OKLAHOMA CITY — With the ball in the hands of Kellen Hines, the final seconds ticked away in Jim Norick Arena as senior Kesston Mowdy twisted his body for a celebratory back flip.
Mowdy stuck the landing as the buzzer sounded, capping Fort Cobb-Broxton’s fourth straight state championship and the team dog-pile near half court ensued.
Ft. Cobb (29-3) made back-to-back-to-back-to-back seem relatively simple as the Mustangs pulled away in the third quarter with an 18-6 run to claim a 62-50 victory over No. 1 Frontier (29-3) for the Class A State championship Saturday night in The Big House.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment ever since I was little,” Mowdy said. “Even though we’ve won it previous times, it’s still crazy to me still winning four in a row. It’s a dream come true.”
Eighteen years ago after the program’s first championship in 2000, Ft. Cobb coach Scott Hines was thinking, ‘I can die a happy man.’
His happiness has grown exponentially nearly two decades later as the Mustangs won their seventh state championship in program history, now boasting a 7-2 record in championship games.
“Six later, they don’t get old,” Hines said with a grin. “One is just as special as the other because each year is a new team. This group feels a little more special because everybody doubted this group after losing two All-State players last year. This group played on pure guts that second half.”
Hines’ son, Kellen, put on a show in front of a packed house as the junior guard led the Mustangs by erupting for 31 points on 13 of 17 shooting from the floor.
“It’s definitely special to save my best game for last,” Kellen Hines said. “It’s something you never forget. Doing it with my brothers makes it even more special.”
Like his father, Kellen has been on this court hoisting a Gold Ball before, but this one was just as sweet.
“Pure joy really,” Hines said.
“I was just soaking it up.”
Hines picked up two fouls midway through the first quarter, but he refused to play timid.
Instead he kept attacking, scoring 12 points in the second quarter and 13 more in the third to build a comfortable double-digit lead.
In the second quarter, Hines drained a wide-open 3-pointer on the wing when the defense collapsed in the paint, then grabbed a steal and dished an assist to Mowdy (13 points) who hit a mid-range transition jump shot.
That was the start of a key 13-0 run before halftime, capped off by Kyler Denton cashing in a wing trey to give Ft. Cobb a 27-15 lead.
Nolan Childs, who led Frontier with 20 points, sank a wide-open 3-pointer seconds before half when Ft. Cobb collapsed in the paint, but the Mustangs in blue still held a 29-23 lead at halftime.
Hines picked up where he left off in the third quarter, as he drained one of his two 3-pointers and scored five straight to open the frame.
Kellen was taking after his older brother Cameron, who graduated last year and was a key part of Ft. Cobb’s first three championships to set up the Mustangs’ four-peat.
“It’s huge for dad as much as his coach,” Scott laughed. “I’m really proud of him and happy for him. He’s earned that with hours and hours of practice in the gym.”
In the middle of the 18-6 run to pull away for good, Hines got the friendliest bounce of the night when his pull-up jumper bounced every direction around the rim before finally going in.
“My hand was on fire, I don’t even know,” Kellen said. “I was just hoping in that moment we could keep pushing and pull it out.”
Then the Mustangs, who shot 49 percent in the game and held Frontier to 30 percent from the floor, began creating second chances as Mowdy drained a second-chance triple and Denton laid in a bucket off a third Ft. Cobb scoring chance in one possession.
Hines followed those up with a strong take to the rack, converted a layup high off the glass in between two defenders to give Ft. Cobb a 47-29 lead with 2:16 in the third.
Moments later, Hines and freshman Tyson Eastwood, who stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals, met at half court during free throws and whispered to each other.
‘Let’s do this,’ Kellen said in that moment.
‘I’ll follow you,’ Eastwood responded.
The pair could sense another title if they could hold on.
“It means everything. It’s a dream come true,” Eastwood said. “I’ve grown up watching Kellen and Cameron and all them play here. I told myself that I want to be a part of it and follow in their footsteps.”
Once again, Eastwood played well beyond his years.
“I had no idea,” coach Hines said of Eastwood’s impact. “I knew he was a good player, but who knows when a freshman gets in this setting how they may react. That little sucker just goes and plays because he’s extremely self-confident.”
When Hines made a tough layup at the third quarter buzzer, he threw his hands up with a grin while turning towards the Mustang fans while screaming, ‘Let’s go!’
Protecting a lead wasn’t that simple, though.
Childs wouldn’t quit as he buried his fourth 3-pointer of the game to trim the Ft. Cobb lead back to a dozen, 52-40 with 5:32 remaining.
“In a timeout I told them, ‘We’re gonna play to win or we’re gonna play to lose,’” coach Hines said. “You gotta keep attacking the rim and be smart and not play outside yourselves. But don’t be afraid to make a play if it’s there.”
Eastwood put all doubts to bed and delivered the exclamation point as his under scoop pass found Robert Johnson for the dunk to make it 58-44.
“Kesston threw it to me and I was just thinking back-side because I always look there,” Eastwood said. “I just see him coming and think, ‘He’s about to dunk it.’ So I just gave him a nice pass and he sure finished it.”
With two dunks coming into the championship, Johnson made the third special.
“All year everyone has been telling me to dunk it,” Johnson said. “They joked that I better get it today. Tyson threw a great pass. It was crazy and unbelievable doing it here in The Big House.”
Johnson chipped in seven points and was instrumental defensively with eight rebounds and six blocks.
“Robert Johnson was a beast inside,” coach Hines said. “He makes us different defensively with his length, blocking and altering shots.”
Class A State Championship
Box Score
FORT COBB-BROXTON 62, FRONTIER 50 Boys
FRONTIER — Nolan Childs 6-4-20, Grant 3-0-8, T. Norman 3-0-7, C. Norman 2-3-7, Wilson 2-1-5, Lightfoot 0-3-3. Totals 16-10-50.
FORT COBB BROXTON — Kellen Hines 13-3-31, Kesston Mowdy 4-2-11, Eastwood 2-2-7, Johnson 3-1-7, Denton 2-0-5, Lewis 0-1-1. Totals 24-9-62.
Frontier 13 10 8 19—50
Ft. Cobb 14 15 21 12—62
3-point goals: Frontier — Childs 4, Wilson, T. Norman. Ft. Cobb — Hines 2, Eastwood, Mowdy, Denton.
