Defending champion Tuttle flexed its muscles during the first round of the 45th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
The Lady Tigers overwhelmed Pittsburg 57-13 Wednesday afternoon inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center. Tuttle, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, improved to 7-1 on the year and advanced to tonight’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal contest. The Lady Panthers, No. 2 in Class B, fell to 8-3 and will play today in a 3 p.m. consolation contest.
It didn’t take long for Tuttle to take control. The Lady Tigers started the game on a 12-3 run and quickly extended it to 23-5 on a steal and basket by Marissa Sandlin at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter.
Tuttle carried a 30-11 lead into halftime. The Lady Tigers sank 12-24 field goals during the first two quarters while Pittsburg was limited to 3-of-15 (20%) shooting.
Unfortunately for the Lady Panthers, it got worse. Pittsburg scored just two total points in the entire second half via a nice spin move in the lane by Camryn Graham at the 3:05 mark of the second period. Tuttle then ended the game on a huge 20-0 run.
Landry Allen paced a balanced THS scoring effort with 11 points to go with eight rebounds and a pair of steals. She hit 5-of-6 field goals including one 3-pointer Allie Rehl was next for Tuttle with nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Marissa Sandlin followed with seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
Mikole Skagg, Samantha Teagur and Layla Kerr ended up with six points each for the winners.
Pittsburg got six points and eight rebounds from Akiera Hawk. Catyn Graham followed with five points. The Lady Panthers were hampered by 18 turnovers.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Tuttle junior Samantha Teagur (24) drives down the lane past Pittsburg defenders Keely Couach (24) and Akiera Hawk (13) during their matchup Wednesday afternoon during the first round of the 45th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
Assistant Coaches:Jeremy Strong, Shelby Davis &Menee Thomsen
Graduate Assistants: Payton Row & Josie Wright
Managers:Ariana Solorio & Samantha King
Head Coach:Christie Jennings
Christie Jennings
Christie Jennings has been a girls’ basketball coach for the past 20 years. She started her coaching career at Byng High School as an assistant coach in both basketball and softball. She took her first head coaching position at Stonewall Public Schools in 2004. Jennings took over both the basketball and softball programs. She went on to coach her teams in two basketball state tournaments and two softball state tournaments. Her basketball teams combined for a total record of 167 wins and 63 losses in her 8 years at Stonewall. She also had 14 all staters in basketball and softball combined during her time as a Longhorn.
In 2012 she was hired as the head basketball coach for the Ada Lady Cougars. Coach Jennings has a combined record of 181-83 while at Ada. In her past 10 years as the head coach of the Lady Cougars, her teams have qualified for two state tournaments and have only fallen short of the Area tournament one season. Over the last decade, she has had 11 players leave Ada High and play college basketball.
Prior to this season, Christie Jennings had a combined record of 348 wins and 146 losses as a head coach. She has been awarded The Ada News All Area Coach of the Year in 2006, 2012, 2014 & 2017. Jennings has racked up several awards including: OGBCA Region Assistant of the Year: 2004, OGBCA Region Coach of the Year: 2012, 2014 & 2017, OGBCA Coach of the Year 2014, OCA Region Coach of the Year 2017 and the 2017 Charles K. Heatly Award. Coach Jennings serves as the Executive Secretary of the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Association. Her involvement in the OGBCA has helped her form lifelong friendships with many coaches throughout the state. She continues to pour into young coaches and mentor them just as she was mentored as a young coach.
Christie Jennings is also the Athletic Director for Ada City Schools. The Ada Cougars have strong athletic programs in 13 varsity sports. She enjoys being around the various student athletes and coaches.
Coach Jennings is a Byng High School graduate. Jennings graduated college with her Bachelors from Oklahoma State University. She received her Masters Degree from East Central University in Sports Administration.
Outside of work, Jennings enjoys spending time with family and friends, vacationing, and attending college sporting events.
Coach Jennings thoughts on the Mid America, “The Mid-America is something close to my heart. I love girls’ basketball, and I love the girls’ basketball community. Growing up as a player at Byng, I saw firsthand the impact that Mrs. Teague had on the game of basketball. Without Mrs. Teague, I might not be in my position today. She was a trendsetter, a ceiling breaker, and a role model.”
