By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

The game couldn’t have started any better for Merritt. and the game certainly couldn’t have started much worse for McAlester.

The Oilerettes jumped out to a huge early lead and coasted past McAlester 59-45 Saturday in the third-place game of the 2023 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic. Merritt, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A, improved to 8-1 on the year while Class 5A McAlester left town at 6-4.

Merritt 59, McAlester 45

Merritt bolted to a 22-2 lead to start the game and buried McAlester early. The Lady Buffs started the contest by hitting just one of their first nine field goal attempts and coupled that with six first-quarter turnovers.

By the time Merritt’s Chloe Stout buried a 3-pointer late in the second period, the Oilerettes’ lead had grown to 35-9.

Credit McAlester. Coach Jarrod Owen’s club put together a strong second half but couldn’t claw its way out of the big hole.

The Lady Buffaloes pulled within 55-39 after a 3-pointer from playmaker Tori Kilburn with just over six minutes to play but never really threatened down the stretch. McAlester outscored the Oilerettes 34-22 in the second half.

Merritt got a team-high 17 points from Addison Hartman, who finished 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and also had three steals. Marlie Mong buried four 3-pointers and scored 15 points for Merritt, while Stout was next with 12 points, including four triples of her own.

Ella Porter also hit double figures for the Oilerettes with 10 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists.

As a team, Merritt finished 8-of-14 (57.1%) from beyond the arc while McAlester sank 5-of-16 3-point attempts.

Hartman and Mong were all-tournament selections for Merritt.

Kilburn, who was limited to three points in the first half, erupted for a game-best 28 points and corralled 13 rebounds to finish with an impressive double-double. She sank four 3-point shots and also blocked three shots and had a pair of steals. No other McAlester player scored more than five points.

Kilburn was McAlester’s lone all-tournament selection.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

Byng senior Alona Cooper made sure her Lady Pirates left the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic with a victory.

Cooper turned in an incredible 42-point outing to lead Byng past Hartshorne 69-50 Saturday in the seventh-place contest inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Byng senior Alona Cooper is all smiles after accepting her medal for being named to the all-tournament team Saturday night at the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank. Cooper poured in a career-high 42 points to lead Byng past Hartrshorne 69-50. The 42-point outing is believed to be a Mid-America Classic single-game 5-on-5 record.

The Lady Pirates now enter a mini-break with a 6-6 record. Hartshorne — ranked No. 10 in Class 2A — left town at 5-6. The Byng girls are now off until a Jan. 9 road trip to Madill, led by former Calvin girls coach Eric Holmes.

Cooper’s 42-point outing — which is believed to be a 5-of-5 Mid-America single-game scoring record — included eight 3-pointers and a pair of free throws. Her big night also included three assists and three blocked shots.

“I’m proud of Alona. Today was special for her — for her to have her career high at the Mid-America tournament. The kind of work she puts in — man, that means the world to her,” Byng head coach Luke Clark told The Ada News. “I’m so glad I get to be the coach that got to coach her in this tournament.”

Cooper was part of the Mid-America All-Tournament team.

Byng 69, Hartshorne 50

The Lady Pirates got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. That initial surge was capped by a Cooper 3-pointer and a putback.

Byng still led 15-6 after Lorren Shaw’s basket off a nice pass from Torri Gustin at the 3:21 mark of the opening quarter.

The Lady Miners trimmed the BHS lead to 33-27 after Jayda Moore buried a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left before halftime. However, the Lady Pirates responded by scoring the final 12 points of the second quarter to carry a 45-27 lead into the break. During that late Byng surge, Cooper hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored on a fast break just before the stanza ended. Hannah Wort scored on a putback and Piper Presley got free inside for two easy points to start the run.

Byng went ice cold in the third quarter, scoring just five points on 2-of-19 shooting.

Hartshorne was able to get within 52-45 with 5:30 left in the game, but Byng again picked up the pace, outscoring the Lady Miners 17-5 the rest of the way.

“With the way things ended (against Bethel), most coaches might have thought their team was going to have a letdown. I just didn’t feel like that about our team,” Clark said. “ We were resilient and we don’t ever quit. I’m proud of them. I hate that we didn’t do a better job the first two days, but I’m so thankful we ended it on a high note. This is something we hope can propel us throughout the rest of the season.”

No other Byng player reached double figures. Gustin and Presley chipped in six points each. Cadence Carlos filled up the boxscore with five points 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Hartshorne had three players finish with double-digit scoring. Jayda Moore hit three 3-point baskets and scored 13 points to go with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Brooklyn Suringer, another all-tournament selection, added 11 points and six steals for the Lady Miners.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

The Kingfisher Lady Yellowjackets stung Hartshorne during their consolation contest Friday afternoon at the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

Coach Taylor Young’s team got off to a hot start and flew past Hartshorne 51-29. Kingfisher, ranked No. 11 in Class 4A, evened its record at 3-3 on the year, while the Lady Miners — ranked No. 10 in Class 2A —slipped to 5-4.

Kingfisher’s two pre-tournament losses came at the hands of Class 4A No. 1 Bethany and Class 4A No. 5 Tuttle.

Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Kingfisher sophomore Abbie Myers finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to help her team defeat Hartshorne 51-29 in consolation play Friday afternoon at the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.

