And then that happened…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
It was real tough to try to duplicate the atmosphere of the Titan Classic on Saturday after one of the most memorable days of basketball for me (personally) on Friday.
Three overtime games, eight total OTs and one monumental struggle between two of the strongest powers in girls basketball today.
The semifinal game between the second-ranked (3A) Millwood and No. 1 Union (6A) girls was supposed to tip at 8:30 on Friday. Because of all the shenanigans in the boys’ games, it was closer to 10 p.m. than anything else.
But the teams were not deterred by this.
Millwood’s Tijiasha Reid and Marisha Wallace led the charge early, scoring 14 of the team’s 22 points in the first half. I remember Wallace last year as a freshman being a little unsure of herself.
As sophomore, she’s grown in her ability to make the big play.
For Tulsa Union, it was all Roni Jefferson in the first half. She scored 12 of her 16 as Union held a narrow 25-22 lead at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to No. 20 on both sides. For Millwood, it was more solid work from Wallace while Union’s Destinee Frierson had seven of the team’s nine points as Union led 34-31 heading into the final eight minutes.
Or so we thought.
Reid hit her final three of the game to close the gap to 37-36, and JohVonna Mitchell appeared to have maybe hit the game-winner with 1:00 at 40-39.
Frierson was fouled with 42. 5 seconds left and made 1-of-2 to tie it up.
To OT we go.
The first OT was an anomaly. After a Millwood miss, Frierson held the ball on her hip for more than three minutes straight. Shea Bowden never came out to defend her, so Frierson just held it (a writer’s dream to see the clock move like that).
And with Union up 42-40, Millwood sophomore Dayla Threatt made her only basket of the game to tie it up with under a minute to go.
To double OT we go.
Millwood twice had a two-point lead, but Union wasn’t going away. So we’re entering the third overtime knotted at 46. And nobody scores in this extra session.
It’s getting near 11:30 at night now. I’m just kinda watching the game with fellow prep writer Justin Harper. Not really watching as a writer, more as a fan thus you’re getting these incomplete thoughts about everything.
In the fourth overtime, Wallace ties the game up at 49 when the officials start to come into the game. Threatt drives to the hole and scores. No, charging is called with 31.8 left. Personal thought, yeah, pretty good call.
Then comes the scramble at the end. Frierson is trying to force her way through, loses the ball. Millwood’s Mitchell tries to save it from going out of bounds (about 4 seconds left now). She does, loose ball, about three girls from each team around the ball. Frierson gets bumped and picks it up with her back to the basket near the wing at the three-point line. Foul called with 1.1 left.
She misses the first. What? The senior leader got a little tense. I lean over to Justin and ask “do you call timeout to ice her?” I say yes. Justin says no.
Millwood does. Justin’s logic being Frierson looked frazzled after missing that and was still a little nervous. After the timeout, she won’t feel any more pressure than what she just went through.
Sure enough, Justin was right. See, that’s why he’s the girls writer, and I’m just the roving dude. Frierson makes the attempt and Millwood has no timeouts. Can’t design a play. Inbounds pass doesn’t go very far, game over. 50-49, 4OT for Union.
You can go years and not see a four-overtime game. Or see an OT period where a player nearly runs out the whole clock. Or an OT session where both teams don’t score.
When it came to the third and fourth OT, I think people were done complaining about the long night. People were just enjoying it.
Down at the ends of the court were Carl Albert coaches Jay Price and Gary Rose, just sitting down with kids and watching it. I was talking to complete strangers in the crowd about the game.
That game is all that is right with high school basketball. I may not see another one like that anytime soon but you combine that with the boys championship final with MWC beating Booker T. in overtime, well, I had my fill.
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