Managers: Gryphan Mason, Shyla Arnold, Taylor Boles, Lilly Jordan, Rain Samsal. Assistant Coaches: Andrea Depuy & Taylor Opskar. Superintendent: Dr. Matt Posey High School Principal: Jeremy Stewart Athletic Director: Kyle Childers
Head Coach: Tara Satterfield
Tara Satterfield
Tara Satterfield is in her sixth season as Head Basketball Coach of the Bethel Lady Wildcats, second year as Head Coach of Bethel Softball, and her 21st year of coaching. Last season she led the Lady Wildcats to a 22-5 record and a trip to the State Tournament. Bethel’s first state tournament bid since 2015.
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 5 All-Staters, 2 in basketball and 3 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.
Caddo Lady Bruins
Caddo Lady Bruins
Brilee Tyson 1
Kayden Cowan 4
Jaycie Nichols 23
Jordyn Nichols 25
Ava Self 20
Rylan Peevyhouse 0
Anna Adair 33
Logan Busby 3
Parker Lowry 11
Lanig, Danica 13
McKay, Kadey 22
Mullens, Harlee 2
Robinson, Emily 10
Lowry, Paityn 5
Asst. Coach James Culbreath
Head Coach Kolby Johnson
Kolby Johnson
Head Coach Kolby Johnson came to Caddo Schools in 2016, high school counselor and basketball coach…Has coached boys basketball at Caddo for 7 years. Has coached girls basketball for 5 years, coaching both boys and girls both during this span. Two state tournament appearances with the girls, 2020 and 2021..One state tournament with the boys 2021. Married to Courtney Johnson, who teaches at 2nd grade at Caddo. Two children, James (5) and Jobe (2).
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 90-68 with two state playoff appearances. Coach Richey prides himself in the betterment of young student athletes on and off the court. In 2022, the Lady Titans had a combined GPA of 3.75. During his time at Carl Albert High School, Coach Richey has been named the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaching Association 2022 Large Central Region Coach of the Year, 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 12-year-old son, Jaxon.
Managers: B.b. Bible, Cedar Littlecook, Kate Ruff. Asst Coaches: Colin Roden, Alexis Romero
Head Coach: Jason Collins
Jason Collins
I am a graduate of Oologah High School where I was a multi-sport athlete. I later graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University where I played basketball and golf.
I have been teaching and coaching for 20 years, coaching numerous sports that have included football, basketball, track, cross country, and golf but my love is in the sport of basketball. I had the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level at Oklahoma Wesleyan University for 3 years before embarking on my high school coaching career. My greatest coaching achievement on the court was guiding the 2012 Copan Lady Hornets to the Class A state semi-final game.
I have been married to my wife Regina Collins for 9 years and together we have five awesome children: Gage Kirkendall, Jonah Collins, Sydney Collins, Abbie Kirkendall, and Jordan Collins.
I am beyond excited to be the Head Girls Coach at Frontier High School. I have always had great respect for Frontier and their basketball programs and this is truly a dream come true for me to get to coach basketball for this great school rich in tradition!
PT=PR is something that I have lived by for as long as I can remember. Simply put, positive thoughts equal positive results. I believe without a doubt that we will do great things in years to come!!
Coach Farney has the most career victories of any active girls’ coach in Texas and the nation with a record of 1,237 victories and 351 losses (.760 winning percentage) and sixth on the all-time career list as compiled by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
She has been a high school head coach for 48 seasons. In 35 years at Georgetown High School, her teams have posted 34-consecutive 20-win seasons and 33-straight berths in the UIL state playoffs, including seven appearances in the state tournament—highlighted by a Class 4A state title during the 2012-2013 season that was climaxed by a come-from-behind 65-60 victory over Dallas Lincoln in the finals to finish with a 34-4 record.
She has had more than 85 players compete on the collegiate level, including three on this season’s team. However, her most prized accomplishment is helping over 63 former players to enter the coaching profession. The Howard Payne summa cum laude graduate—still as a teenager—also has served as the head coach at Goldthwaite and Ozona. She was the only girls’ basketball coach on the Goldthwaite staff and coached the seventh, eighth, junior varsity and varsity. Farney also coached track at both schools.
