It was quite the 24-hour turnaround for the Latta High School girls basketball team.

One night after Class 3A No. 1 Washington put on a shooting clinic to bury the Lady Panthers in the semifinals, Latta bounced back to defeat Class A No. 1 Seiling 46-39 to capture third place at the 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.

Latta, ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, improved to 11-2 on the year, while Seiling dropped to 4-2.

“Our kids showed a ton of heart tonight after a tough one last night — just being able to rebound like that,” Latta head coach Clay Plunk told The Ada News after getting a locker room shower by some of his players. “That’s a great team. They’re ranked No. 1 in Class A for a reason.”

Plunk compared the situation to the playoffs when a team might have to win a game on a Saturday after losing Friday night.

“This is a mirror image of what can happen late in the playoffs — when you get beat on a Friday and then have to turn around and play a good team on Saturday. Good teams have to be resilient and I think we showed that tonight,” he said.

Plunk said winning two of three games at the Mid-America Tournament is no easy task.

“I can’t brag on this team enough. It’s got to build confidence with our kids to know we can compete with some of the best and have some success even when it’s not pretty,” he said.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier for the Lady Panthers. After hosting Coalgate on Jan. 7, Latta heads to the 2025 Kingston New Year’s Classic. Teams in that field include Dale, the Mid-America champions, host Kingston (No. 8 in Class 3A), Broken Bow (No. 14 in Class 4A), Bethel (No. 16 in Class 3A), Sequoyah-Tahlequah (No. 4 in Class 4A) and Atoka (No. 19 in Class 4A).

“There’s no breaks. We turn around and go to Kingston. It’s a gauntlet there just like this one is,” Plunk said.

Latta 46, Seiling 39

Seiling really never got untracked offensively against a stingy Latta defense.

The Lady Panthers hit 3-point shots as time was running out to end both the first and second quarters. Jayse Smith’s triple to end the first period got Latta off to a 12-5 start. Then, after the Lady Wildcats had crept within five late in the second period, sophomore Preshaya Oliphant drained a big 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the second quarter to boost the LHS lead to 22-14 at halftime.

During a cool first half, Seiling made just 5 of 23 (21.7%) field goals and went 0 for 11 from 3-point territory.

That last stat quickly changed when Lyndlea Nichols buried back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter to get Seiling within 22-20.

Latta post player Jakobi Worcester showed her versatility when she stepped out behind the 3-point line and sank a triple at the 3:38 mark of the third period. Smith scored on a fast break after a nice pass from Kelbey Parnacher to stretch the LHS advantage to 27-20.

The Lady Panthers led 31-24 after three quarters.

Rakhia Booker’s basket at the 6:04 mark of the final frame gave Latta a double-digit lead at 35-25.

The Lady Wildcats made one final run. Teagan Hamer converted on a three-point play and Keirstin Briggs hit two free throws with 1:47 remaining to slice the Latta lead to 40-36.

Baylee Chain scored on a putback with 26.6 seconds left to get Seiling within 42-39, but Latta got a pair of free throws from Smith and Parnacher in the closing moments to seal the outcome.

Plunk was particularly proud of his team’s defense against the Seiling combo of Hamar and Briggs. They finished with a combined 16 points but were 3 of 26 from the field.

“Those two girls are so good. They’re tough to guard because they’re big and strong and they can get to their spots and finish,” Plunk said. “We wanted to try to make sure we didn’t bail anyone out on tough shots and make them earn everything they got. I thought it was a complete team defensive effort.”

Nichols led the SHS offense with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. She also had eight rebounds.

Latta got contributions from a lot of spots.

Smith finished with a team-best 13 points. Savannah Senkel had eight points, five rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Parnacher also scored eight points and had six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Worcester finished with seven points and 11 rebounds. Macy Parks scored five points and made one of four Latta 3-pointers in the contest.

The Lady Panthers finished 8 of 14 from the free-throw line and Seiling sank 11 of 17 free shots.

Senior Jaycie Nichols refused to let Caddo’s Mid-America Classic offensive slump carry over into Day 3.

Nichols erupted for a game-high 23 points and carried Caddo to a 44-35 win over Purcell Saturday in the 2024 Mid-America Classic seventh-place contest.

The Lady Bruins, ranked No. 2 in Class A, improved to 9-2 on the year, while Class 4A Purcell fell to 3-6. Caddo won the 2022 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America championship.

Caddo 44, Purcell 35

It was anybody’s ballgame after Purcell’s Lili Del Toro buried a 3-pointer from the corner that trimmed a Caddo lead to 35-33 with 4:27 left in regulation.

