Bethany tops Lincoln Christian for second straight title
Opponents often overlook Kayten Donley.
A junior for Bethany, Donley is on a team with elite talent, and lots of attention goes to OU signee Zya Vann and Sooners commit Keziah Lofton.
That's perfectly fine with Bethany coach Eric Sailer.
“We were hosting playoffs at our place, and I went into the visiting locker room after the game was over,” Sailer said, “and on the dry erase board, they put No. 10, Kayten Donley, ‘role player.' She's the best darn role player I've ever coached. She's not a role player.”
Tulsa Lincoln Christian found that out Saturday.
Donley led Bethany with 17 points as the Class 4A top-ranked Bronchos beat No. 2 Lincoln Christian 48-28 at State Fair Arena, claiming their second straight state title.
Bethany's trio of Donley, Vann and Lofton was simply too much for Lincoln Christian.
They combined for 41 points. Donley shot 7 of 8 from the field, while Vann scored 13 points and Lofton added 11.
Donley and Lofton still have one more year left at Bethany, but Vann is a senior.
She said this was the special ending to her high school career.
“I'm just really happy,” Vann said. “It's my last year. I think this was the best way to go out and couldn't have done it without my teammates, so I'm really thankful for them.”
Bethany (26-4) led 24-17 at halftime, but Lincoln Christian narrowed the gap in the third quarter before Bethany bounced back and took a 35-26 advantage into the fourth.
The Bronchos finished with a dominant quarter, pulling away for the win and forming a dog pile at midcourt when it was over.
“Just exciting,” Lofton said. “We're sad because we're losing some seniors and stuff but just happy. We've been working so hard for this. I feel like it's well deserved.”
Bethany's only loss to an Oklahoma team this season was against Class 6A powerhouse Edmond North, which beat the Bronchos 60-55 in December at the Mustang Holiday Tournament.
Bethany faced some stiff competition, and Donley was proud of how the team rose to the challenges.
“Everyone, they played their best game against us,” Donley said. “But we stepped up together.”
Bethany played great defense Saturday, and Lincoln Christian (25-4) made just 10 of 38 shots (26.3%) from the field.
Lincoln Christian made it interesting in the third quarter but ran out of gas as Bethany asserted its dominance.
“We won the third and the fourth,” Sailer said. “We knew that there wasn't a 14-point shot out there, and I think the pressure of them being down 14 was a little bit too much for them, but we did a good job of contesting shots, pulling big-time rebounds down to limit their opportunities.”
Lincoln Christian star sophomore Maddie Stewart, who has multiple Division-I offers and is the daughter of coach Melody Stewart, had a doubledouble as she finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior Audrey Hopkins, who also holds Division-I offers, had six points and five rebounds.