Edmond Memorial Beats Midwest City to Win 6A Gold Ball

The victory marks the second state championship in school history for Edmond Memorial.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 6:11 pm

By: News On 6

Edmond Memorial Beats Midwest City to Win 6A Gold Ball

Originally Published: Mar 12, 2011 10:6 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – The Midwest City Bombers (23-4) and Edmond Memorial Bulldogs (27-1) traded jabs all night, until the Bulldogs were able to land the deciding blow with 41 seconds left in a 53-43 win. Jared Jobe hit two free throws to ice the game and claim their second 6A Gold Ball.

Bulldogs players raced on to the court to celebrate as the final buzzer sounded. They screamed with joy and waved to the crowd as the Gold Ball trophy was wheeled out to center court.

The final title game of the night was the most competitive throughout. The Bombers led 12-9 after the first quarter but couldn’t stretch out the lead very far. The Bulldogs got baskets at key times from James Woodard to keep it tight. He led the team with a game-high 18 points.

With 8.5 seconds left to play in the second quarter, Deangelo Johnson made 1-of-2 free throws to pull the Bulldogs to within 20-19 at halftime.

The Bulldogs tied the game at 26 by trading baskets for the first few minutes of the third quarter. They extended the lead out with a 7-0 run in just over 30 seconds of game time.

But, Midwest City went on a run of its own to narrow the gap. They rattled off six straight points to pull to within 33-32.

Obi Emegano was the shooting star for Edmond Memorial in the second quarter. He slashed to the basket and drew the foul get the large Bulldogs cheering section back on its feet. The Bulldogs led by 38-35 heading to the fourth quarter.

After playing a tight game all night, the Bulldogs took a 9-point lead on a Woodard layup. His brother, Jordan extended the lead to 45-35 with 4:22 left on a free throw.

The loss was only the fourth of the year for the Bombers. They averaged 46.3 points per game in the state tournament. T.J. Noel led Midwest City with 13 points. Cortez Colbert added 12.

Emegano scored 14 points for the Bulldogs.

After two-time reigning state champion Putnam City lost to Union in the first round, the 6A field was wide open. Edmond Memorial downed Bixby and Edmond Santa Fe to advance to the title round. Midwest City beat Del City by 20 and Union by six to earn a spot in the championship game.

Midwest City last won a title in 2007.