Farney has earned numerous coaching honors, including receiving the prestigious John Wooden Legacy Award presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in March 2022. In addition, she was honored as the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pat Summitt National High School Coach of the Year in 2017 and the National Federation of High Schools 2013 National Coach of the Year as well as being inducted into the Howard Payne University Hall of Fame, Texas Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She served as a head coach for the 2003 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association/Nike All-America Game in Hartford, CT, in addition to being active in USA Basketball on both the coaching and committee levels. Recently, she was named the Texas High School Coaches Association Female State Coach of the Year for 2022 and will be inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Omaha, Nebraska, in July 2023.
Also on the national scene, Farney has chaired the USA Basketball Cadet and Youth Committee, helping select players and coaches for the Summer Youth Development Olympic Festival. In summer 2001, she was one of two high school coaches named by the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee to serve as floor coach for the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was assistant coach for the 2005 USA Basketball Women’s Youth Development Olympic Festival, where her team won the gold medal.
Farney was named head coach for the April 2003 WBCA/Nike All-American game in Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, in April 1996, she traveled to Philadelphia as assistant coach for the WBCA/Nike All-American game. Farney served four years on the WBCA and NFCA Board of Directors and completed a term on the NFCA Basketball Rules Committee. In addition, she was the first female to serve as the president for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Association, the largest male and female basketball organization in the nation as well as serving as president of the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Coach Farney also holds the position of girls’ athletics coordinator at Georgetown and is married to Dr. Bill Farney, retired executive director of the University Interscholastic League, the ruling body of extra-curricular activities in Texas.
Asst. Coach: Jay Ray Managers: Kendalyn Basden, Tynasea Brewer Video: Kaila Mitchell, Gracie Barron Superintendent: Chad Graham Stats: Shannon Hix Athletic Director: Wes Wood
Head Coach: Jim Jenson
Jim Jenson
I have been coaching 30 years. I graduated from savanna in 1980. I received my bachelor’s degree from southeastern and my masters from east central. My overall record going into this year is 509-252 with girls and 220-87 boys. I have made 10 state tournament trips with the girls and 4 with my boys with and overall record of 21-10. I have won 3 state championships with the girls and 2 runner ups. I have 1 state championship with the boys. I have been fortunate enough to coach 14 all-state players. These pittsburg lady panthers were the 2022 class b state champions with a 30-0 record. I have been married to my wife sherry for 26 years. We have 4 kids and 8 grandkids.
Superintendent: Keith Sinor Principal: Matt Surber Athletic Director: Sean Brooks School Colors: Cardinal Red & White
Head Coach: Jamie Combs
Janie Combs
Jamie Combs is in her first year as head coach at Tuttle High School and her 8th year as a head coach in Oklahoma. She has a record of 102-75 with stops at Piedmont, Union, & Berryhill schools. She took her Piedmont teams to a State Quarterfinal in 2014 & a State Semifinal in 2015. She was named Suburban Conference Coach of the Year in 2015. She spent the last 2 years as an assistant at Mustang High School where the teams made State Quarterfinal appearances, and she was named OGBCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022.
Jamie is married to Kingfisher boys’ basketball assistant Chris Combs and has 2 stepsons, Keynun & Keylun Combs. She has also spent many years as a volleyball and golf coach, and in her spare time enjoys playing golf and traveling. Jamie is extremely grateful to be leading the Tuttle Lady Tigers!
The Tuttle Lady Tigers finished their impressive run through the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic by pulverizing Perry 52-20 in Thursday night’s championship contest.
The Lady Tigers, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improved to 7-1 on the season — with their only loss at the hands of out-of-state foe Glenwood, Arkansas. Perry, No. 3 in Class 3A, lost for the first time, falling to 6-1.
Coach Brian Lester’s squad ran roughshod through the tough Mid-America field. Tuttle started with a 58-31 first-round win over Class A No. 11 Frontier and leveled Class A No. 1 Frontier 82-41. Oddly enough, those 82 points in the semifinals were the most scored in a Mid-America contest since Lomega stuffed Wright City 82-56 in the 2016 fifth-place contest.
The Lady Tigers flustered Perry right from the start, bolting to a 15-2 first-quarter lead. Tuttle sank 7-of-14 shots in the initial period while limiting Perry to a single field goal by Kennedy Hight.