The Lady Bruins closed out the contest with a 9-2 run. Nichols started that run when she scored on an inbounds play and then Caddo hit seven free throws down the stretch.

Caddo led just 12-10 after the first quarter and 23-18 at halftime.

Purcell closed the gap at the end of the third period. Kenna Esparza hit 3 of 3 free throws and after Anna Adair knocked down a pair of her own for Caddo, Lili Del Toro scored on a strong drive to the basket that cut the Lady Dragon deficit to 30-28 heading to the fourth period.

Nichols finished 6 of 11 from the field, hit a pair of 3-pointers and also had 14 rebounds for the Lady Bruins. She connected on 9 of 13 free throws.

Hookom, one of several talented freshmen in the Mid-America field, also hit double figures with 10 points. She finished 8 of 14 from the free-throw line. Harlee Taylor was next for Caddo with seven points.

Haven Buchanan continued her steady Mid-America play with 11 points for the Lady Dragons. Del Toro followed with seven points.

Purcell went 9 of 17 from the free-throw line and Caddo made 22 of 33 attempts.

Anadarko put together a fourth-quarter rally and then went on to edge Purcell 39-36 in overtime during a thrilling consolation contest Friday afternoon at the 2024 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Tournament, sponsored by Vision Bank.

Coach Kirk Graham’s Lady Warriors, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, improved to 6-3, while Purcell slipped to 3-5.

In Friday’s other consolation game, Duncan dumped Caddo 54-27. The Class 5A Lady Demons evened their record at 5-5, while Caddo — ranked No. 2 in Class A — fell to 9-2.

Anadarko 39, Purcell 36 (OT)

Purcell senior sharpshooter Haven Buchanan hit a 3-pointer on an inbounds play in the closing seconds of the third quarter to put the Lady Dragons on top 31-25.

Anadarko answered by scoring the first nine points of the fourth frame. That run was capped by a 3-point shot from Jordyn Pahcoddy and two free throws from Lenaya Williams that put the Lady Warriors in front 34-31 with 1:07 left in the game.

But Buchanan did it again, nailing a game-tying 3-pointer with 52 seconds left that ultimately forced overtime.

Taejah Hightower got the OT scoring started when she hit a reverse layup following a steal by teammate Ava Pebeahsy, who followed with a free throw with 52.1 seconds left that put Anadarko on top 37-34.

Hadleigh Harp knifed down the lane for a Purcell bucket that trimmed the AHS advantage to 37-36.

Ivory Miller of Anadarko wrapped up the scoring with a free throw with 2.1 seconds left after Pahcoddy had secured a big rebound.

Purcell outscored the Lady Warriors 14-5 in the second quarter and led 18-13 at halftime.

Haywood led the Anadarko attack with 17 points. She made 4 of 4 free throws and also had five rebounds before fouling out. Miller was next with nine points and Hightower added six points and six rebounds.

Buchanan erupted for a game-high 22 points for Purcell, including two triples. Harp followed with eight points.

Duncan 54, Caddo 27

Caddo put up a goose egg in the second quarter and the Lady Demons took advantage with a 17-0 run to break open a close game and surge to a 28-6 halftime lead.

Ice-cold Caddo finished 2 of 23 from the field through the first two quarters and finished 0 of 14 from 3-point range during that span.

Duncan, which scored repeatedly on fast break opportunities, pushed its lead to 37-9 after a steal and layup by Dasia Givens with two minutes left in the third quarter. Givens exploded for a game-best 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting. She finished 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and also had nine rebounds and four steals. Amiya Williams and Ariyah Harris added nine points apiece for the Lady Demons.

Caddo got a team-high 10 points from Harlee Taylor, including a pair of 3-pointers. Belle Hookom contributed six points and six rebounds for the Lady Bruins and Jaycie Nichols yanked down nine boards.

Anadarko capped off a solid run through the consolation bracket with a 35-29 victory over Duncan in the fifth-place game Saturday at the 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.

Coach Kirk Graham’s Lady Warriors, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, improved to 8-3 while Class 5A Duncan left town at 5-6.

Anadarko 35, Duncan 29

The Lady Warriors took advantage of a cold-shooting Lady Demon squad, jumping out to first-half leads of 15-9 and 21-13. Anadarko settled for a 21-15 halftime lead after Duncan shot 3 of 15 from the field over the first two quarters.

The Lady Warriors started the second half with back-to-back buckets by Heaven Haywood and Ivory Miller to open up a double-digit lead at 25-15.

