MacArthur Holds Off Guthrie in Titan Classic Opener

Guthrie drew within two points several times in the fourth quarter, but Lawton Mac always responded.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 6:03 pm

By: News On 6

MacArthur Holds Off Guthrie in Titan Classic Opener

Originally Published: Jan 21, 2011 1:4 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. – The MacArthur Highlanders opened play in the boys’ bracket of the Titan Classic Friday with a 48-45 win over the Guthrie Bluejays.

The teams stayed close from start to finish, and Lawton Mac carried a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter. From that point on, the Highlanders never trailed but also never led by more than five points.

Guthrie drew within two points several times in the final frame, but MacArthur answered every time. The Bluejays had chances to tie the game, but on two different occasions in the final minutes allowed Macarthur to grab offensive rebounds off missed free throws.

Darius Graham pulled down the second of those rebounds with Lawton Mac winning by one and less than 20 seconds on the clock. Guthrie was forced to foul him, and Graham made both free throws to stretch the lead to three.

Guthrie committed a costly turnover on its next possession, but got one final chance to tie the game at the buzzer. Tim Zupo’s heave from three-quarters court fell well short, sealing the outcome.

Quinton Paras led MacArthur with 16 points, and Graham added 10. Graham’s only two points of the second half were also the final two points of the game. Richard Brothers led Guthrie with 10 points.

The Highlanders will move on to the second round of Titan Classic, where they will face the winner between Millwood and Wichita-North. The Bluejays drop into the consolation bracket, where they will face the loser of that same game.