‘Devastating’ first loss to state school comes in semifinal for Northwest
For The Oklahoman
The reality didn’t take long to settle in for Northwest Classen. The long, slow walk back to the Mabee Center locker room was full of sadness and heartache.
Class 5A No. 2-ranked Northwest Classen hadn’t lost to an Oklahoma team all season, until fifthranked Tulsa Washington upended the Knights with a 78-71 victory on Friday afternoon.
“Devastating,” Northwest Classen coach Jason Jack said with red, watery eyes. “There are some seniors in there that have been with me for four years, and your heart breaks for them.”
Mo Wilson did all he could to keep the Knights’ season alive with 31 points and 15 rebounds, but Northwest couldn’t climb over the hump late.
The Knights (26-2) trailed by as many as 19 early in the fourth quarter and clawed within 75-71 with 23 seconds left. But a free throw from Tulsa Washington’s Bryce Thompson and a turnover by Wilson sealed the Knights’ fate.
“We dreamt about making it to the state finals, and we had plenty of opportunities tonight,” said Jack, whose team converted on only 35.3 percent (24-of-68) of its field-goal attempts. “Sometimes it just doesn’t
TULSA —
go your way.”
Looking for its first championship since 1985, Northwest was torched early by Thompson, who finished with 29 points for the Hornets (20-6). Thompson finished 9-of15 from the field and 6-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I just got hot,” said Thompson, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard.
“I was able to get open, and my teammates were making shots.”
But Thompson turned his left ankle in the third quarter, at the same time as his teammate Demarco Jones left the game with an injury. That meant it was up to Tulsa Washington’s Jaycson Bereal to pick up the slack.
The Boise State signee stabilized the Hornets’ attack and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“I knew I had to facilitate,” Bereal said.
“And as the season has gone along, I’ve matured and realized I have to pick my spots to score.”