The Lady Demons closed the gap to 27-21 heading into the fourth period.

Duncan got within 29-23 after a layup by Amiya Williams early in the final frame, but the Lady Demons never got any closer.

Miller paced the Anadarko offense with 14 points to go with seven rebounds. Haywood followed with eight points. Those two combined for a 5 for 5 showing from the free-throw line.

The Lady Warriors never found their range from long distance, going 0 for 10 from 3-point territory.

Duncan got a team-best 11 points from Williams, who made 5 of 6 free shots. Dasia Givens was next with seven points, including one 3-pointer. Hannah Woods also hit a triple for the Lady Demons.

Duncan connected on 9 of 12 free throws, while Anadarko finished 11 of 13 from the line.

Washington didn’t exactly go scorched earth against Latta Friday night during the semifinals of the 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

However, the Lady Warriors were scorching inside the usually chilly Kerr Activities Center. Washington sank 7 of its first 10 3-point attempts and left Latta behind early in an emphatic 67-39 victory.

The Lady Warriors, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, improved to 9-0 on the year, while the Lady Panthers — No. 4 in Class 2A — fell to 10-2.

In Friday night’s other semifinal contest, Dale turned back Seiling 53-43 in a battle of top-ranked clubs. The Lady Pirates, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, improved to 11-1, while Class A No. 1 Seiling lost for the first time, falling to 4-1.

Washington 67, Latta 39

The Lady Warriors were sizzling right out of the gate. After Preslee Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Dale led 15-3 at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter.

Breanna Lindert hit back-to-back baskets to end the first quarter and after Eternity Self opened the third quarter by converting an old-fashioned three-point play and the Lady Warriors lead had expanded to 27-8.

Kelby Beller made a 3-pointer and then hit a baseline jumper to end the second period. Laney Parnacher hit Washington’s seventh 3-point basket of the game to open the third quarter to put the Lady Warriors on top 41-16.

Washington made 14 of 25 (56.0%) field goals through the first two frames, while Latta hit just 6 of 22 (27.3%) attempts.

Latta closed the gap to 43-26 after Jayse Smith converted a three-point play, but that’s as close as the Lady Panthers could get.

Smith led the Latta offense with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Kelbey Parncher finished with eight points, six rebounds and three steals for the Lady Panthers. Macy Parks sank one triple and scored six points.

Beller, the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 Mid-America Classic, led the Washington attack with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. She made both of her 3-point attempts and finished 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.

Johnson was next with nine points for the Lady Warriors on the strength of three 3-point baskets. Lindert added eight points.

Washington finished 10 of 14 from the free-throw line, while Latta made 9 of 15 attempts.

Dale 53, Seiling 43

Seiling gave Class 2A juggernaut Dale everything it wanted for 28 minutes before the Lady Pirates finally got some breathing room late.

A seesaw first half that featured five ties saw the Lady Pirates clinging to a 31-30 lead at the break.

Dale got off to a 13-6 after Kynlee Bullard sank a 3-pointer with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.

However, the Lady Wildcats finished the first period on a 14-3 surge, capped by Keirstin Briggs’ buzzer-beating 3-point bucket that put her team ahead 20-16.

The game was tied three times in the second quarter — 20-20, 23-23 and 28-28.

Skylar Anderson converted a three-point play to put Dale ahead 31-28. Seiling answered when Lyndlea Nichols hit a layup after a nice cut to the basket to cut the DHS 31-30 at halftime.

The game stayed close throughout the third quarter.

Briggs made a pair of free throws to get Seiling within 38-36. Dale got a basket inside by Danika Pendley that gave the Lady Pirates a 40-36 cushion heading into the final period.

Briggs scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer that cut the DHS lead to 44-41 with 4:32 left in the game.

However, Dale ended the game on a 9-2 run.

Anderson led Dale with 16 points, including a 12 of 13 effort from the charity stripe. Pendley followed with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Teague Muncy filled up the DSH stat sheet with 11 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. She made one 3-pointer.

Briggs turned in a monster double-double for the Lady Wildcats, finishing with 20 points and 19 rebounds. She hit a trio of 3-point shots and made 5 of 7 free throws.

Nichols was next for Seiling with 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

The Lady Wildcats finished 6 of 8 from the free-throw stripe and Dale went 16 of 19 from the line.

Players enjoy 2024 Mid-America Tournament Welcome Luncheon

Duncan tried to hang around against Class 3A juggernaut Washington, but Preslee Johnson finally helped put the game out of reach for the Lady Warriors.

