Sequoyah Tahlequah gets physical
With Comanche’s 6-foot-3 Misty Dossey hitting virtually every shot she took, Sequoyah Tahlequah had to find a way to keep the daunting center from getting the ball.
That happened with pressure on the Comanche guards and physical double teams on Dossey inside.
Neither team could find much rhythm offensively, but defending champion Sequoyah Tahlequah’s tough defense created enough of an edge for a 50-36 win in the Class 3A girls state semifinals Friday night at State Fair Arena.
Sequoyah Tahlequah (26-3) returns to the title game seeking its third championship in the last four years. It will face the winner of Friday night’s late game between Kingston and Adair in the title game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Big House.
Aubrey Brown had 22 points, with 11 coming at the free throw line, and Alexys Keys had 14 points for Sequoyah Tahlequah. Forward Jonia Walker had 10 points and eight rebounds, hitting a pair of uncharacteristic 3-pointers.
“She hit some shots — now those, she normally doesn’t shoot,” Sequoyah Tahlequah coach Larry Callison said of the 6-foot junior. “I’m thinking, ‘No, no! Good shot!’ So we’ll take ‘em.”
Dossey, who has signed with UT-Arlington, finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. She was 7-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the free throw line. Brooklyn Bain added nine points for Comanche, which concluded the season at 27-3.
Sequoyah Tahlequah did everything it could to limit Dossey’s touches. The pressure defense helped to force 17 turnovers.
Callison often used a smaller, athletic player defending Dossey in the front, with Walker helping on the backside.
“You have to be physical with her, because she’s too tall,” Callison said. “I thought, defensively, we played really well and we stuck to our game plan.”