After junior standout post player Landry Allen — who committed to the University of Oklahoma this past summer — scored in the paint with just under four minutes left in the second period, the THS lead had grown to 23-4.
After a 12-2 surge midway late the third quarter — sparked by three baskets from Madi Surber — the Lady Tigers had extended their lead to 39-11 at the 2:40 mark.
Allen capped off a strong individual tournament with 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Tuttle onslaught. She finished an efficient 9-of-13 from the field.
Surber turned in a strong all-around effort for Tuttle with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and a 4-of-4 effort from the free-throw line to go with four rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Both Allen and Surber were named to the all-tournament team.
Allie Rehl — who has two older sisters that play basketball for East Central University – was next for Tuttle with seven points. Hadley Periman, who was voted the 2021 Mid-America Classic MVP by a 10-person all-tournament selection committee, was next with six points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Periman has committed to the University of Tulsa.
Hight, another all-tournament selection, scored nine points to pace the Perry offense. No other PHS player scored more than four. The Lady Maroons also saw Braylee Dale named to the all-tournament team.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – The Tuttle Lady Tigers won the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America championship by defeating Perry 52-20 in Thursday’s title contest. Tuttle, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improved to 7-1 on the season.
Latta 6-4 senior Taryn Batterton hit two clutch free throws with 19.8 seconds left to help the Lady Panthers hold off Amber-Pocasset 48-45 Thursday afternoon in the seventh-place game of the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic inside ECU’s Kerr Activities Center.
It was a battle between two of the top teams in Class 2A. Third-ranked Latta improved to 11-2 on the year, while Am-Po suffered its third straight Mid-America loss, falling to 5-3.
It was a much-needed victory for Latta, who played the entire tournament without key senior reserve Alesha Traylor and played Thursday’s game minus post player Triniti Cotanny, who suffered a concussion near the end of Latta’s Wednesday setback to Hammon.
“All I can do is praise the kids for their heart and effort,” Latta head coach Bruce Plunk said.
“I’m just thrilled with our composure. We have a saying that says the harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. That’s what we saw tonight. They just didn’t surrender,” he continued. “That’s big for the long run.”
With depth becoming an issue, Plunk — who has played man-to-man defense for years — had the Lady Panthers switch to a zone against Am-Po on Thursday.
“They had to make quick adjustments today in our shoot-around and basically we changed what we do. They just fought and gutted it out against a very good team,” Plunk said.
After Batterton’s two late free throws, Latta forced a “5” count after an Am-Po timeout with 7.6 seconds left.
Game over, right? Wrong.
Devynn Harris of Amber-Pocasset stole the ball just before Latta got to midcourt, raced to the top of the key and shot a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game and forced overtime, but it was off the mark. It was only then Plunk and company could breathe a sigh of relief.
“I kind of had to swallow deep right there. She had a good look. She can really shoot it,” Plunk said.
After a basket by Jaylee Willis off a nice assist from Brooklyn Ryan, Latta grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 20-13 with just under five minutes to play in the second quarter.
But Am-Po ended that frame on a 10-4 run and trailed just 24-23 at halftime.
Latta led by five twice in the third quarter, but a pair of 3-pointers by Am-Po sharpshooter Ainslee McComas helped her team stay within one at 36-35 heading into the final period.
The game went back-and-forth throughout the final period.
A 3-pointer by Harris trimmed the LHS advantage to 44-43 with just under two minutes remaining.
Ryan scored on a strong drive to the basket to put Latta head 46-43, but Grave Hicks calmly sank a pair of free throws (it was her only attempts in the game) for Amber-Pocasset with 27.5 seconds left that set up the tight finish.
Batterton — who made the Mid-America All-Tournament team — turned in her best tournament game, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. She hit 8-of-12 field goals and went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Ryan scored 10 points and had four rebounds and three assists for the local Lady Panthers. Willis added nine points and six steals to the LHS effort.
McComas led the Am-Po offense with a game-high 24 points. She hit four 3-pointers and also had three steals. Harris followed with nine points via three 3-point baskets and pulled down six boards.
The Lady Panthers were supposed to host local rival Byng tonight, but that game was canceled Monday morning due to COVID-19 concerns.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Latta’s Taryn Batterton attempts to block out Teague Muncy of Amber-Pocasett while battling for a rebound during their matchup in the fifth-place game Thursday at the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. Batterton finished with 23 points and nine rebounds in Latta’s 48-45 win.