Johnson scored the first seven points in an 11-0 Washington run that ended the third quarter and started the fourth and the Lady Warriors buried the Lady Demons 68-38 Thursday in the first round of the 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

Washington, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, stayed unbeaten at 8-0, while Class 5A Duncan slid to 4-5.

Washington 68, Duncan 38

Duncan’s Ariyah Harris hit two free throws at the 1:10 mark of the third quarter that got her team within 42-31.

Johnson then hit a 3-pointer, scored on a steal and layup and scored on another fast break following a steal by teammate Laney Parnacher that put Washington on top 49-31 heading into the fourth quarter.

Eternity Self hit a jumper to open the final frame and Kelby Beller followed with a putback that put the Lady Warriors ahead 53-31 with 7:11 to play. Washington ended the game on a 10-3 run.

The game was tight for much of the first half.

The Lady Warriors started the game on a 13-7 run but Duncan battled back. Emily Hallford’s putback early in the second period cut the WHS lead to 15-13.

Ariyah Harris made a 3-pointer to get the Lady Demons within 21-18 at the 3:54 mark of the second quarter. It was Duncan’s only 3-point basket of the game.

Washington ended the first half with a decisive 10-0 run to build a 31-18 lead at the break.

The Lady Warriors led 49-31 after three quarters but outscored Duncan 19-7 in the final frame.

Johnson led Washington with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field. She made a pair of 3-pointers. Parnacher — the cousin of Latta starter Kelbey Parnacher — followed with 11 points, including three 3-point baskets. Self and Breanna Lindert added eight points apiece for the coach Kale Simon’s club.

Kelby Beller contributed seven points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Lady Warriors.

Duncan saw three players score 10 points each — Harris, Dasia Givens and Amiya Williams. Givens also had six rebounds.

The Lady Demons connected on 17 of 22 free throws, while Washington went 4 of 11 from the line.

That must have been quite the halftime speech by Dale veteran head coach Eric Smith during his team’s first-round battle with Purcell Thursday night at the 2024 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

The Lady Pirates broke open a tight game by outscoring Purcell 24-5 in the third period en route to a 63-39 victory,

Dale, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, improved to 10-1 while the Lady Dragons dropped to 3-4. Dale was scheduled to face Seiling in a battle of No. 1s in Friday night’s semifinals. Purcell faced Anadarko in consolation play.

Dale 63, Purcell 39

Dale got off to a quick 14-4 start but the Lady Dragons put together a first-half rally. Purcell used an 11-2 run to get within 16-15 early in the second period.

Hannah Whitaker hit a 3-pointer for Purcell to trim the DHS advantage to 25-22 with just three minutes left in the second period. Dale settled for a 32-25 halftime lead.

The Lady Pirates pulled away with a 15-0 surge to begin the third period. After Teague Muncy scored back-to-back baskets, the DHS lead had grown to 47-25 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

Khloe Jones hit two free throws and followed that with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Dale a 56-30 advantage heading to the fourth period. It was the only 3-point shot that fell for the Lady Pirates, who finished 1 of 12 from long range.

Post-player Danika Pendley scored 15 points and tracked down seven rebounds to lead the Lady Pirates. She made 5 of 5 free throws. Point guard Skylar Anderson was next with 14 points. She also had six assists, four rebounds and made 6 of 8 free throws.

Jones also hit double figures with 12 points. Kynlee Bullard contributed nine points and finished a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. Muncy added eight points for Dale.

Whitaker and Kenna Esparza led the Purcell offense with nine points apiece. Eparaza knocked down three 3-point shots and Whitaker sank her only attempt from 3-point range.

The Lady Dragons ended up 7 of 14 from the free-throw stripe and Dale made a sizzling 24 of 27 (88.9%) attempts.

The 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic got off to a thrilling start.

Anadarko erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime before Seiling shut out the Lady Warriors in the extra session in a tense 44-40 victory in the tournament opener Thursday afternoon.

Seiling, ranked No. 1 in Class A, improved to 4-0 on the year, while the Lady Warriors — No. 3 in Class 3A — dropped to 6-3.

The Lady Wildcats faced Dale in a Friday night semifinal contest, while Anadarko matched up with Purcell in consolation play.

Seiling 44, Anadarko 40 (OT)

Andarako outscored Seiling 13-6 in the fourth quarter and held the Lady Wildcats scoreless over the final four minutes of regulation.

The Lady Warriors scored the last six points of the fourth period on a basket and two free shots by Heaven Haywood and a putback by Taejah Hightower with 2:48 to play. Both teams had scoring opportunities down the stretch but couldn’t cash in.

