By Ron Holt
TULSA – A tenacious defensive effort early and another balanced outside-inside offensive attack sparked sixth-ranked Bixby’s Lady Spartans to a dominating 56-31 victory over Class 3A’s No. 2 Lincoln Christian in the championship game of the 56th annual Tournament of Champions at the BOK Center here Wednesday night.
It was the first TOC championship for Bixby and the victory allowed Lady Spartan head coach Tina Thomas to check off another coaching bucket list item.
“It a huge honor to be invited here and to finish as champions is special,” Coach Thomas said afterward. “It’s something I’ve never done in all my years of coaching. I told the girls they just checked off a bucket list item for me.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them. They are a great group of coachable kids. I think this is a valuable experience on this big stage and the intensity of the game. It’s a huge advantage to be able to have this experience.”
Bixby (6-2) reached the finals after coasting past Class A’s No. 2 Seiling (69-48) in the tourney opener and Class 4A’s No. 3 Holland Hall (48-32) in the semifinals.
In each TOC game, Bixby’s defense set the tempo. Seiling shot 15 percent (2-of-20) from the field in the first half. Holland Hall was 2-of-21 shooting from the field in the first half and Lincoln Christian (8-1) was 5-of-20 shooting (25 percent) in the opening half of the championship game.
“The defensive showing that they had during the tournament was something I like as a coach,” Thomas noted. Bixby’s pressure forced Lincoln Christian to turn the ball over 13 times.
“Our focus for every game in this tournament was to play good defense and I thought everyone did a good job of shutting the teams down,” said junior guard Gracy Wernli. “Coming off of last year we were so excited to play in this tournament … it’s a pretty cool place to play.”.
Trailing Lincoln Christian 6-2 early, the Lady Spartans went on a 9-0 run to end the first quarter with an 11-6 lead. Gentry Baldwin scored five points in the run while Meredith Mayes and Brynn Daniel each scored two points.
Leading 18-12 in the second quarter, Bixby used a 6-0 run during the final three minutes for a 24-12 halftime advantage. Alyssa Nielsen scored on a short-range jumper, Mayes put back a rebound and Gracy Wernli sank two free throws in the surge.
Lincoln Christian kept in contention behind the three-point shooting of guard Ellie Brueggemann to trail 37-24 entering the fourth quarter but the Lady Spartans put the game on ice with an 8-0 run – featuring two points each by Nielsen, Daniel, Mayes and Wernli – to lead 45-24 with less than five minutes left.
Bixby, which shot 57 percent from the field, had four players scoring in double figures led by Nielsen with 14, Baldwin and Wernli with 13 each and Mayes with 12 points. Baldwin, who led BHS with six assists, scored 10 first half points.
“It’s the best feeling,” Wernli said of the championship. “We came in with energy because we knew they were coming in with some momentum, so we knew we had to match their energy. I thought we played well in every game.”
Mayes recorded her second double-double of the tourney, finishing with a game-high 11 rebounds. “I think we’ll remember this feeling and it will carry us during the rest of the season. I think our patience on offense helped us greatly,” Mayes said. “One of my favorite things is me and Alyssa working together inside. We’ve been together and playing at a high level for so long … that really helps.”
Brueggemann topped Lincoln Christian with 15 points.
Bixby took control from the outset in the semifinal win over Holland Hall (7-2), leading 11-4 after one quarter and 28-7 at intermission. A strong defensive effort ignited the Lady Spartans early surge.
Wernli led Bixby in scoring with 20 points while Nielsen added 17 points, Mayes hit six and Baldwin added five points.
After a slow start in the tourney opener, Bixby came to life trailing by five points midway through the first quarter and outscored Seiling 25-2 in the second stanza for a 35-11 first half lead. The Lady Spartans scored 18 straight second quarter points before Seiling scored its only two points with 1:30 left before intermission.
“After the Union game we were hungry to come out and make a statement early. I thought we played well together tonight and played good defense,” Wernli said.
Bixby kept applying the pressure in the third quarter, taking a 56-21 lead into the fourth quarter. Seiling outscored BHS reserves 27-13 in the fourth to narrow the final deficit.
Wernli canned 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field to pace the Lady Spartans, who shot 53 percent afield, while Mayes and Nielsen finished with a double-double. Mayes had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Nielsen 12 points and 12 boards. Baldwin contributed 11 points.
“We had the best holiday practice Sunday that I’ve ever had as a coach,” Thomas said after the Seiling win. “The girls were focused. I thought we had balanced scoring and good rebounding from our inside girls today.”
NEXT GAME – The Lady Spartans seek continued improvement as they return to action Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Broken Arrow in a Frontier Valley Conference game starting at 6:30 p.m. Bixby returns to tourney action Thursday through Saturday (Jan. 6-8) in the Putnam City Invitational.
Tournament of Champions
BIXBY 56, LINCOLN CHRISTIAN 31
(Championship, Wednesday)
Bixby Scoring – Alyssa Nielsen 14, Gentry Baldwin 13, Gracy Wernli 13, Meredith Mayes 12, Brynn Daniel 4.
LC Scoring – Brueggemann 15, Roberts 11, Murphy 3, Steele 2.
BIXBY 48, HOLLAND HALL 32
(Semifinals, Tuesday)
Bixby Scoring – Wernli 20, Nielsen 17, Mayes 6, Baldwin 5.
HH Scoring – Greer 14, Hill 9, K. Johnson 4, Davis 2, Fugate 2, M. Johnson 1.
BIXBY 69, SEILING 48
(Quarterfinals, Monday)
Bixby Scoring – Wernli 19, Mayes 14, Nielsen 12, Baldwin 11, Daniel 7, Lexi Eaves 2, Laci Scott 2, Haley Prince 2.
Seiling Scoring – Nyberg 18, Hamar 10, Gore 8, Briggs 5, Shook 4, Hammons 3.
