CATOOSA — Tears flooded their eyes of the Eisenhower boys as the Eagles exited the locker room.
Minutes after an agonizing 76-70 overtime defeat to No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (23-3) in the 5A quarterfinals of the state tournament, the Ike boys couldn’t believe their season had come to an end when just a short while before, they appeared to making a run at the state title.
Ike (17-10) had watched its 13 point lead entering the fourth evaporate before once again in overtime surrendering a late lead. In the five extra minutes, the Eagles built a 70-64 lead with 2:43 left only to have it crumble thanks to another furious rally by the Chargers.
“I still think we’re the best team in the tournament, but we’ve got to finish games like that,” Ike coach Todd Millwee said.
Memorial, who was led by 25 points from Caleb Nero, scored 12 straight points to finish the game while stifling Ike in the final two minutes. Multiple steals, an offensive rebound and tip-in from Keylan Boone and a layup from Kobe Rose (13 points) wiped away Ike’s lead in an instant.
All of a sudden, with Rose’s layup Memorial led 72-70 and ran away with the momentum.
Senior DeShawn Becton, who led Ike with 14 points and hit the game-tying jumper in the final minute of regulation before scoring five straight in overtime, was distraught after playing his heart out like the rest of the team only to come up just short.
“I do feel like we’re the better team than them, but we have to show it,” Becton said. “They deserve to win because they finished it. We fell short and we’ve gotta get those, but I’m proud of everybody.”
In the fourth quarter and overtime, Ike coughed up 10 turnovers which opened the door for Memorial. It was uncharacteristic for Ike after tallying just five turnovers through the first three quarters.
“They’re really long and athletic. Plus we didn’t have the best spacing,” Millwee said of what caused the turnovers. “We panicked a little bit with no spacing.”
Kinyon Parker, who chipped in nine points, had his 3-pointer at the buzzer of regulation rattle in and out, pushing the game to an extra five minutes.
RJ Fisher only scored four points and fouled out in the final minute of regulation, but Becton stepped up big in his place.
“DeShawn Becton made some huge plays playing a different role,” Millwee said. “I’m really proud of him for stepping up in one of the biggest games of his career. I don’t know what would’ve happened without him.”
Romio Harvey, who had 12 points to match Kevin Farmer’s total, knew Ike had a chance to put the nail in the coffin just like last weekend’s two point loss to top ranked Carl Albert.
“We had the momentum then we let our foot off the gas,” Harvey said. “All year, almost every loss we’ve had we’ve been up by 10 or more points. That’s just one of our faults this year —letting teams back in the game.”
Harvey got things started with back-to-back triples in the first couple minutes of the game. He had three alone at the end of the first and his hot shooting got the rest of the guys going.
“It was big,” Harvey said. “I could feel that guys were a little nervous so I wanted to show leadership and come out hot so the team could get comfortable.”
And they did.
The Eagles settled right in their nest and built a 31-25 halftime lead. After Antonio Gordon (10 points) put down an emphatic tip slam in transition, he followed it up with a corner-pocket 3-pointer to give Ike a 52-39 lead heading into the fourth.
Ike cashed in seven 3-pointers in the first half and six more in the game, as the Eagles went 13-for-25 from beyond the arc for the game, good for 52 percent.
Harvey, who plans on being a coach someday, shed one glimmering tear while casting a smile following the game. After an emotional final game, he had good reason to smile.
“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Harvey said. “Of course we wanted to win, but these are still my brothers and we’re going to kick it in all types of life. It’s bigger than basketball.”
It may have not ended the way Ike wanted it, but the Eagles have plenty to be proud of.
“It’s rare to have this many kids who act right and represent their school and coaches well,” Millwee said. “They’ve done so much for this program creating a winning culture with their character and integrity.”
Tulsa Memorial 76, Eisenhower 70, OT Boys
Eisenhower – DeShawn Becton 5-2-14, Romio Harvey 4-1-12, Kevin Farmer 3-3-12, Antonio Gordon 3-3-10. Parker 3-1-9, Cruse 2-1-6, Fisher 2-0-4, Douglas 1-0-3.
Memorial – Caleb Nero 9-4-25, Walker 0-4-4, Guest 1-0-2, Keylan Boone 2-2-6, Kalib Boone 4-1-9, Kobe Rose 4-4-13, Isaiah Thomas 6-5-17.
Score by quarters:
Ike 20 11 21 11 7 —70
Carl Albert 17 8 14 24 13 —76
3-point goals: Ike —Harvey 3, Farmer 3, Becton 2, Parker 2, Becton 2, Douglas, Cruse, Gordon. Memorial — Nero 3, Rose.