Keirstin Briggs hit one free throw early in the overtime and Teagan Hamar later scored on a nice drive to the basket to put the Lady Wildcats on top 43-40 at the 2:35 mark of the extra period.

Anadarko still had a chance after Lyndlea Nichols missed two free throws with 11.4 seconds left. However, the Lady Warriors turned the ball over before crossing half-court and Hamar iced the game with one free shot with 5.3 ticks remaining.

Haywood scored on a fast break to put Anadarko ahead 16-7 late in the first quarter. However, the Lady Wildcats turned the tables in the second period, outscoring the Lady Warriors 16-6 to take a slim 23-22 halftime lead.

Seiling limited Anadarko to just five points in the third quarter and led 34-27, heading into the fourth period.

Hamar led the Seiling attack with 19 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She also had three steals. Briggs also reached double figures with 10 points for the Lady Wildcats. Kadence Griffin was next with eight points.

Haywood paced Anadarko with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ivory Miller followed with 10 points, including a 3-point basket. Lenaya Williams just missed double figures with nine points and also made a 3-pointer for the Lady Warriors.

Anadarko finished 6 of 8 from the free-throw line and Seiling went 13 of 21 from the stripe.

The Lady Wildcats are making their first Mid-America appearance since 2016 and Anadarko last competed in the tournament in 2018.

The Latta Lady Panthers fought past short-handed Caddo 49-41 late Thursday night in the first round of the 47th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

It was far from a dazzling win, but any Mid-America victory is a good one.

“I think we were fortunate tonight that we did just enough to get the win,” Latta head coach Clay Plunk told The Ada News following the game. “Caddo is a really good ballclub. I know when they’re healthy, they’re really, really good.”

Latta, ranked No. 4 in Class 2A, improved to 10-1 on the year and earned the right to face Class 3A No. 1 Washington in a Friday night semifinal game. Caddo, No. 2 in Class A, fell to 8-1 and battled Duncan Friday in consolation play.

The tournament, sponsored by Vision Bank, concludes today inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center with the seventh-place game beginning at 3 p.m. and ending with the 8 p.m. championship contest.

Latta 49, Caddo 41

The game got off to a sluggish start. Latta pitched a first-quarter shutout and led 7-0 after Jayse Smith grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a layup to start the second period.

Caddo struggled mightily in the first period, finishing 0 for 5 from the field with 11 turnovers — including one on eight consecutive possessions during one sloppy streak.

Plunk wasn’t thrilled with his team’s start, either.

“I thought we came out a little stagnant and didn’t move the ball very well but Caddo had a lot to do with that. They’re really long and athletic and forced us into some bad spots,” he said. “But we didn’t do a lot to help ourselves out early either by forcing passes and forcing shots. and we had way too many turnovers.”

After freshman Macy Parks hit a 13-foot jumper at the halfway point of the second period, Latta’s lead had grown to 17-5. The Lady Panthers settled for a 24-13 lead at the break.

After the Lady Bruins got within seven early in the third quarter, Smith took control for her team. She fired off eight unanswered points — mostly on nifty drives to the basket — and led the Lady Panthers on a pivotal 11-2 surge. Smith’s old-fashioned three-point play put Latta ahead 35-19 with just under two minutes left in the period. She outscored Caddo 13-12 in the third quarter to help Latta carry a 37-35 advantage into the final eight minutes.

“Jayse really came on there in the third quarter. She has the ability to do that,” Plunk said.

Paislee Anderson hit a 3-pointer at the 5:41 mark, putting Latta ahead 42-29, but Caddo wouldn’t go away. After Jordyn Nichols buried a triple of her own with 2:18 remaining, Caddo crawled within 43-39.

Latta countered with back-to-back buckets by post player Jakobi Worcester to seal the outcome.

Smith led Latta with a team-high 18 points. She missed her first five field goal tries before hitting eight in a row. Anderson made all three of her 3-point attempts for nine points and Kelbey Parnacher followed with eight points and five steals.

Jaycie Nichols led the way for the Lady Bruins with 19 points and six steals. She finished 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. Brilee Tyson was big off the bench for Caddo, registering a double-double that included 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Bruins — who won the 2022 Mid-America title — were without injured starters Rylan Peevyhouse and Kayden Prince.

The two teams combined for 43 turnovers — 22 by Caddo and 21 by Latta.

The Lady Bruins finished 11 of 16 from the free-throw stripe and Latta made 6 of 9 attempts.