3-pointers.
Jayden Wells also sank three triples and scored 11 points. Beller ended up with 10 points seven assists and a pair of steals. She sank 6-of-6 free shots.
Shelbie Caveness added eight points for the Lady Warriors.
Suringer led all scorers with 24 points for Hartshorne. She finished 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line and had three steals.
Both Alexis Hoover and Lexis Vicars added 10 points apiece. Vicars also had eight rebounds and three steals.
Hartshorne finished 14-of-21 from the free-throw line and Washington ended up 11-of-17 from the stripe.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Washington head coach Kale Simon has a chat with one of his players during Thursday’s action at the Mid-America Classic.
The 2023 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic is just around the corner. The teams for the Classic are…
The Bethel Lady Wildcats
2
Ana Burkhart
3
Alexis Tucker
4
Kendall Bullen
5
Brooklyn Duff
10
Layla Menhusen
11
Kinley Bowles
12
Jalee Reeves
14
Bailey Tucker
15
Faith Cator
20
Alexis Williams
21
Josie Megehee
22
Ava Gascon
24
Paityn Seiger
25
Brylan Webb
32
Emma Gibson
Coach Tara Satterfield Bio 2023-2024
Tara Satterfield is in her seventh season as Head Basketball Coach of the Bethel Lady Wildcats, third year as Head Coach of Bethel Fast Pitch Softball, and her 22nd year of coaching overall. Last season she led the Lady Wildcats to a 25-4 record and 2nd straight trip to the State Tournament, finishing in the semi-finals.
She is currently serving on the OGBCA Board, as a Region Rep for class 3A, as well as the OCA All State committee. Prior to coming to Bethel she was at Quinton for 6 years, 4 years as head coach, where she led them to the State Tournament in 2015. Satterfield served as an assistant coach for five years at Achille and 4 years at Coalgate. Satterfield has coached 8 AII-Staters, 3 in basketball and 5 in softball.
Satterfield played college basketball at Oklahoma Christian University, where she holds the single game record for assists, after her graduation from Canadian High School. Tara is married to Heather Satterfield. They have one son, Garret.
The Byng Lady Pirates
1
Brylee Baird
3
Alona Cooper
10
Cadence Carlos
22
Torri Gustin
13
Hannah Wort
11
Lani Meyers
23
Lorren Shaw
5
Chloe Gaines
40
Rez Anderson
25
Kendal Mccarty
24
Amelia Beard
31
Kaidynce Moore
45
Piper Presley
20
Blakely Miller
4
Brooklynn Ross
Luke Clark Head Coach of the Byng Lady Pirates
Luke Clark has been the Head Coach of the Byng Lady Pirates for 3 years and is in his 6th year as a Head Coach. Since being at Byng, Coach Clark has coached the Lady Pirates to two District Championships and has led the Pirates to the Semi-Finals of Area and to the Regional Semi-Finals. Coach Clark is married to Jamie Clark and they have a two year old son named Tripp.
TheCarl Albert Lady Titans
#
Name
Yr
Height
Position
10
Jacquelyn Brown
Jr
5’8”
G/F
11
Evi Mitchell
Jr
5’3”
G
12
Skylar Anderson
So
5’8”
G
15
Jakary Brown
So
5’5”
G
20
Essence Curry
So
5’5”
G
22
Kaylee Franklin
Sr
5’7”
G
23
Audrey Plunkett
So
5”10”
G/F
24
Ausha Moore
Jr
5’9”
G/F
33
Shelby Rusche
Jr
5’8”
F
44
Lanie Moore
Jr
5’10”
F/C
Carl Albert Head Coach Kyle Richey brings more than 25 years’ experience and expertise to the Carl Albert High School Lady Titans Basketball Program. As the coach of the Lady Titans since 2016, the team has an overall record of 112-74 with three state playoff appearances. Coach Richey prides himself in the betterment of young student athletes on and off the court. In 2023, the Lady Titans had a combined GPA of 3.8. During his time at Carl Albert High School, Coach Richey has been named the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaching Association Large Central Region Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023, 2021 and 2022 Suburban Conference Coach of the Year, the 2019 Oklahoma Coaching Association Large West All-State Coach, and the OGBCA 2016 Large West All-State Coach.
Kyle and his wife, Melissa, have a 13-year-old son, Jaxon.
