ROAD TO STATE TOURNAMENT
Boys and girls basketball teams continued their quest for the state tournament
Midwest City coach Katie Bass couldn't help but notice her father's shiny black-and-gold shoes. Edmond Santa Fe coach Paul Bass had broken out a pair of new sneakers that matched Katie's high heels.
They were on opposite sidelines, yet still alike.
“She's one of the better coaches in the state, I believe,” Paul said. “She's just what she is. She's a tough cookie.”
But even that didn't make Thursday easier.
On a night where one team would go home for good, Paul came away with a victory over his daughter in a dreaded matchup. No. 14-ranked Edmond Santa Fe beat No. 15 Midwest City 72-54 in a Class 6A regional tournament at Edmond North to force an Edlam rematch with the fifth-ranked Huskies on Saturday.
“Hated it,” said Paul, who admitted he slept very little for 16 days once the matchup was set.
The Wolves came out aggressive behind 6-foot junior Kaylee Nero.
She scored 14 firstquarter points as the Bombers struggled to match her size and strength and fell behind by 15. Nero finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
“They didn't really have any bigs, so I had to start out big,” Nero said.
“We all wanted it.”
Midwest City battled back within seven in the fourth quarter with backto-back 3-pointers by
Trinity Wisby, but Santa Fe point guard Ahoneste
Walker made three layups during an 8-2 run to seal the game.
Freshman power
Mustang freshman
Kate Niehues grabbed the rebound and saw fellow freshman Talia Pogi sprinting the other way.
Niehues fired the long pass, and Pogi caught it in stride in the corner, squaring up and knocking down a 3-pointer to give No. 13 Mustang a 25-point lead late in the fourth quarter against No. 18 Bixby.
The Broncos went on to rout Bixby 52-32 at Moore High School.
Leading the way was Mustang's freshman duo of Niehues and Pogi. Pogi led all scorers with 15 points, while Niehues scored 12 and recorded four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“Kate does so many little things for us,” Mustang coach Kevin Korstjens said. “Talia played so really big. You could tell she was nervous early, but she just settled and realized it's just basketball.”
Line of the night
Norman sophomore point guard Kelbie
Washington put on a show in a 64-56 win over Westmoore. She scored 24 points, totaled five steals and had four assists.
Leading scorer
Mount St. Mary sophomore Kennedy Allison isn't ready to go home just yet. She scored 31 points in a 64-56 win over Southeast in the Class 4A playoffs to advance in the consolation bracket.