Fans in attendance at the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic might have heard of Tuttle’s dynamic duo of Landry Allen and Hadley Periman — who have both committed to play college basketball at Division I schools — before they arrived in Ada last week.
Allen, a junior, committed to the University of Oklahoma’s new head coach, Jennie Baranczak and Periman, a senior, committed to the University of Tulsa earlier this fall.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News
However, after her memorable Mid-America performance — especially in the semifinals and championship game — fans won’t soon forget Madi Surber, another Tuttle senior.
In Tuttle’s 82-41 semifinal victory over Lomega, all Surber did was score a game-high 24 points while shooting 10-of-11 from the field with one 3-pointer and hit 3-of-3 free throws. Surber also had three steals, three assists and four rebounds.
Surber’s stat line in the Lady Tigers’ 52-20 win over Perry in the title game included 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the free-throw stripe. She also had four rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Tuttle girls basketball coach and athletic director Brian Lester said Surber reminds him of a certain star of a battery commercial.
“She’s just an Energizer Bunny. She just goes, goes, goes. She’s a kid that literally goes 100 percent 100 percent of the time,” Lester told The Ada News.
“She’s just everywhere. I think she leads us with about eight deflections a game. She also gets about four steals a game,” he continued. “We can put her on other guards and they just don’t get off good shots. That’s what she means to us.”
That, in a nutshell, is Madi Surber the basketball player. But let me tell you the rest of her story.
During cross country season this fall, Surber ran exactly two meets — a Class 4A Regional race and the Class 4A State race. She won them both. Surber became a state champion in cross country with a time of 12:01.81.
That’s not nearly all. As a member of the Tuttle High School fastpitch softball team — she led off and played centerfield — she helped the Lady Tigers advance to the semifinals of the Class 4A State Tournament. Tuttle dropped a slim 5-4 lead to Tecumseh.
Wait, there’s more.
Last spring, she broke the state record in the 300-meter hurdles (42.75) and won four events at the 4A state meet, leading Tuttle to a third-place team finish.
“It’s unbelievable. She’s probably the best athlete I’ve ever been around. It’s such a privilege to coach her because she just goes so hard all the time,” Lester said.
Surber plans to attend Oklahoma State University on a track scholarship.
Of course, this season’s basketball journey is far from over. The Lady Tigers are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A — and none of their Mid-America opponents would debate that rating — and are favorites to bring home a state title.
Surber will be a huge part of whatever the Lady Tigers accomplish on the court this season. Of course, she helped Tuttle bring home the girls basketball gold during the 2020-21 campaign.
“Last year she shot 72% from the floor. She’s really a good 3-point shooter. She just doesn’t do it often enough. She has great form and shoots it extremely well,” Lester said.
The THS coach said he would love to see more high school athletes follow in Surber’s footsteps and play multiple sports.
“I wish other high school kids would look at her and realize they don’t need to specialize. They need to go do other things. That’s one thing I try to preach to our coaches as the AD — let those kids do other things,” he said. “It says a lot about her as an individual and about our school for being accepting of her and allowing her to do all those other things.”
Madi Surbers don’t come around very often. It was neat to see her do her thing on the basketball court and later find out she can do so much more.
“She’s not just good at everything, she’s great,” Lester said. “She’s special.”
A late 7-0 Frontier run in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the Lady Mustang’s exciting 53-51 win over Hammon in Thursday’s fifth-place game of the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
Class A’s No. 11 Frontier won its final two tournament games and improved to 9-2 on the year, while Class B’s No. 2 Hammon dropped to 10-2.
Frontier head coach Kaylee Byrd, a former Byng assistant, said she was proud of the toughness her team showed.
“I told my kids before the game that today was going to come down to who could be tougher on Day 3 and do the little things right,” she said. “We weren’t perfect but we found a way to win.”
After Hammon’s Addison Walker hit a 3-pointer with just over three minutes left in the game, the Lady Warriors led 46-45.
However, Frontier scored the next seven points.
BJ Childs started the run with a bucket and Oliva Littlecook followed with a free throw at the 1:34 mark that put Frontier on top 48-46.
