Eisenhower's basketball teams came away with statement wins on Friday night, sweeping Choctaw's Top 10 squads in convincing fashion.
The girls used a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Yellowjackets, 55-41, while the boys took control early on the way to a 72-58 victory.
Ike girls soar past Choctaw
Naomi Smith scored only two points, but they served as the most important of the game for the Eagles.
With Choctaw on a 9-2 run and the game tied at 35 late in the third quarter, Smith corralled a loose ball and raced down the court, laying in a fast-break layup at the buzzer to give Eisenhower a two-point advantage going into the fourth.
The Eagles used that momentum shift to take control of the contest, pulling away for an impressive 55-41 win over the Class 6A No. 3 Yellowjackets at home on Friday night.
Eagles coach Daniel Wall said Smith has made a habit of making big plays at crucial points this season.
"(Smith) made an unbelievable play there," Wall said. "She's done that a couple of times this year — hitting shots at the buzzer. That was a big drive and a big play by a freshman, and she's doing a great job for us."
Ginger Reece led Ike with 18 points, while Jaeda Reed added 17 points with a dominant performance in the paint. Delicia Brown also made quite an impact for the Eagles, scoring six of her nine points during the 18-6 run in the fourth.
"(Reed) and (Reece) really scored the basketball well," Wall said. "(Reed) did a great job inside on their big girl and score quite a bit as well, and (Reece) definitely did a great job.
"(Brown) came up with some big-time buckets. I'm so happy for her, and she's just a great kid. She had a huge fourth quarter with six big points."
Of course, Ike didn't pull away from the Yellowjackets with offensive firepower alone.
The defense played one of its best quarters of the season in the fourth, keeping Choctaw from finding the open looks it went to for a majority of the game. The Yellowjackets didn't tally a point in the fourth quarter until the 4:12 mark.
Wall said his team's defensive intensity was on another level in the second half.
"We play with great passion on defense, and Hallie Horton did an unbelievable job on the defensive end against (Choctaw's) Aliyah Llanusa," Wall said. "We did a really good job of attacking them. Even when we were up, we still attacked.
"We didn't want to play scared — we went ahead and shut things down."
The Eagles' free throw efficiency also proved to make a difference in the outcome.
Ike missed its first two shots from the line, but made 11 of its last 12. The Yellowjackets weren't as fortunate, finishing 7-of-14.
Wall said he is proud of the way the girls have overcome their free throw struggles from earlier in the season.
"We work on those every day," Wall said. "Our girls are great free throw shooters, it's just a mental mind game. They've been able to overcome that the past couple of games, and they've done a great job of knocking them down."
The Eagles take a 7-0 record into their three-week hiatus for the annual Winter Break, and Wall said this performance has them looking forward to the future of not only this season, but also the program.
"This same team beat us by 60 last year at their place, and ever since I've been the head coach, they've beaten us by 20-plus," Wall said. "For us to be able to show up and beat them is huge. It's one of those statement wins that gets your program going in the right direction."
The Eagles return to action in the Westmoore Invitational on Jan. 4.
Ike boys roll Yellowjackets
If the Eisenhower boys weren't already hyped for their Top 10 matchup with Choctaw, the Yellowjackets' pregame antics did the trick.
The Eagles always conduct their pregame drills on the north side of the gym, but when they took to the court to warm up, Choctaw players were already there shooting, forcing Ike to the other side.
The Eagles didn't take kindly to the motion, returning the favor with a 72-58 thrashing of the No. 10 Yellowjackets.
Although the stunt didn't work out the way Choctaw had hoped, Ike coach Todd Millwee said he understood the Yellowjackets' motivation in taking his team's designated spot.
"They've got a good record — they were 5-0 — and they are a pretty good team, so they were feeling confident," Millwee said. "In pregames, we usually shoot on that goal, but they started shooting on it and wouldn't get off our goal. That got our guys pretty fired up."
The game was tight through the first quarter, but it was all Ike thereafter.
Antonio Gordon was a force to be reckoned with, leading the team with 22 points. Kinyon Parker also contributed handsomely, draining three of the team's six 3-pointers on the way to an 18-point finish.
Despite getting in early foul trouble, Kevin Farmer capped off a solid night with 14 points.
Millwee said having multiple playmakers on offense has become a tradition within the Ike program over the past few years, and this team is a perfect example of that.
"We've built our tradition on equal opportunity here, and we usually have four or five guys who score in double-digits every night," Millwee said. "That creates good chemistry with the team when they all know they're going to get it back if they make the right play."
Defensively, Ike forced 17 turnovers, while giving up only seven on the offensive end.
Brock Schreiner led Choctaw with 13 points, while Trey Black chipped in 12 points. Steven Ponds also finished in double figures with 10 points.
The Eagles, No. 5 in 5A, have now defeated two Top 10 6A teams in consecutive games, adding to an already accomplished resume.
Millwee said his team's current level of play and 5-1 record has him feeling optimistic heading into the break.
"That's six teams we've played in the Top 10, and three or four of them were in the Top 5 when we played them," Millwee said. Finishing the first semester like this, I feel like we're a little bit ahead of where we were last year."
Ike doesn't return to the court until Jan. 9 for a rematch against 6A No. 5 Midwest City. The Eagles defeated the Bombers in overtime in the Edmond Open last week, 84-75.