OKLAHOMA CITY — Jakobie Kaesemeyer could tell he had a hot hand in the minutes before tipoff under the bright lights in Jim Norick Arena.
“In warmups, I was feeling it,” said Cyril’s junior point guard. “I thought, ‘When I’m open, I’m gonna shoot it.’”
Shoot it, Kaesemeyer did. Kaesemeyer scored a game-high 20 points, hit back-to-back triples to build a 6-0 Cyril lead in the opening minute while Okarche committed six first quarter turnovers, helping the Pirates sail to a strong start and an 80-55 blowout victory in the Class A state tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon.
Cyril junior Christian Patterson, who has autism but is a crowd favorite with his smile and energy, banked in a shot off the glass in the final seconds, sending the crowd into a feel-good frenzy while helping the Pirates sail into their first state championship game since 1939.
Today at 1:45 p.m. at the Fairgrounds, Cyril (25-4) once again meets top-seeded Fort Cobb (24-7), winners of four straight championships, for the Class A boys title game.
Albert Suarez got a swooping and-1 to fall with 0.7 left in the first quarter to give Cyril a 23-9 lead.
“I watched Okarche play yesterday and they were taking a lot of charges. So I jumped to the side and made a little contact,” Suarez said. “This win means everything to us. This feels great after falling short last year.”
Kaesemeyer, who scored 16 points in the first half, was feeling it in the second quarter when sinking a deep 3-pointer off a kick pass from the corner from Suarez to push the lead to 20 points, 30-13.
In his first game playing in the Big House, Cyril freshman Ryan Hart sank five 3-pointers and scored 17 points.
“When you have a freshman like Ryan Hart coming off the bench scoring 17, it’s crazy,” Kaesemeyer said. “It’s a blessing.”
Hart splashed his first triple of the game from the corner in the second quarter to build a 26-11 lead.
“Ryan is always hitting 3s, but it’s special to see him do this his freshman year here in the Big House,” said Cason McLemore, who added 10 points and hit a pair of treys of his own.
The Pirate crowd erupted with 50 seconds left in the third quarter when Hart drained a corner 3-pointer before Suarez snagged a steal and turned it into a breakaway layup to build a 61-32 lead on the 7-0 spurt.
It wasn’t that Cyril needed the bucket, but the Pirates could smell the title game was only a quarter away.
“It’s unbelievable what these state tournaments bring out with all the fans,” coach McLemore said. “I got people I ain’t seen in years. In 1990, Cyril got beat by Okarche in this same game. Some of the players are here to revenge. Our crowd follows us wherever and are huge supporters of our team.”
In the fourth, Hart buried his fourth triple of the second half to push the Pirate lead to 30 and beyond for the second straight day at 71-40.
“Ryan is a freshman, but he’s a big-time player. He’s hit a ton of 3s. I’m proud to see him step up,” coach McLemore said. “He’s been a big addition to our team.”
Suarez chipped in seven points while Jose Rivera had another solid game, adding 15 points.
“Albert and Jose give you so much energy and play so hard for you,” coach McLemore said. “They’re fun to be around.”
Now the Pirates get one final shot to knock off their rival while playing for a Gold Ball.
“Being my senior year, I’m so happy we finally made it to the championship game,” Cason McLemore said. “This is awesome for the community as you can see from all our fans here. They’ll be talking all year about Cyril making the state championship.”
They’ll be praising this band of Pirates all the more if they win a state championship today.
CYRIL 80, OKARCHE 55
Boys
CYRIL — Patterson 1-0-2, Jakobie Kaesemeyer 8-1-20, Pendley 0-1-1, McClure 2-0-4, Rivera 6-2-15, Suarez 3-1-7, Barger 1-0-2, Ryan Hart 6-0-17, Cason McLemore 4-0-10, Smith 1-0-2. Totals 32-5-80.
OKARCHE — Bomhoff 3-1-9, Avila 3-1-7, Kalen McCarthy 4-1-11, Newenschwander 2-2-6, Stover 2-2-6, Harris 3-2-8, Endres 1-0-3, Schaefer 1-0-2, Barcenas 0-2-2. Totals 19-12-55.
3-point goals: Cyril — Hart 5, Kaesemeyer 3, McLemore 2, Rivera. Okarche — Bomhoff 2, McCarthy 2, Endres.
Cyril;23;17;21;19;—;80
Okar;9;14;11;21;—;55