After a Jamie Molina steal, Childs scored on a fast break to make it 50-46 with 56 seconds remaining.
Childs then got a takeaway that turned into a Childs’ basket that pushed the FHS lead to 52-46 with :35 showing.
Henley West, Hammon’s 6-4 freshman post player, scored on a put-back with 21 seconds left to cut the deficit to 52-48.
After missed free throws by both teams, West stepped outside the arc and drained a 3-pointer with 2.7 ticks left to trim the Frontier lead to 52-51 but the Lady Warriors ran out of time for a comeback.
Molina led a balanced Frontier attack with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Diane FawFaw followed with 13 points and five steals and drained a trio of 3-pointers.
Littlecook and Childs contributed 10 points apiece. Littlecook also had eight assists and hit a pair of 3-pointers and Child dished out five assists.
Littlecook and Molina were all-tournament selections.
West, also an all-tournament pick, dominated the paint for Hammon. She finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line. she also had an incredible 21 rebounds.
Walker added 14 points for the Lady Warriors, including four 3-point baskets.
Frontier managed just 4-of-12 (33.3%) free throws, while Hammon sank 6-of-8 (75%).
Byrd said her team will use its Mid-America experience as a springboard into the final half of the season.
“I think this week was a pivotal point for our growth. I was very pleased with the strides we made. It was a great experience for my team and I’m thankful for the invitation to participate in this tournament,” she said. “I was extremely proud of the toughness my kids played with all week in a prestigious tournament against great competition. We faced three very talented and well-coached teams.”
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Jamie Molina (23) of Frontier scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Lady Mustangs edge Hammon 53-51 in Thursday’s fifth-place game at the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
Lomega got caught up in Hurricane Tuttle during a semifinal contest Wednesday night at the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
The Lady Tigers were clicking right from the start and blew past the Lady Raiders 82-41 to secure their spot in Thursday night’s championship game opposite Perry. Hammon played for third place against Weatherford.
Tuttle, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improved to 6-1 on the year, while Class B No. 1 Lomega dropped to 11-2.
The Lady Tigers started the game on a 15-3 run and never looked back. To their credit, the Lady Raiders played Tuttle tough the remainder of the first half. From that point, Tuttle had a slim 28-24 edge but still held a 43-27 lead at halftime.
The Lomega dam broke in the third quarter.
The Lady Tigers finished a perfect 12-of-12 from the field in the period and used a 28-7 surge to take a 71-34 lead heading into the final frame.
THS senior Madi Surber showed out for the Lady Tiger fans. She scored a game-high 24 points, shot 10-of-11 from the field, hit her only 3-point attempt, went 3-of-3 from the free-throw line and also had four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Surber got plenty of help from her friends.
Allie Rehl — sister of East Central University players Madison Rehl and Grace Rehl — was next with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. She hit a pair of 3-point baskets and also had four assists and two steals.
Hadley Periman followed with 13 points and five rebounds, while standout post player Landry Allen finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Darcy Roberts led the LHS offense with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point territory.
Hensley Eaton and Sydni Walker contributed seven points apiece. Walker also had three assists for the Lady Raiders.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Tuttle senior Hadley Periman (21) finds an open path to the basket while Lomega defenders Abby Swart (2) and Sydni Walker (31) wait in the paint during their semifinal matchup Tuesday night in the semifinals of the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. Periman scored 13 points in Tuttle’s 82-41 victory.
Things seemed to be trending Latta’s way heading into the fourth quarter of their 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic matchup with Hammon Wednesday afternoon at ECU’s Kerr Activities Center.
Latta post player Taryn Batterton had calmly sank four straight free throws in the final 1:21 of the third period to help the Lady Panthers forge to a 37-31 lead. Those late free shots capped a 17-9 LHS third-quarter surge.
However, the bottom fell out for Latta in the fourth quarter. The local tournament hosts managed just one field goal in the final period in a perplexing 46-40 loss to the Lady Raiders.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Latta post player Taryn Batterton draws the attention of four Hammon players during their consolation bracket contest Wednesday at the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
Hammon, ranked No. 2 in Class B, improved to 10-1 on the year, while Latta’s second Mid-America loss saw the Lady Panthers fall to 10-2.
