Pocola’s Parker, Terrell ignite sweep at Talihina
Pocola’s basketball teams bounced back from losing all three games in elite Christmas week tournaments by earning a Black Diamond Conference sweep at Talihina on Tuesday.
Four days after tumbling in the Oklahoma Tournament of Champions seventh-place game, Pocola’s girls (6-3), which are ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, rolled to a 54-19 win after a fairly competitive first half.
“They responded well coming off the rough week we had,” Pocola head coach Shane Amos said.
Kail Chitwood hit a 3-pointer from the left wing 84 seconds into the game, putting Pocola’s lead at 7-0.
Ryleigh Farris and Courtney Hacker hit 3-pointers as Talihina (36) came within 9-8 by the three-minute mark.
Allyssa Parker hit two layups in the last minute of the first quarter, including one off a steal, as Pocola finished the frame with a 14-8 lead. Parker scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the opening period.
“She’s showed effort consistently, not just on offense. It’s also on defense. She gets her hands on steals,” Amos said.
The girls in maroon and black scored the first seven points of the second quarter with Riley Jerrell hitting a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in the half for a 21-8 advantage.
“The confidence has started coming around,” Amos said of Jerrell.
With Parker resting the last few minutes of the half, Talihina narrowed the margin to 21-12 before Kail Chitwood hit a layup with about 30 seconds left in the half for a 23-12 halftime score.
“For the half, we were pretty good. I don’t know what it is about the third quarter, but we’ve had some bad third quarters,” Talihina head coach Josh Fields said.
Pocola posted another quarter-starting 7-0 run in the third with Kylee Smith converting a three-point play with 5:29 left in the period for a 30-12 lead.
Pocola finished the quarter ahead 36-16.
Parker dished out to the left wing to set up a driving layup by Smith with five minutes left amid a 16-0 run.
Chitwood contributed 10 points for Pocola while Smith had nine, Jerrell had six and Bailey Lairamore had five.
Leah Dill led Talihina with eight points.
Four days after its third straight loss to a Class 6A team in the Mustang Clristmas Classic, Pocola’s boys (4-5), which are ranked seventh in Class 2A, cruised to a 59-36 win.
Garrett Scott made a 3-pointer from the left wing and a driving layup during a 12-0 run spanning most of the first quarter. The Indians ended the period leading 12-4.
Talihina cut the margin to 14-8 on a basket by Kaidon Potts early in the second quarter, but a 9-2 run by Pocola that included a dunk by Scott and a threepoint play by Dakota Terrell put the Indians’ lead at 27-12.
Pocola entered halftime ahead 33-16.
After Pocola scored the first six points of the third quarter for a 39-16 lead, Ramses Hernandez drained three buckets during a 10-2 run that cut it to 41-26.
For the second field goal of the run, Hernadez blocked a shot by Pocola’s Austin Hardwick and turned it into a layup at the other end.
Pocola led 45-28 at the end of the third quarter.
Terrell finished with a game-high 29 points while Scott scored 18 and Brayden Hardwick had seven.
Hernandez led Talihina with 16 points while Potta had 14.
Pocola returns home Tuesday to face Stigler.
Talihina starts play today in the Kingston New Years Classic with the boys playing Dale at 12:20 p.m. and the girls facing Silo at 11 a.m.