Classen SAS posts decisive win against California school Clovis East in Mustang tournament opener
By Michael Kinney
MUSTANG – Clovis East High traveled all the way from California to compete in the Bank 7 Holiday Classic for the first time.
Unfortunately, defending 4A state champion Classen SAS awaited them in the first round.
As the Lady Comets tried to put away the Lady Timberwolves, they were too late and earned a 57-29 victory at the Mustang Activity Center.
“We played a heck of a team,” Clovis East coach Garrett Mantle. “Not only the defending champions, but some say the team they had last year might have been one of the best ever in the state.
“So we jumped right into the fire. To fly here and have to play that quality of a team, that’s why we came.”
Clovis East entered the tournament missing three players, including Nichole Rawe, who came down with COVID right before the trip.
With only seven total players on their roster, the Lady Timberwolves had a hard time controlling the tempo against Classen SAS, who shot 13 of 19 in the first half as they built a 30-13 advantage.
“I thought we played well,” Classen SAS coach Jim Perinovic said. “There are still some areas we need to focus on to be as good as we think we are.
“It’s a learning experience every time we go out there. But overall, a solid game.”
Midway through the third quarter, the Lady Comets started to grind and the Timberwolves didn’t have enough in the tank to stop them.
After committing just three turnovers in the first half, Classen forced Clovis East into 10 turnovers in the second half.
Gabby Ramos, playing in her first game with Clovis East, scored 16 points and grabbed five boards. Rajdeep Kaur added 12 points in the loss.
Skylar Durley led the charge for the Lady Comets. Along with 18 points, she collected six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Jaida O’Conner had 10 rebounds, nine points and three assists.
Clovis East will face Mustang High in the consolation bracket Thursday at noon. Classen SAS will face Class 2A No. 1 Sailing in the semi-finals at 19:00.
“The three things we focus on every game are turnovers, free throws and shooting over 50 percent,” Perinovic said. “These are things we should be able to control. Those are things we have to be better at.”
No. 1 Edmond North 79, Southmoore 20
After a slow start, the 6A top-ranked Huskies’ defense began to take over in the second quarter. They held the SaberCats to 14 points in the first half.
Edmond North’s Laci Steele (21) and Elle Papahronis (15) paced Southmoore alone in that span.
North started the third quarter with a 21-0 run. The SaberCats weren’t able to get their first bucket until Keiley Mahseet scored with just 32 seconds left in the third quarter.
North led, 65-16, going into the fourth and trailed the rest of the way.
Steele led all scorers with 27 points, along with five assists and three rebounds. Papahronis added 23 points, three steals, five rebounds and three assists. Mallory Jackson chipped in with 10 points and seven boards.
Sofia Reyes paced Southmoore with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Edmond North will face Verdigris in the semifinals at 4 p.m., Southmoore drops to the consolation round, where it will face Putnam City North.
Verdigris 31, Putnam City North 29
With 3:25 left in the game, Maddy Daniels gave the Verdigris a 28-25 lead after hitting a pair of free throws. But Raya Shawareb tied the game with a long 3-pointer.
Verdigris’ Kate Wigington then hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to push the score to 31-28. North’s Nykaiya Dillard was fouled and went 1-for-2 from the line.
With 7.8 seconds left, the Lady Cardinals’ Morgan Borgstadt missed a free throw, but she got her layup and ran out the clock.
Tehlia Kutsoah led the Lady Panthers with 13 points. However, it was held to one point in the second half.
Borgstadt, Daniels and Wiginton each scored eight points for the Lady Cardinals. Borgstadt added nine rebounds as they outrebounded PCN, 31-19.
Sailing 47, Mustang 43
The Wildcats entered the Holiday Classic with an unblemished record. But the host Lady Broncos did just about everything possible to make sure they left the tournament with at least one loss.
Every time it looked like Seiling might try to pull away, someone from the Mustangs made a play to keep the game close.
However, the Mustangs had no answer for Braci Nyberg on the court. Whenever the junior guard wanted to go to the rim for a basket, she was seemingly able to do so at will.
That was enough to hold off the Broncos and keep the Wildcats undefeated and in contention for the tournament championship.
Nyberg led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Aryahna Whetstone and Kenly Gore each had six points for the Wildcats.
Despite a slow start for the Mustangs, Parker Simon scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Lunden Foreman also scored in double figures with 10 points.
