Claremore Daily Progress

Sports

March 10, 2013

CLASS 4A GIRLS STATE BB FINALS: Fort Gibson enjoys golden moment

KENTON BROOKS CNHI News Services

OKLAHOMA CITY — Coach Jerry Walker took a quote from pro basketball legend Bill Russell when he talked to his Fort Gibson Lady Tigers at halftime as they trailed Mount St. Mary 25-19 in the Class 4A state championship game at State Fair Arena on Saturday night.



“He said the least more important score is the score at halftime,” Walker said.



The Lady Tigers shook off that sluggish first half, worked the ball closer to the basket in the second half and outscored the Lady Rockets 39-18 on the way to the 58-43 victory and their second title in the last three seasons.



The Lady Tigers bounced back from 30 percent shooting (6-of-20) in the first two quarters to shoot 55 percent (11-of-20) in the latter two periods in winning the championship. Fort Gibson beat Cache 52-51 in overtime in 2011 for its other title.



“We talked about playing harder and tougher,” Walker said.



The Lady Tigers were tougher with their inside game, led by 5-foot-10 senior Brooke Palmer and 6-foot sophomore CheyAnne Johnson.



“It was no secret that we were trying to pound it inside,” Walker said. “We knew they weren’t very deep off the bench and we had the size advantage.”



The two combined for 17 points and 12 rebounds in that second half. Individually, Palmer had 15 points and six rebounds.



“We weren’t hitting our shots in the first half and we knew had to win the game inside the paint,” she said. “We knew rebounding was key because they liked to crash the boards hard. We had to scrap harder than they did. I feel like I’m on cloud nine right now.”



Johnson’s on that cloud, too. Her basket and six rebounds in the last two quarters helped the Lady Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the final Okrankings.com poll, pull away to the victory and finish the season at 29-1.



“Coach said that to us because there’s still another half that we can score in and win,” she said. “”Every shot we took and made in the second half pumped us up even more. We also wanted to get on the offensive boards.”



The Lady Tigers were able to go inside because of the outside shooting. They made 4-of-8 shots from beyond the arc in the second half.



Mount St. Mary coach Rory Hamilton watched as the Lady Tigers dominated in the second half.



“They got the momentum going a little bit and our girls were back on their heels a little bit,” he said. “We didn’t respond like we normally do. We gave up 39 points in the second half. They’re hard to guard because they have good outside shooting and the big girls inside. You have to pick your poison a little bit and we were on the wrong side.”



Aimee Rishcard led the Lady Rockets (25-6) with 18 points and Jordan Hagood added 10.



The Lady Tigers also worked their defense as senior Taylor London held 5-11 junior Kaley Bond to just two points on 1-of-3 shooting. Bond pumped in 19 points in Friday’s upset win against defending state champion Anadarko.



This was the Tigers sixth trip in the last eight seasons to the finals. The other title game appearances under Walker came in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2012.

Text Only
Sports
  • DSC_9471web.jpg Howe, Whatley shine at OU Showcase

    Claremore High School seniors Bryce Howe and Matt Whatley caught the eyes of several NCAA Division I and JUCO scouts Friday in Norman.
    Howe and Whatley, as well as Claremore’s Cole Weiesnbach and Cameron Smith, competed with the Bearcats — a competitive baseball team coached by Jenks’ Jeff Owens — at the University of Oklahoma Showcase.

    June 15, 2013 2 Photos

  • DSC_0119web.jpg ‘Staying close to home’

    Home is where the heart is.
    Claremore graduate Isaac Hollihan loves playing baseball and takes his academics pretty serious.
    For the next four years, Hollihan will continue his baseball career a short distance from his Claremore residence at Rogers State University.

    June 13, 2013 2 Photos

  • TRACK: Tyson Gay healthy heading into nationals

    For a little bit, Tyson Gay's first step tearing down the track made him wince and his next made him wonder: Would he ever be the same sprinter again?
    The runner who captured three gold medals at the 2007 world championships. The runner who broke the American 100-meter record in 2009.

    June 18, 2013

  • Texas Longhorns men's track coach retires

    Texas men's track coach Bubba Thornton is retiring after 18 years and 12 conference championships.
    According to a statement from the school on Monday, Thornton and athletic director DeLoss Dodds mutually agreed to terminate the coach's contract effective Aug. 31. The Longhorns won this year's Big 12 indoor and outdoor championships and finished sixth at the NCAA outdoor championships.

    June 18, 2013

  • Daytona frontstretch getting $400M facelift

    Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last.
    Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the "fan experience.''

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK: Rough ice affects play in Game 3

    Teams try to avoid risky plays in the postseason that they might try in the regular season. And when the ice surface isn't smooth, even greater care is necessary.
    Boston took that approach with less-than-ideal ice conditions during its 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks that gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP: Rask shuts down Blackhawks, Bruins take 2-1 lead

    The puck bounced off the post and rolled across the crease, away from the goal line. The red light flashed briefly, but replays would confirm that Tuukka Rask's shutout streak was intact.
    For the last 122 minutes, 26 seconds of the Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins goalie has prevented Chicago from scoring.

    June 18, 2013

  • New $15M scoreboards planned for Jazz arena

    Owners of EnergySolutions Arena are upgrading the home turf of the Utah Jazz with a new $15 million scoreboard system.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Heat have no room for error versus Spurs in Game 6

    They lost three times in three months in one of the most overpowering stretches the NBA has ever seen.
    Now the Miami Heat have lost three times in five games.
    So superb during the regular season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat have to be something even more for the rest of the NBA Finals.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Spurs' coach puts 'Pop' into news conferences

    During his team's Game 3 rout of the Heat, Gregg Popovich was shown on TV talking to his players while they were in the process of burying Miami with a stirring offensive display.

    June 18, 2013