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Grant Metheny -
Carter Hodson (14) and Jon McKee (24) -
Matthew Shell (12) -
Ben Ramsdell (1)
After roaring back in the second quarter, a third quarter run pushed the upset out of reach.
The Oklahoma Christian School boys’ basketball team fell short of a major upset in Edmond on Tuesday night in a 51-44 loss to Millwood.
OCS (7-12) led at halftime but could not hold on.
No. 3 Millwood (14-5) finished the third quarter on a 16-4 run to lead 40-30 and kept the Saints at arm’s length the rest of the way.
OCS coach Brandon Weaver said the Saints played too soft against the Falcons.
“We weren’t tough at all,” Weaver said. “Millwood is really tough. They rebounded well. They got all the loose balls. Coach (Michael) Jeffries does a such good job at having those guys really tough, and we just didn’t come out and battle. It was very disappointing tonight.”
The game threatened to get out of hand in the first quarter. The Falcons led 12-2 before the Saints scored the last 3 points of the quarter. Millwood had many good looks it did not convert in the quarter, so it could have been a much bigger lead.
The Saints played much better in the second quarter. OCS finished the half on a 10-2 run to lead 21-20 at the break.
A dominant third by Millwood was too much for OCS to overcome in the fourth.
Weaver said the Saints started moving the ball better in the second quarter.
“(We) started looking for back doors against their defense,” Weaver said. “Defensively, we rebounded better in the second quarter. I felt like they were more aggressive in the second half, and we just weren’t very tough when we’re trying to find bodies to make sure that we’re keeping them off the glass.”
OCS freshman Luke Gray and Millwood’s Jaylen Dillard tied for the scoring lead with 17. Saint Luke Melton and Falcon Siee Russell each followed with 11.
Gray said the Falcons retook control in the second half with big shots.
“They made a good amount of 3’s,” Gray said. “They got to the rim. They got offensive rebounds. We just didn’t block out. Tough loss, but we’ll get better.”
Weaver said OCS plays a tough schedule, and the Saints can learn from playing well against great teams like Millwood.
“We play a lot of ranked teams,” Weaver said. “Our guys are really learning. They’re very inexperienced coming into this year, and so we’re trying to learn how to win, how to play consistently through four quarters, how to close out games. We’re not there yet, but we’ve been on this journey of growth all year.”