Explosive hardwood action in Wister to start new year
Panama and Wister returned from Christmas break with explosive performances on Jerry Carpenter Court in Wister.
Wister’s boys (8-3, ranked 15th in Class 2A) stayed strong in the second half after a frenetic first half to win 71-65.
“We came off the break with a two-game losing streak determined to protect our home court,” Wister head coach Ryan Carter said.
The Wildcats gained a 7-5 lead early before Panama took control, getting a pair of late buckets to finish the first quarter ahead 16-11. The two teams traded blows in the second quarter until Braxton Hill and Landon Donaho hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a 10-0 run for a 39-34 lead. Panama committed an inbounds violation after Hill’s trey, setting up the one made by Donaho. Wister ended the half ahead 40-36.
The Wildcats maintained control in the third quarter, ending the stanza leading 54-48 as Dartyn Meeks scored 10 of his team-high 28 points.
At Carter’s urging, Donaho drove from the right wing for a layup with a minute left for a 67-57 Wister lead.
Panama got within 6965 with 15 seconds left, but two Meeks free throws sealed it.
Donaho finished with 17 points, hitting four treys. Hill added 14 points, including 10 in the second quarter. Riley Crane had five points, and Kord Fenton had four.
Gavin Gotes led Panama (4-4) with 18 points, hitting five 3-pointers, with Brendin Nixon had 15, Malachi Releford had 14, Zach Bell had nine and Chance Dalmut and Aryn Seamans each had four.
Panama’s girls (6-2) went on a tear in the middle quarters while propelling to a 65-33 victory.
“We were working on different things coming off Christmas break,” Panama head coach Dan Caldwell said. “We tried different player rotations.”
Wister (6-5) had a 9-8 edge at the end of the first quarter, but Panama held the home team to one made field goal in the second quarter while rushing to a 30-12 halftime lead. Wister started the third quarter on an 11-4 run, getting within 34-23, but did not manage a field goal in the last few minutes of the period as Panama went on a 19-2 run for a 53-25 advantage.
Sky Bluford scored 10 of her 13 points in the third quarter to lead Panama, while Lexi Bell had 11, Gracyn Weaver had 10, Kylee Gollihare had eight, Arianna Loggins had six and Gunny Sons and Karlie Anderson each had
Sooners get victory over Monmouth
NORMAN (AP) — Jalon Moore scored 21 points and No. 12 Oklahoma concluded its non-conference schedule with a 72-56 win over Monmouth on Sunday.
Otega Owen scored 13 points, Javian McCollum added 11 and Milos Uzan had 10 for the Sooners (12-1), who shot 48.2% from the field after a slow start.
OU hosts Iowa State on Saturday to open Big 12 Conference play for the final time before moving to the Southeastern Conference next season.
“We haven’t gotten ahead of ourselves,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “I thought these guys did a great job of one game in a row. The biggest game is the one right in front of you. Now we know they can’t take nonconference to the bank.
Oklahoma faced Monmouth, a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, for the first time.
Jack Collins led Monmouth (7-6) with 14 points and Nakita Konstantynovskyi, a transfer from Tulsa, added 11 points. The Hawks shot 36.2% from the field and were held without a field goal for the game’s final 5:10.
Both teams shot poorly during a low-scoring first half. Oklahoma, which shot 38%, trailed 25-23 with 2:02 left, prompting a timeout. The Sooners finished with a flurry after that, getting consecutive 3-pointers from Uzan, McCollum and Oweh to take a 32-28 lead at the break. OU extended the lead to 36-28 early in the second half before going cold and being held scoreless for four minutes.
five. Kaylea Underwood led Wister with 10 points while Mia McGowen had eight, Darbey Robinson had six and Jordan Makovy had four.