Kiowa, Quinton punch tickets to state tournament

Feb. 24—HENRYETTA — Kiowa coach Keith Quaid came out of the Cowgirl locker room after their game, soaked head to toe in water — because his team showered him with water bottles while celebrating their historic win.

"It's unbelievable," Quaid said about heading back to the state tournament. "It's what we all play for. When we get to that point, to achieve that goal, is just unbelievable."

B-No. 11 Kiowa (23-8) faced B-No. 7 Pittsburg (25-5) in Saturday's area consolation championship of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class B Area II area playoffs, where the Cowgirls defeated the Lady Panthers 41-33.

Coach Quaid said it was a hard fought game between two teams that knew each other well.

"We made a few more shots tonight than Pittsburg did, and that turned out to be the difference in the ball game," he said.

Both teams battled right from the jump. Pittsburg's Mady Heffley immediately drained a triple to get the game started, just to be answered immediately by Kiowa's Emma Roberts with two points of her own. After some ball movement and strong defense from both teams, Pittsburg's Aspen Duvall drained a triple, with Ella Roberts responding with her own triple.

Kiowa and Pittsburg continued going back and forth, with the Cowgirls taking the 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Cowgirls and Lady Panthers kept the fight going during the second quarter — with defense rising to the forefront. Steals, fouls, and missed shots began to occur, but Kiowa would continue finding ways to get points on the board.

Kiowa's Maccie Bain added four points off the glass — while Emma Roberts added five points through a triple and shooting two in the paint. Pittsburg only added three points during the second quarter through Akiera Hawk being fouled and making one free throw — and adding two more off the glass. Kiowa would take the nine point lead heading into the locker room at the half.

Pittsburg fought in the third quarter to cut down the deficit. Chuck Couch drove and scored two points in the beginning of the third quarter, followed by Heffley stealing the ball from Kiowa and adding two more points and draining a triple. However, the Cowgirls stayed in a rhythm, holding on to the lead.

The threat of foul trouble entered the fourth quarter, giving the Lady Panthers opportunities to keep adding points through free throws. After Hawk made two free throws, she was fouled off the arch by Kiowa's Ella Roberts — sending her again to the free throw line to drain all three free throws.

The Lady Panthers only trailed Kiowa by three points with six minutes left in the game. But the Cowgirls kept the pressure up, sinking shots and free throws when it counted to seal the win and punch their ticket to the Big House.

Emma Roberts led Kiowa with 15 points, followed by Bain with 11 points, Ella Roberts with five points, Paige Igou with four points, and Kaccee Rose and Alison Wolfenbarger with three points each.

Hawk led Pittsburg with 15 points, followed by Heffley with eight points, Duvall with seven points, and Couch with three points.

Kiowa will advance to the Class B State Tournament at Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday.

"Our kids will have such a great week, and we're excited about whoever we play. We're gonna give them all we can. We're gonna represent Kiowa well," Quaid said.

CLASS A

QUINTON 49, RIPLEY 30

The green and black is heading back to OKC.

No. 3 Quinton faced off against No. 10 Ripley in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association Class A Area IV consolation championship, where the green and black used an offensive surge to win 49-30 and advance to the Class A State Tournament.

Coach Brad Davis previously talked about last year's magical run, and what it means for the program to start making state tournament runs on a consistent basis.

"I think it was just good for the girls to get to see we have taken that next step," he said. "They're just a really special group, and I'm just really proud that I get to coach.

"I'm lucky I get to sit on the bus, or drive the van, and sit on the bench and cheer for them," Davis continued. "It's fun for me."

The Lady Warriors got a hot start, jumping out to an early 11-0 lead. But Quinton settled in and began chipping away at the deficit to make it a 17-10 Ripley lead after the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Quinton kept slashing at the scoreboard and draining shots — holding Ripley to five points in the period to tie up the game 22-22 at the halftime break.

Alexis and Bailey Purdom drilled back-to-back triples to get Quinton moving at the start of the second half, with Bailey Purdom added another to extend the cushion on the way to a 33-25 lead after three quarters.

A Haddie Lindley three opened up the fourth quarter, and that final spark swung momentum firmly in Quinton's favor — sailing to the win and punching the green and black's ticket to Oklahoma City.

Alexis Purdom led the way with 18 points, followed by Lindley with 15 points, Aliviah Daniels with nine points, Bailey Purdom with six points, and Lila Gragg with a free throw.

Next up for Quinton, the program will return to state for the second-consecutive season and fifth-time in school history. The OSSAA Class A State Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 2 at Jim Norick Arena on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

Here are the complete Class A-B girls state tournament brackets:

CLASS A

THURSDAY

G1: Seiling vs. Allen, 9 a.m.

G2: Quinton vs. Empire, 10:30 a.m.

G3: Oklahoma Bible Academy vs. Cyril, noon

G4: Red Oak vs. Caddo, 1:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

G5: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 9 a.m.

G6: Winner G4 vs. Winner G3, 10:30 a.m.

SATURDAY

G7: Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, 11:30 a.m. (Winner named state champion)

CLASS B

WEDNESDAY

G1: Hammon vs. Mt. View-Gotebo, 9 a.m.

G2: Kiowa vs. Lomega, 10:30 a.m.

G3: Dover vs. Turner, noon

G4: Arnett vs. Lookeba-Sickles, 1:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

G5: Winner G3 vs. Winner G4, 7:30 p.m.

G6: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

G7: Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, 7 p.m.