CHICKASHA — The Chickasha Classic is winding to close, with several area teams making final pushes to the championship round held Saturday.
The MacArthur girls kicked off the day's action with a thrilling come-from-behind 44-40 win over Altus. The Highlanders are set to take on Class 6A No. 18 Yukon for the tournament title Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Cache girls met the Yukon in the other semifinal, falling to the Millers by a 70-30 count. Cache takes on Altus in a battle of the Bulldogs in the third-place game at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Cache boys also competed in Chickasha on Friday, losing in a close contest to Hirschi of Wichita Falls, Texas, 41-34. The Bulldogs are matched against yet another Lone Star State team, Decatur, in a battle for third place Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Mac girls rally, make tourney finale Midway through the third quarter, things were looking dire for MacArthur.
The Highlanders trailed Altus by 12 points, and it looked as if the Bulldogs (2-9) were on their way to avenging their early-season loss to Mac. However, the 5A No. 6 Highlanders were familiar with adversity of that variety.
Mac coach David Vann said his team has trailed by a similar margin several times this season, and it took action in the fourth quarter.
The Highlanders (7-2) tied the game at 33 with only two minutes expired in the fourth, and though Nia Hill hit four-straight free throws to give Altus the lead back at 38-34, Mac had already acquired the momentum.
Mac went on a 10-2 run in the final four minutes, netting a 44-40 victory in the process to advance to the Chickasha Classic championship game. The Highlanders outscored Altus 18-7 in the fourth.
"We got some momentum with some good defensive stops," Vann said. "Sydney Gunter made some shots, and that kind of got us going. We fought hard, but I keep telling them we can't keep digging ourselves a hole. But we don't ever give up, and that's a major thing I like about my team."
Gunter led the team with 10 points. McKenzie Washington, who scored 17 points in Mac's 53-45 win over Altus last month, was held to eight points.
Freshman Lykeshia Johnson led the Bulldogs with 16 points, but most of her production came in the first half. Jordan Benway also scored in double figures with 12 points.
"They came out running a zone offense, and that kind of shocked us a little bit," Vann said. "(Johnson) was the one we needed to shut down, and she got loose in the first half. I think we stopped her in the second half, and that was the biggest difference."
Yukon overwhelms Cache girls It didn't take long for Yukon to flex its 6A muscles.
The Millers, ranked No. 18, surged early and often, gaining a 23-point advantage after the first quarter on the way to a 70-30 victory over Cache. The loss was the worst of the season for the Bulldogs, who now sport a record of 4-7.
"It just all boils down to we have to settle down," Cache coach Kerry White said. "We get a little antsy and impatient, and once we decide to settle down and control what we can control, we're fine."
Despite falling behind 27-4 early, Cache never lost its motivation to play. In fact, the defense showed signs of improvement through the remaining duration of the contest, holding Yukon to fewer than 20 points in each quarter and forcing 16 turnovers.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs gave up 22 in return.
White said he was proud of the way his defense responded after the slow first quarter, but the offense must limit miscues if the team wants to improve as the season continues.
"Defensively, we can live with that — obviously as many as we can get is great," White said. "Offensively, that's something we preach every day. If we can just limit the turnovers and take care of the ball, we're going to be fine.
"We still haven't quite gotten to that comfort level, but I think the day is coming — it's just got to click at some point."
The Millers (7-3) finished with three players in double figures, led by Ashtyn Basler, who finished with 19 points and five of her team's 3-pointers. Meya Case added 11 points, while Rebecca Cammon had 10 points.
Sydney Bolin, who hit the Bulldogs' lone 3, led Cache with nine points, and Ashley Turner was right behind her with eight.
Cache boys falter late, fall to Hirschi With the way the game was flowing, Cache looked to be in for a possible last-second finish.
However, the Bulldogs faltered down the stretch, losing a late lead in a 41-34 loss to Hirschi, a team out of Wichita Falls. The game was tied in the first half and Cache trailed by only one point after the third quarter before getting outscored 13-7 in the fourth.
The loss ended Cache's four-game winning streak.
Although the game was lost in the fourth quarter, perhaps the most telling statistic for Cache was the turnover ratio. The Bulldogs committed 17 miscues, while Hirschi surrendered only two. Cache coach Miles Thompson said that stat made the difference in a game the Bulldogs feel like got away from them.
"We didn't handle the ball well," Thompson said. "You have to give (Hirschi) credit, they are very athletic. "Our guards just didn't handle the ball well enough. Too many turnovers was the story of the game. With their pressure, we had a hard time getting good shots."
Diego Gonzalez and Morgan Cox scored eight points apiece to lead Cache. Rashad Greene hit three of Hirschi's five 3-pointers, leading the Huskies with 14 points. Zek Homes also had a big game for the 4A Texas school, finishing with 11 points.