Bethany, Tulsa Lincoln Christian advance to state finals
YUKON — The night before facing Tuttle in the state semifinals, Bethany’s girls basketball team found inspiration from a boxing movie.
Coach Eric Sailer and his team watched “Creed III” in theaters, and the moving message from Michael B. Jordan’s main character stuck with them.
“He got knocked down, and he said, ‘Get up,’” Sailer said. “‘Don’t run away. Get up, and answer the call.’ And that’s what we did today.”
The Bronchos toppled the one team that had knocked them down during the regular season.
Bethany powered past Tuttle, 57-41, to reach the Class 4A state championship for the first time in program history. The third-ranked Bronchos had never made the tournament until this year, and their magical run continued Friday afternoon at Yukon, sending them into the finals to face Tulsa Lincoln Christian.
“I’ve dreamed about this for so long,” said junior guard Zya Vann, who scored 19 points. “It’s just so surreal, and I’m so happy, really happy I get to do it with this group of girls and my coach right here.”
Vann smiled and gestured toward Sailer, who looked as if he had just walked into the gym after a rainstorm. The Bronchos had doused his gray suit jacket with water, capping the celebration that had kicked off minutes earlier on the court.
With 1:03 left in the game, the Bethany student section started jumping and waving goodbye to the second-ranked Tigers. The outcome was already clear as the Bronchos’ lead kept snowballing.
It was a far cry from the Bronchos’ 4532 loss to Tuttle on Jan. 10.
“We owed them one, man,” Vann said. “We were so upset after that first loss against them, and we just knew we would play them again at some point, and we knew that we had to take it to them, and so we did from the jump.”
Bethany (28-1) opened the game on a 7-0 run with four points from Vann, who also provided a rebounding advantage.
Although the Bronchos carried a 28-17 lead into halftime, Tuttle (26-3) and senior center Landry Allen fought back in the second half. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the OU signee hit a 3pointer from the right wing to trim Bethany’s lead to 36-34.
Allen finished with 15 points while Allie Rehl added 16, but the Bronchos didn’t wither.
They answered the call. Sophomore guard Keziah Lofton, an OU commit, led Bethany with 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter.
With each basket, the Bethany crowd cranked up the volume, and the Bronchos maintained that energy as they bounded off to the locker room, joyously singing along with “Sweet Caroline” as it drifted through the speakers.
“It’s super exciting,” Sailer said, “and (I’m) glad for the community of Bethany, for sure.”
Tulsa Lincoln Christian 49, Verdigris 40
A first-time state champion is guaranteed to emerge in Class 4A girls basketball.
Tulsa Lincoln Christian maintained its status as the top-ranked team, advancing to its first state final game with a 49-40 win against Verdigris. Either Lincoln Christian or Bethany will make school history with a state title at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in State Fair Arena.
Last season, the Bulldogs fell short of the Class 3A championship game with a 58-50 semifinal loss to Idabel. This year, they advanced while competing in a larger classification.
“We knew that this group of kids had it in them to make that happen,” said Lincoln Christian coach Melody Stewart. “And they have come all year very, very, very focused and just mentally into the game.”
Audrey Hopkins led Lincoln Christian with 22 points, while Maddi Stewart added 12. The Bulldogs took control of the game early, outscoring sixth-ranked Verdigris, 17-10, in the first quarter.
Although Lincoln Christian (27-1) led, 30-15, at halftime, the Cardinals surged within single digits in the second half.
Kate Wiginton poured in a team-high 19 points for Verdigris (22-7), making five 3-pointers, but the Bulldogs preserved their lead.
“All season long, since we’ve taken over that No. 1 spot, it kind of puts a target on your back,” Stewart said. “And so we’ve been getting everybody’s best because they know that they gotta bring it that game, and so we have had to weather some storms and go through some things.
I thought our kids did a good job today of keeping their composure whenever (Verdigris) hit some big shots, and they did hit some big shots.”