By Ron Holt
BROKEN ARROW – Despite being unable to get shots to fall, especially in the third quarter, Bixby’s Lady Spartans relied on poise down the stretch in pulling away for a 39-29 victory over Broken Arrow in a Frontier Valley Conference game here Tuesday night.
Fifth-ranked Bixby improved to 7-2 while No. 12 Broken Arrow evened its season record at 3-3.
“Defensively, we did well we just kind a hit a wall offensively. I didn’t feel like our execution was poor but sometimes the shots don’t fall,” Lady Spartan head coach Tina Thomas said. “We weren’t getting enough second shots tonight.”
Two three-point baskets by junior Gracy Wernli and a trey by sophomore Brynn Daniel lifted Bixby to an 11-7 first quarter lead over the Lady Tigers.
Leading 17-12 midway through the second quarter, Bixby reeled off eight consecutive points – four points each from junior inside players Meredith Mayes and Alyssa Nielsen – to increase the halftime advantage to 25-12.
The Lady Spartans struggled offensively in the third quarter, scoring only two points, while BA scored four straight points opening the quarter to trim the deficit to 25-16. Two free throws by Wernli gave Bixby a 27-18 lead but a drive by senior guard Taleyah Jones trimmed BHS’s lead to 27-20 going into the fourth quarter.
Baskets by BA freshman McKenzie Mathurin and junior Taneyah Howard got the Lady Tigers within 27-24 with 6:20 showing before Wernli quieted the boisterous crowd with a three-pointer at the 6:02 mark for a 30-24 lead while a conventional three-point play by junior guard Gentry Baldwin gave Bixby a 33-26 advantage with 4:29 showing.
A three-pointer by junior Grace Pippett with 4:14 helped the Lady Tigers remain in contention at 33-29 with 4:14 remaining before Bixby scored six straight points down the stretch to capture its second win of the season over BA, which went scoreless the final four minutes of the game.
Mayes dominated in the fourth quarter. She contributed offensively, on the boards and blocking shots at critical points in the game’s final moments. Mayes banked in two points with three minutes remaining and swished two free throws at the 1:25 mark for a 37-29 Bixby lead.
Nielsen drained a turnaround jumper with 36 seconds remaining to give the Lady Spartans the 10-point victory.
Mayes topped Bixby’s scoring attack with 14 points, 10 in the first half. Wernli ended with 11 points while Nielsen had eight and junior guard Gentry Baldwin and Daniel ended with three each.
Mathurin led Broken Arrow in scoring with 11 points while Jones finished with nine points.
Known for her offensive exploits, Wernli turned in a determined defensive effort on Jones, BA’s leading scorer who scored 31 points in an earlier loss to the Lady Spartans.
“Wernli played outstanding defense holding Jones to nine points, which has to be her season low since she’s averaging around 26 points a game. Wernli’s defense was something else,” coach Thomas said. “Meredith dominated in the fourth quarter with big rebounds and big blocks.
“I felt like we were in some situations tonight where we exhibited poise. We’ll break down the film and see where we can improve. At this time of the year, you just want to get a little bit better,” she added.
Bixby returns to tournament play Thursday through Saturday (Jan. 6-8) at the Putnam City Invitational in the Putnam City High gymnasium.
The Lady Spartans play No. 15 Edmond Santa Fe (4-2) in the opening session at 1 p.m. Thursday. In other opening games, Putnam City (2-5) tests Class 4A’s No. 2 Classen SAS (10-1) at 10 a.m. while fourth-ranked Putnam City West (8-1) meets Muskogee (1-4) at 4 p.m.
The Lady Spartans take on Classen SAS at 6:30 p.m. Friday while Putnam City plays Muskogee at 12:30 p.m. and Edmond Santa Fe tests PC West at 3:30 p.m. Teams advance on total wins and win point margin to Saturday’s final round.
