Calumet Drops Cyril to Claim First Gold Ball

Originally Published: Mar 5, 2011 9:24 PM CDT

CoachesAid.com--Calumet Beats Cyril for first-ever girls crown

Layna Dewell
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In a matchup between the top two ranked teams in Class A, the Calumet Lady Chieftains topped the Cyril Lady Pirates 49-41.

No. 1 ranked Calumet trailed by as many as seven in the game before taking its first lead of the game on a three pointer by senior Jordan Tech.

Cyril had control early, winning the tip and instantly draining a three-pointer to get things going inside The Big House at the State Fair Arena.

Calumet, on the other hand, had trouble getting going, committing two early fouls and three turnovers before Katelyn Richardson converted a layup to put the first two points on the board for the Lady Chieftains.

Calumet’s Megan Snyder had to take an early break with 4:40 left in first quarter because of two quick fouls.

The physical battle continued and tempers flared as each team committed turnover after turnover, and foul after foul.

By the end of the first, it was tied 11-11, the first of only two ties in the contest.

Calumet gave Cyril an early taste of its full-court press, but eventually pulled back the pressure into the half-court setting.

Cyril outscored Calumet in the first two quarters and held the 21-17 advantage buy the halftime break.

Calumet began to sizzle back into the game midway through the third after a three-pointer by senior Mariah Miles.

With 1:25 left, sophomore Micah Snyder hit an inside shot to bring the Lady Chieftains within two points.

After a couple more traded baskets, Cyril held the advantage after three quarters of play 33-28.

The Calumet full-court press returned in the fourth and the Lady Chieftains capitalized on two Cyril offensive fouls to take its first lead of the game off an effortless three pointer by senior Tech.

From that point on, Calumet held the lead. The Lady Chieftains hit 9-of-14 free throws in the final 3:30 on the way to the team’s first-ever Gold Ball.

With 3:26 left senior Brooke Horn fouled out of the game, she finished with two points.

Calumet senior Miles led all scorers with 14 points on six-of-eight free throw shooting.

Fellow senior Katelyn Richardson totaled nine points while Emily Eaton and Megan Snyder both finished with seven points apiece.

Cyril was led by senior point guard Shelbie Laughlin who scored 12 while fellow senior Emily Horn added 10.

This is Cyril’s third runner-up title in three years, they finish the season at 24-4.

Coach Tyler Snowden and the Lady Chieftains round out the season at 26-4 and can now proudly add a girls gold ball to the trophy case.