Kingfisher 51, Hartshorne 29

The Lady Yellowjackets started the game on a 15-4 run and it only got worse from there for Hartshorne.

After Brooklyn Suringer hit a tough shot in the lane to end the first period, the Lady Miners went ice cold, missing their next 10 field goals in a row.

Hartshorne went scoreless in the second period, Peyton Walker scored the first basket of the third period for Kingfisher to put the Lady Miners in a 29-6 hole.

Hartshorne started the game a frigid 2-of-22 from the field and never recovered.

Sophomore Abbie Myers dominated the paint for Kingfisher, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. She went 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. Oddly, she was the only KHS player to attempt a free shot.

Addy Matthews also hit double figures for Kingfisher with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Payton Walker sank 3-of-5 3-point attempts for all nine of her points. Reagan Snider chimed in with eight points, three steals and three blocked shots for the winners.

Suringer, who scored 24 points during a first-round contest against Washington, led Hartshorne with eight points. Alanna Williams followed with seven points and Sofia Camp added six points for the Lady Miners.

Kingfisher won the battle of the boards 26-15.

Richard R. Barron | The Ada News — Jayda Moore (3) of Hartshorne looks to make a pass in the paint against Kingfisher in Mid-America Classic action Friday inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

The Byng Lady Pirates needed a post-Christmas miracle against Bethel Friday night in consolation play at the 46th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

And they darn near got it.

Coach Luke Clark saw his team incredibly cut an 18-point fourth-quarter lead to three — with at least one possession to tie the game — before the rally fell just short in a 67-62 loss to the Lady Wildcats.

Bethel — ranked No. 7 in Class 3A — advanced to the tournament’s fifth-place game with a 6-3 record, while Byng fell into the seventh-place game at 5-6.

Bethel 67, Byng 62

Both teams got key players in foul trouble in the first half. Bethel junior star Josie Megehee picked up her third foul early in the second period and sat nearly the entire quarter. Byng starting guard Cadence Carlos picked up foul No. 4 at the 19.5 mark of the second frame and missed most of the third quarter.

The rest must have done Megehee well. She scored 25 of her game-high 35 points in the second half and her three free throws with 7:03 to play put the Lady Wildcats on top 51-33.

Byng made a push from long range, getting four consecutive 3-pointers — one by Blakely Miller and back-to-back-to-back treys from Alona Cooper — that got the Lady Pirates within 57-50 with 4:10 left.

Bethel still led 61-52 after a steal and layup by Megehee with two minutes remaining. However, she picked up her fifth foul and had to exit the game at the 1:36 mark.

Byng nearly took full advantage.

Cadence Carlos scored on a drive to the basket and after a Cooper steal, Miller got a putback to drop and the Lady Pirates were within 61-58 with 51.6 seconds remaining.

Hannah Wort scored after a nice pass from Carlos with 43 ticks left to again get Byng within three at 63-60 but the comeback effort stopped there.

Bethel senior Brooklyn Duff made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to help keep her team in front.

The Lady Wildcats led 16-14 after a nip-and-tuck first quarter before Byng rallied to grab a 25-22 lead at halftime.

Megehee helped engineer a 23-8 Bethel surge in the third period that put the Lady Wildcats ahead 45-33, setting the stage for the wild fourth period. Her big night also included a perfect 9-of-9 effort from the free-throw line, four 3-point baskets, eight rebounds and three steals.

No other Bethel player hit double figures. Duff finished with nine points and hit 7-of-10 total free shots.

Cooper poured in 28 points to lead the Byng offense. She sank three 3-point baskets, 5-of-5 free shots and had two steals and three blocked shots.

Miller followed with a career-high 16 points and hit a pair of triples for the Byng team.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

Bethel was probably feeling pretty good after limiting high-powered Carl Albert to just four points in the first quarter of their clash Thursday afternoon at the 2024 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic, sponsored by Vision Bank.

However, the Lady Wildcats will always remember the Titans in the second period.

Carl Albert outscored Bethel 19-5 in quarter No. 2 en route to a 52-37 victory. The Lady Titans have now won seven straight games following a season-opening loss at El Reno to improve to 7-1 on the year. Bethel, ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, fell to 5-3.

Carl Albert 52, Bethel 37

Carl Albert had just two points for the first seven minutes of the game before Jakary Brown’s steal and layup sliced the Bethel lead to 8-4 heading into the second period.

Bethel’s Alexis Tucker hit back-to-back buckets — including a 3-pointer with 3:28 left in the second period — that gave the Lady Wildcats a 13-11 lead. But the Lady Titans scored 14 unanswered points to finally take control.

Audrey Plunkett’s basket to open the third period put Carl Albert ahead 25-13.

Bethel never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Plunkett led the Carl Albert offense with 13 points. Skylar Anderson also hit double figures with 11, while Jakary Brown contributed nine points and five rebounds.

Bethel standout Josie Megehee led her team with 18 points and also grabbed a game-best nine rebounds. Tucker finished with 12 points for the Lady Wildcats.

Bethel was limited to 13-of-48 (27.1%) shooting from the field and made just 2-of-14 (14.3%) 3-point shots. The Lady Wildcats won the battle of the boards 35-25.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

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.

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.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

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.

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.

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.

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.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

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.

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.