EDMOND — Experience shows in the state tournament.
So the fourth-ranked Comanche girls decided to demonstrate the impact of its third straight appearance by crushing previously unbeaten and fifth-ranked Hartshorne, 52-33, on Thursday night at Edmond Santa Fe High School in the 3A state tournament quarterfinals.
“We made no bones about it. We knew we were the old ladies who have been here before,” said Comanche coach Sean Hushbeck, whose group of seniors notched their 100th win together in the past four years. “We remembered what it’s like the first time we stepped on the court three years ago. It’s tough.”
After being upset in the Area championship game, Comanche (27-2) made sure it would not let this opponent, Hartshorne (26-1) linger. Instead, the Indians jumped out to a 17-5 lead at the end of the first quarter by enforcing relentless defensive pressure which was turned into quick offense.
“So we told the girls let’s try to win these first five minutes and get on ‘em early — and we did,” Hushbeck said. “That makes you look really good as a coach when your game plan works.”
Hartshorne stood no chance against senior center Misty Dossey, who dominated in the paint as the 6-5 Texas Arlington commit posted a double-double and led Comanche with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.
“When Misty puts herself into a position to not be tentative by staying out of foul trouble,” Hushbeck said. “She ends up impacting the game as much as any other player in the state of Oklahoma.”
Comanche advances to tonight’s semifinal at 7:30 p.m. at the Fairgrounds where the Lady Indians are served a rematch of last year’s state championship game when they were blasted by Sequoyah Tahlequah.
“It’s like the Warriors or the Cavaliers,” Hushbeck said. “Sequoyah and Adair (top 2 seeds) are the ones you’ve gotta knock off. You know you have to grow through them. Our girls are smart veterans and an opportunity for us.”
Emily Roden, who chipped in seven points, got the defense into offense attack clicking as the sophomore snagged two steals and turned them into a pair of quick layups.
Comanche grabbed five steals, forced six Hartshorne turnovers and turned them into six points off turnovers in the first quarter alone.
On one of the most patient possessions of the night, Comanche dissected Hartshorne’s 1-2-2 zone defense. The Indians swung the ball around, patiently with skip passes, before the ball was kicked out to a wide-open Jordyn Morris (six points), who swished a 3-pointer on the wing to give Comanche an early 17-4 lead.
“Whenever I’m doubled I try to find an open teammate, seal or reverse it and really work through my teammates,” Dossey said. “Because if there are two defenders on me, someone is open.”
Comanche fed off its momentum in the second quarter when Dossey converted a three-point play before Emily Roden banked in a wing 3-pointer to give Comanche a commanding 23-6 lead.
In the final minute before half, Dossey hauled in her ninth rebound of the first half as she grabbed her own miss and put it back in off the glass to give Comanche a 26-12 lead heading into the locker room.
“It was super important because they are new to the state tournament and playing in big games,” Dossey said. “Anytime you build a big lead on somebody early, it drops their spirits a little bit. It gets them thinking and makes them a little uneasy.”
In the third quarter, Dossey used her length to grab a steal off a Hartshorne inbounds pass. On the other end, she received an in-rhythm high-low feed on a scramble play to give Comanche a 30-16 lead.
The exclamation point came with six seconds left in the third as Dosssey’s and-1 doubled up Hartshorne, 40-20.
Hartshorne tried to make it interesting as the Miners scored eight unanswered points to open the fourth quarter, including a 3-ball from Alexis Lyons, who led the Miners with 12 points.
With five straight points herself, Dossey then shut the door on any comeback bid as her bucket at the rim followed by another three-point play gave Comanche a 45-28 lead with 4:00 remaining. She also blocked two shots on the same possession in the fourth.
“Whether she’s blocking a shot or preventing players from getting in the lane, she makes it tough,” Hushbeck said. “It’s especially difficult for girls who’ve never played against her, thinking they can drive in there and get a foul. She blocks two or three and they get real timid.”
Brooklin Bain added 13 points for Comanche, which is eager to win its own championship while foiling Sequoyah’s repeat bid.
“It’s really exciting knowing we have a second chance with them,” Dossey said. “After beating Adair (semifinals) last year, we lost that intensity because we beat the No. 1 team. This year we have our minds wrapped around pushing hard and working harder — not letting one win or one loss get to our heads.”
Despite Hartshorne being unbeaten coming in, Comanche proved it was not the underdog — not by a long shot. Nor will they be in the semifinals.
“We felt a little jaded on some of the press about the tournament so that just fuels the fire,” Hushbeck said. “That’s kind of fun to play the underdog role and tonight it helped us focus.”
COMANCHE 52, HARTSHORNE 33
Girls 3A State Quarterfinals
HARTSHORNE — Alexis Lyons 5-0-12, Lightle 2-2-7, Miller 3-0-6, Kitchell 0-4-4, Lindley 1-2-4. Totals 11-8-33.
COMANCHE — Misty Dossey 8-7-23, Brooklin Bain 4-5-13, Roden 3-0-7, Morris 2-1-6, Gay 1-0-3. Totals 18-13-52.
Hartshorne 5 7 8 13—33
Comanche 17 9 14 12—52
3-point goals: Harts — Lyons 2, Lightle. Comanche — Roden, Morris, Gay.