BETHANY — Once her 3-pointer splashed the net, Izzy Cummins clapped joyously while turning around to her teammates with the biggest smile fans will ever see for a neck-and-neck state tournament game.
“We got this!” Cummins shouted to her teammates in the third quarter of a Class 4A State tournament quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon at Southern Nazarene University.
Her smile was from ear to ear after the game as the junior guard’s 12 points — along with a dominant front court presence thanks to 29 points from post players Christina Jenkins and Kailah Ballou — carried the No. 6 Elgin girls to a 52-45 win over area foe No. 4 Anadarko.
“I realized we could do it,” Cummins said. “The first half we were playing so jittery and nervous. Once it went in, it was just a sigh of relief.”
By avenging its overtime loss to Anadarko (25-3) in January, Elgin (25-4) won the rubber match, seizing the most important victory of the season series in the state tournament while also ending the Warriors’ 23-game winning streak.
“We’ve never experienced a state tournament win,” said center Kailah Ballou, who led Elgin with 17 points. “We’re all very excited and running on adrenaline right now — ready for the next game.”
Elgin’s victory is the first State tournament for Elgin coach Brett Tahah and also the first for any of the girls on this Owls’ team.
“Being able to get that monkey off our back is huge,” Tahah said. “I want to tip my cap off to coach Zinn and the Anadarko Lady Warriors. They are a class act program. Now we can relax, get some rest and figure out our opponent.”
That next opponent is top-seed and No. 1 Ft. Gibson, which the Lady Owls meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Southern Nazarene University in the semifinals. Ft. Gibson (25-3) pulled away in the second half to rout Tuttle, 56-31, in the quarterfinals.
Izzy’s smiling trey out of a timeout was part of a second half offensive flurry for the Owls, who all of a sudden enjoyed their largest lead of the game yet, 32-28, with a minute left in the third.
Once Cummins buried her second 3-ball of the quarter, Elgin had rediscovered its offensive groove after being held to just four second quarter points.
“In the first half, we were being very passive — almost like we were a little scared,” said Tahah, whose Owls trailed 17-13 at halftime.
All the Owls talked about at halftime was being aggressive and taking it to the Warriors. Like most halftime speeches, it paid off.
“That’s exactly what we did to start the third quarter,” Tahah said. “And it completely changed the tempo of the game.”
Things began picking up pace in the second half.
Christina Jenkins, who scored all 12 of her points in the second half, missed the back-end of two free throws but Paige Pendley’s putback gave the Owls a three-point trip. Jenkins and Ballou muscled their way into the paint for back-to-back layups and Elgin led 20-19 in a flash.
Just 90 seconds into the third, Elgin had matched its number of first quarter baskets and exceeded the number of second quarter field goals.
“We created enough havoc in the first half, but we didn’t capitalize off layups and open shots that could’ve given us separation early,” Anadarko coach Jeff Zinn said. “We just came out flat in the third quarter. Open passing lanes generated rhythm for them on offense.”
Lexi Foreman, who scored 11 points for Anadarko, drained a stop-and-pop triple at the top of the key to tie the game at 26. But Cummins got a friendly bounce on a 3-pointer of her own to make it 29-26 as Elgin slowly began to pull away.
Ballou scored 11 of Elgin’s 13 first half points as the Owls struggled to find a groove, shooting just 27 percent. ‘Darko didn’t fare much better, mustering just 29 percent in the first half.
“I know my guards do what they can to get me the ball,” Ballou said. “We finally got it going in the post in the second half.”
Elgin made its first four field goal attempts out of the locker room and six of its first seven by utilizing its size advantage and getting easy buckets.
“Kailah kept us in the game the first half,” Tahah said. “Then everyone else stepped up in the third and fourth quarters and it made for a great team effort.”
Anadarko struggled shooting in the second half going only 3 of 13 from downtown and shot only 36 percent for the game from the field while Elgin controlled the glass.
“We knew we were going to have to play tough, straight-up defense to protect the lead,” Ballou said. “Even if the offense wasn’t working, we knew our defense would be there to back us up.”
Paige Pendley (six points) and Skylee Glass (four points) got into each other’s grill following a pileup at the third quarter buzzer with Elgin in front 32-28.
The passion was real in that vintage Russell Westbrook-Kevin Durant moment.
It only hinted at the intensity that would ensue in the final eight minutes. But Elgin made sure this meeting that no overtime was needed.
After a 3-point play by Jenkins, Cummins made a tough tear drop while absorbing contact to give Elgin a 39-30 lead with 5:30 remaining.
As expected, Anadarko — which snagged 10 steals — kept creating turnovers, forcing six of Elgin’s 18 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Averi Zinn’s (11 points) steal and layup gave Anadarko new life before Borden intercepted a poor inbounds pass and converted a tough and-1 layup to make it 42-37.
Jenkins’ putback, one of 10 Elgin offensive rebounds, pushed the lead back to seven, 44-37.
No lead is safe when ‘Darko’s havoc defense is around.
Averi Zinn cashed a 3-pointer at the top of the key with 46 seconds left and Borden followed suit as her trey with 21 seconds left cut it to 48-43, but five points was the closest ‘Darko got as ball security and Elgin free throws iced the game.
“We knew if we stayed strong with the ball and handled their pressure, they’d foul and we could get to the free throw line,” Cummins said. “That first quarter we weren’t strong with the ball — instead of going into contact we’d pull away and turn the ball over.”
‘Darko returns a host of young talent and will be a title contender again next year.
“We have a lot to be proud of, though, going 25-3 and a 23-game win streak,” Zinn said. “I think the kids will feel very hungry and motivated for next year.”
ELGIN 52, ANADARKO 45
Girls 4A State Quarterfinals
ELGIN — Kailah Ballou 7-3-17, Christina Jenkins 4-4-12, Izzy Cummins 4-2-12, Pendley 1-4-6, Gabby Cummins 0-3-3, Anderson 1-0-2. Totals 17-16-52.
ANADARKO — Lexi Foreman 4-2-11, Averi Zinn 5-0-11, Borden 3-1-8, Quetone 2-2-6, Libbi Zinn 2-0-5, Glass 2-0-4. Totals 18-5-45.
Elgin 9 4 19 20—52
‘Darko 14 3 11 17—45
3-point goals: Elgin — Izzy Cummins 2. Anadarko — Averi Zinn, Libbi Zinn, Borden, Foreman.