Coach Bruce Plunk watched his squad go ice cold over the final eight minutes, going just 1-of-14 (7.1%) from the field to end the game. That field goal came when Brooklyn Ryan scored on a put-back to get Latta within 43-40 with 41.5 seconds left in the game.
Hammon’s Maylee Chaney left the door open by missing the front end of a 1-and-1 attempt with 35.8 seconds left, but Latta simply couldn’t cash in.
HHS reserve Mariah Espinosa finally iced the game with two free throws makes with 17.2 seconds left. Shortly after, Hammon head coach Leah Beer gave Espinosa a high-5 and told her “good job.”
Latta led by six twice in the second quarter — the last time 18-12 on a jumper by Batterton at the 4:41 mark. However, Hammon finished the first half on a 10-2 run to grab a slim 22-20 lead at intermission.
The Lady Panthers built a 37-25 lead late in the third quarter on a drive to the basket by Ryan and still led 37-31 heading into the disastrous fourth frame.
Henley West, Hammon’s 6-4 freshman post player, dominated the paint with a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. She finished 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. Maylee Chaney and Addison Walker chipped in 10 points each for the Lady Raiders. Both players also had five assists.
Batterton paced Latta with 15 points and five rebounds, while Ryan followed with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jaylee Willis followed with seven points, four assists and a pair of takeaways.
Hammon finished 12-of-20 from the free-throw line, while Latta was 6-of-11.
There was more bad news for Latta. Senior Triniti Cotanny knocked heads with another player and was expected to miss Thursday’s seventh-place matchup with Amber-Pocasset that featured a battle between two of the top teams in Class 2A.
Hammon faced Frontier in Thursday’s fifth-place game.
Richard R. Barron | The Ada News – Latta players — including Taryn Batterton (31), Chloe Miller (32) and Kate Williams (33) — walk off the court after a disappointing 46-40 loss to Hammon Wednesday in consolation play at the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.
Frontier dominated the second and third quarters and held off a furious Amber-Pocasset comeback in a 59-49 win over the Lady Panthers Wednesday afternoon in consolation play at the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.
Frontier, ranked No. 11 in Class A, improved to 8-2 on the year, while Amber-Pocasset – No. 2 in Class 2A — dropped to 5-2.
“I was very proud of my kids tonight. Am-Po is a well-coached, hard-nosed team that never quits,” said Frontier head coach Kaylee Byrd, a former assistant at Byng.
“I asked them in the locker room before the game to be tough for 32 minutes, and if you take away a couple of moments, I thought they did just that. They have done a great job executing the game plan this week, staying in the moment, and playing together.”
The Lady Panthers led 11-6 early in the second quarter and the game was tied at 14-14 midway through the frame.
Frontier then went on a game-changing 25-2 burst and after Jamie Molina scored on an inbounds play, the Lady Mustangs led 39-16 at the 2:37 mark of the third quarter.
Frontier outscored the Lady Panthers by a combined 39-13 over the middle two quarters and carried a 45-22 advantage into the final period.
Amber-Pocasset put on a furious rally and after freshman Ainslee McComas drilled a 3-pointer with 2:57 to play, the Lady Panthers had pulled within single digits at 50-41.
Frontier hit four straight free throws — two by Diane FawFaw and two by Anias Bible — to help keep Am-Po at bay.
After going a cool 3-of-18 from the field in the third quarter, Amber-Pocasset sank 10-of-16 field goals over the final eight minutes.
Molina led the Frontier charge, erupting for a game-high 24 points. She sank 8-of-13 field goals, hit three 3-point shots, finished 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, had three steals and registered a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Olivia Littlecook also hit double figures with 14 points to go with six assists and five steals. She hit a pair of triples and finished 4-of-4 from the free-throw stripe.
BJ Childs followed with eight points for the winners.
Devynn Harris scored 16 points, hit a trio of 3-pointers and had five steals to lead the way for Am-Po. Savage also hit double figures with 12 points. Teague Muncy scored six points ad grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds.
The game got ugly at times as the two teams combined for 52 turnovers — 27 for Frontier and 25 for Amber-Pocasset. Frontier hit 20-of-23 (87%) free throws compared to a 5-of-7 showing by the Lady Panthers.
The Lady Mustangs advanced to Thursday’s fifth-place game, while Am-Po dropped into the seventh-place contest.
Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic 