Late Comeback Forces OT, Gives Lady Hornets 5A Girls State Title

In a state title game that honestly started out pretty slowly, fans were treated to a fantastic finish and five extra minutes. However, in the end, Booker T. Washington and Rhys Anderson were too much, winning the Class 5A state title game, 56-49, at the Mabee Center in Tulsa.

Anderson's steal and layup gave the Lady Hornets a 52-47 lead late in OT. The Lady Hornets' comeback was the second of two spirited ones, the first being Pryor's in the third quarter.

Pryor's Chloe Martin and Beverlee Caraway took over in that third frame. The Lady Hornets held a 25-15 lead at the break, but Pryor opened the third on a 15-5 run to tie the game at 30-30 on a trey by junior guard Beverlee Caraway. A possession later, junior guard Kenzie Silkey gave Pryor a 33-31 lead.

She also closed the quarter with a trey to give the Lady Tigers a 38-33 lead going into the fourth quarter. Pryor outscored the Lady Hornets 23-8 in the third.

The game got a lot more physical in the fourth period with Richardson picking up her fourth foul early on in the frame. Booker T. Washington climbed back to within 2, 40-38, before an Autumn Miller jumper gave the Lady Tigers a 4-point lead, 42-38.

Pryor's free throw shooting helped them along the way, too, shooting 15-22 from the line. Two free throws from Caraway gave Pryor a 45-40 lead with less than a minute left in the game. But the Lady Tigers lost their touch late in the fourth and in overtime, missing six of their final eight free throws.

A three-pointer from Victoria Nunez with :58 left pulled Booker T. Washington back within 2, 45-43. The Lady Hornets got the ball back, but Pryor's M'Kayla Hillman tied up her opponent, giving the Lady Tigers the ball with :22 left.

A running jumper by Rhys Anderson tied it at 45-45 with :05 left. She led her team with 16 points on the night.

Booker T. Washington, coached by Rabu Leyva, outscored Pryor 11-4 in the extra period. This was the Lady Hornets' first championship since 2013.