Both Panama teams, Pocola boys reach semis
Both Panama teams and the Pocola Indians reached the semifinals of the 2023 LeFlore County Junior High Basketball Tournament with wins in Day 2 action Tuesday at Poteau High School’s Sherman Floyd Fieldhouse.
The fourth-seeded Razorbacks ended Day 2 action Tuesday night with a resounding 51-19 win over the Monroe Eagles to set up a 8:30 p.m. Friday semifinal game against top seed Talihina on the Hogs’ home court at Razorback Event Center.
The Eagles will play Wister at 5:15 this afternoon at Wister’s Jerry Carpenter Memorial Gymnasium in one fifthplace semifinal contest. The winner will play for fifth place at 5:15 p.m. Friday at Razorback Event Center.
The second-seeded Lady ’Backs had to withstand a pesky Wister Lady Wildcats team to post a 29-25 victory to put them into the semifinals at 7:45 tonight at Razorback Event Center against the sixth-seeded Hodgen Lady Bulldogs.
The second-seeded Indians got past the site-host Poteau Pirates 38-21 to place them into the semifinals against third-seeded Hodgen at 7:45 p.m. Friday at Razorback Event Center.
The Pirates will meet Howe in the other fifthplace semifinal game at 7:45 p.m. tonight at Jerry Carpenter Memorial Gymnasium. The winner will play for fifth place at 5:15 p.m. Friday at Razorback Event Center.
The first two games Tuesday afternoon at Sherman Floyd Fieldhouse were consolation semifinals, in which Fanshawe rallied past Whitesboro 42-37, followed by Arkoma getting past Spiro 25-18.
The Grizzlies and the Mustangs played in the consolation semifinals Wednesday afternoon at Jerry Carpenter Memorial Gymnasium, with the winner playing for the consolation championship at 5:15 this afternoon at Razorback Event Center. Championship Quarterfinals
Boys
Pocola 38, Poteau 21 The Indians jumped out to a 4-0 lead en route to an 11-4 lead after a quarter.
The Pirates cut the deficit to eight points twice in the second period, the last time at 19-11 with 19.8 seconds left before halftime. However, that would be as close as the Pirates got as a buzzer-beating 3-point basket gave Pocola a 22-11 halftime lead.
Pocola’s 7-0 third quarter put the game away.
Jaxon Adcock scored a game-high 14 points to lead Pocola, while Garrison Whitworth’s seven points led Poteau.
Panama 51, Monroe 19
The Razorbacks scored the first six points of the contest en route to a 17-3 lead after a period, which became a 31-8n halftime advantage and a 46-16 lead going into the final period.
Chance Dalmut scored a game-high 16 points and Kegan Harper added 15 points to lead the Hogs, while Gavin Key’s nine points led the Eagles.
Girls
Panama 29, Wister 25
With the game tied at 19 after three quarters thanks to Wister’s Bailyn Robertson hitting a 3-point basket with 34 seconds left in the period.
However, the Lady Razorbacks opened the final quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 27-21 lead, only to see the Lady Wildcats get to within two points at 2725 on Savanna Knuckolls’ basket with 51 seconds remaining in the game. However, the Lady ’Cats got no closer.
Kylee Gollihare led all scorers with a game-high 17 points to lead the Lady ’Backs, while Robertson’s 10 points paced Wister.
Consolation Quarterfinals
Boys Fanshawe 42, Whitesboro 37
Trailing 34-29 midway in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies used a gameending 13-3 run to get the come-from-behind victory.
Matt Mills led Fanshawe with a game-high 20 points, while Leyton Walker led Whitesboro with 11 points.
Arkoma 25, Spiro 18
Leading 6-5 after a period, the Mustangs blanked the Bulldogs 8-0 in the second quarter to take a 14-5 halftime lead en route to a 20-8 advantage going into the final period.
The ’Dogs used a 10-2 run to begin the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to 22-18 with 1:55 left in the game, but they got no closer.
Eli Yates led Arkoma with 10 points, while Chase Killion led Spiro with six points.