TheHartshorne Lady Miners
Addison Bernardi – 5’7 / FR / G Alanna Williams – 5’7 / SR / G BrentleeWood-5’6/FR/G JaydaMoore-5’7 /JR/G Kammrie Roberts – 5’8 / FR / F Kaysen Semeski – 5’5 / FR / G Lexie Johnson – 5’10 / FR / F OliviaJones-5’6/SR/G PaytonVaughn-5’9/FR/F PyperVinson-5’7/FR/F Reanna Williams – 5’7 / FR / G Alexis Hoover – 5’5 /SR / G Brooklyn Suringer – 5’10 / JR / F GracieWilson-5’9/JR/F LexisVicars-5’10/JR/F SoaCamp-5’8/SR/G
Head Coach Shane Hackler
Hartshorne Lady Miners from 2017- present
State Tournament appearances
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2020
2020-2021
2022-2023
3rd appearance at Mid America
TheKingfisher Yellowjackets
#
Name
Class
Position
Height
1
Maya Haney
FR
G
5’5
2
Mattie Slezickey
FR
G
5’5
3
Abbie Myers
SO
G/F
5’11
4
Shelby Davis
SO
G
5’7
5
Chloe Blair
SR
G
5’6
10
Peyton Walker
SR
G
5’6
11
Addy Matthews
SR
G/F
5’10
14
Taitym Walker
FR
G
5’7
15
Jancee Matthews
SO
F
5’11
20
Scout Snodgrass
SO
G
5’6
21
Talor Mecklenburg
JR
G
5’8
22
Molly Weber
FR
F
5’9
23
Raegan Snider
JR
F
6’0
25
Adlee Friesen
FR
F
5’11
40
Kamia Hamilton
SR
F
5’9
Head coach Taylor Young is in her third season as the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Kingfisher High School. She has an overall record of 47-12. She has taken Kingfisher to back to back 4A State Tournaments (2022 & 2023). In 2022, she was named the OGBCA Bertha Frank Teague Award Winner, this award is presented to young upcoming head coaches. In 2023, she was named the OCA Region 1 Coach of the Year. She is also currently serving on the OGBCA Board.
Young played college basketball at Texas A&M University where she was 2nd All Time in career three point percentage and single season three point percentage. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Leadership and Development and later on earned a Master’s Degree from Southern Nazarene University in Sport Management and Administration.
Young is a graduate of Shawnee High School, where she played her final season, leading Shawnee to a perfect season (29-0) and a Class 5A State Championship (2012). During that year Shawnee participated in the Bertha Frank Teague Mid America Classic where they won the tournament and Young was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was named an All-State selection by the OCA, OGBCA, Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World. She was also named a Super 5 Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American Game nominee. Prior to Shawnee, she played for Bethel High School and helped lead them to the 2011 Class 3A State Championship where she was named MVP of the 2011 Class 3A State Tournament. Her high school teams posted a 55-2 record over her junior and senior years. She also played softball in high school, helping Bethel to two slow-pitch state championships (2009 & 2010).
Taylor Young is married to Kade Young and is expecting their first baby, a daughter, in January 2024. She coaches JH Girls Basketball and helps out in the spring with slow-pitch softball. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and doing anything sports related.
The McAlester Lady Buffs
Kaylee Knight, Rylee Forehand, Avrey Alberson, Amery Perron, Rylan Lesnau, Ti’Heiress Davis, Kayla Johnson, Jada Ponce, Tori Kilburn, Madison VanDorpe, Katie Allen, Kylie Dooney, Indya Hishaw, and Beaudee Nystrom
Jarrod Owen has been coaching for 12 years, he started his career at Butner where he spent 3 years as head softball and basketball coach. Next, he would go out west to Elk City where he would serve as the head softball and assistant basketball coach for the Merritt Oilerettes for 3 years. These last 6 years he has been the head girls’ basketball coach at his home town of McAlester, leading the Lady Buffs to the 2022 5A State Championship. He has coached 4 all staters and amassed over 200 victories.
Coach Owen currently serves as the Region 6 Rep. for the OCA, He was the 2022 OGBCA and OCA Region Coach of the Year, 2022 OGBCA All State Coach, 2021 OCA All State Coach and 2017 OCA Region Coach of the Year.
Coach Owen and his wife Courtney have been married for 9 years, they have four sons, Benaiah (7), Hudson (4), Merritt (2), and Tobias (7m). Courtney is a 2nd grade teacher at Tannehill Public School where their oldest 2 boys attend as well. Jarrod and Courtney also teach a 5/6th grade Sunday School class together at Calvary Baptist Church.
Coach Cale Simon was a head high school boys basketball coach for 14 years. He has two State Championships. One in 2010 with Roff and a second in 2014 with Okemah. He was also state runner-up in 2013 with Okemah and a state semi-finalist in 2019 with El Reno. The 22-23 season was Coach Simon’s first year as a head girls coach. His team at Washington went 27-2 and finished as State-Runner Up. Coach Simon has seven total state tournament appearances with Roff, Okemah, El Reno, and Washington. Coach Simon has averaged over 20 wins per year along with earning his 200th career victory in 2016. In 2014, Coach Simon was named Tulsa World Coach of the Year, OCA Regional Coach of the Year, and District Coach of the Year. He was also District Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010. He has had the privilege of coaching six OCA All-Staters, along with numerous other OBCA All Stars, Indian All-Staters, and All Conference players.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Members of the 2022 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic All-Tournament team include, from left to right: Parker Stevenson of Bethel, Josie Megehee of Bethel, Sania Richardson of Ada, Allie Rehl of Tuttle, Landry Allen of Tuttle, Catyn Graham of Pittsburg and the Caddo trio of Harlee Mullens, Kadey McKay and MVP Emily Robinson. Not pictured are Ariana Diaz of Carl Albert and Madeline Furr of Georgetown. Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – The 2022 Mid-America Most Valuable Player was Caddo’s Emily Robinson.
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.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Caddo players celebrate with their trophy after winning the 45th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
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.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Tuttle’s Landry Allen (25) puts up a shot over Ada defender Tyley Dotson during the third-place game of the 2022 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic sponsored by Vision Bank. Tuttle defeated the Lady Cougars 61-50.
Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic 