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Sydney Duncan (30), Hannah Voskuhl (25) and Emily Orme (12) -
Meg Brady shoots a 3 -
Caton Adair (2) and Mollie Francis (20) -
Emily Orme (12) and Avery Haddock (35) -
Hannah Voskuhl shoots a free throw
The heave from the half-court line reached the basket but refused to enter the net and denied the hosts a shot at overtime.
The missed desperation shot sealed a 63-60 victory for the Oklahoma Christian School girls’ basketball team against Oklahoma Christian Academy at the OCA Activities Center on Tuesday night.
OCA (8-2) had closed the deficit to 1 with a 3-pointer by junior Sydney Duncan.
OCS (3-5) pushed the lead to 3 with 3.3 seconds to play when sophomore Hannah Voskuhl drew a foul and hit two much-needed free throws, forcing OCA to attempt a desperation shot.
OCS coach Jeff Barnett said it took great defense and a tremendous effort from everyone.
“Our plan was triangle 2, take their two best players out of the game,” Barnett said. “They got frustrated. They had a couple role players hit some threes. We just stuck with it, grinded. Tried to play fast, get out in transition. Really shared the ball well tonight.”
Freshman Ashtynn Barnett led all scorers with 21 points. Senior Meg Brady scored 17, and sophomore Hannah Voskuhl had 15, including the Lady Saints’ last 4.
Ashtynn Barnett said teamwork was key to the win.
“We finally worked as a team, and that’s what really got us through,” she said. “There was a lot of difficult situations that happened. A lot of things we had to get through, and we couldn’t have done it without working as team.”
The Lady Saints scored first but found themselves trailing 21-12 after the first quarter. They opened the second with an 11-3 run, closing the gap. They tied the game twice in the quarter but trailed 36-34 at halftime.
The Lady Eagles opened the second half well, but the Lady Saints hit seven 3-pointers in the half.
Freshman Avery Haddock led OCA with 20. Duncan scored 13, followed by senior Brianna Wietelman with 10.
OCA coach Brandon Collins said he loved how Haddock stepped up.
“(OCS) did a triangle 2 on Sydney Duncan and Brianna Wietelman, but nobody panicked,” Collins said. “There was a next person up mentality. I though Avery really was a big spark for us in that first half.”
The Lady Saints have struggled some this season, but Barnett said this result is proof of what he has been telling them all year.
“We’re so stinking close,” Barnett said. “We’ve lost so many close games, and it’s hard to keep your team when you keep saying the same message over and over, but you keep grinding like that and this is what happens.”