MacArthur's first home game of the new calendar year was a success.
The girls' basketball team kicked off Tuesday night's doubleheader with a thrilling 42-39 overtime win over Duncan, and the boys completed the sweep of the Demons, 85-70.
The Highlander squads will now take a brief time off from league play to compete in tournaments starting Thursday. The girls travel up the turnpike for the "Sweet Pea" Tournament in Newcastle, while the boys try their luck in the always-competitive Shortgrass Tournament in Altus.
The girls are set to tip against Cache at 1 p.m., and the boys take on Texas school Houston CHSM at 3:30 p.m. Both games are scheduled for Thursday.
Mac girls survive Duncan's upset bid
It wasn't flashy, but it got the job done.
Mac (8-4) struggled to make shots for most of the game, but a late rally, led by McKenzie Washington, lifted the Highlanders to a nail-biting 42-39 overtime win over Duncan. The victory ended Mac's two-game losing streak.
The Highlanders trailed through the first three quarters, managing only 19 points. However, the defense kept Mac within striking distance, holding the Demons to 22 points during that span.
The Highlanders finally found their groove in the fourth quarter, forging a run to take the lead after a Sydney Gunter 3-pointer with 6:50 remaining. Duncan fought back, though, as Maddie Conway nailed a floater at the buzzer to force overtime.
"We have too many slow starts," Mac coach David Vann said. "We have a good team, but for some reason when we play teams (with losing records), we always play down to their level, and we cannot continue doing that. We cannot continue to give team's confidence — that's the main thing I'm worried about right now. I'm not sure why we're having these slow starts, but I have to figure it out.
"It would've been bad if we lost. Starting in 2018, we haven't been playing as well."
Ironically, one of the area Mac struggled the most is what ultimately won it the game.
The Highlanders shot 19 of 37 from the line (51.35 percent), but they sunk seven of their last eight, five of which were made by Washington. Mac and Duncan had the same amount of field goals (10) and 3-pointers (3), but the Highlanders edged the Demons in free throws (19-16), providing the final three-point separation.
Washington, only a freshman, led the team with 15 points. Erin Henry scored in double figures as well with 12 points. Anjelica Alcorta led Duncan with 18 points.
Vann said Washington's performance was all about returning to the player she knows she can be.
"In the beginning, she was averaging around 17 or 18 points, but then she had a downslide," Vann said. "I told her I need to have that same person back, and I think she caught on to it."
Mac boys handle Duncan
The Highlanders recovered from a disappointing loss to Eisenhower last week quite nicely.
Mac coach Marco Gagliardi said Mac needed more offensive production from players other than Sep Reese, and he got just that against Duncan. Reese led the team with 32 points, but William Bryant and Ja'Sean Carter also contributed handsomely, combining for 34 points in the 85-70 win.
Gagliardi said he was pleased with his team's offensive performance.
"I thought we got really good shots and took really good shots," Gagliardi said. "We were smart with the ball. It's nice, and when you score in the 80s, you're doing something right. We need to keep that rolling on Thursday.
Mac (8-4) held a slim 39-37 lead at halftime, but the defense clamped down on the Demons' star player Sam Petersen to pull away down the stretch. Petersen had 15 points — all via 3-pointers — in the first half, but he managed only six free throws in the second to finish with 21 points.
"We did everything wrong in the first half on him," Gagliardi said. "We didn't force him to his left, and we didn't do anything we game planned for. In the second half, we didn't make any adjustments, we just simply reiterated what the game plan was. Our effort and energy was better."