McAlester Girls Survive Last Second Shots, Advance to State

Originally Published: Mar 6, 2010 6:8 PM CDT

Curt Hill
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma – McAlester moved on to the 5A girls state tournament with a 57-55 victory over Edison on Saturday.

McAlester’s LaShanda Green led all scorers with 19 points and Whitney Anderson pitched in 10. The eagles were led by Antoinette Carter’s 18-point effort.

The game was a tight contest from the tip, and McAlester went into the break with a 30-29 lead.

Edison appeared to be gaining momentum after taking a 40-36 lead with less than a minute to go in the third period. The Lady Buffaloes bounced back with the help of Green, who scored the first four points of 8-0 a run that continued into the fourth quarter.

McAlester would extend its lead to 56-51, but Edison did not go quietly. Several clutch baskets and missed free throws allowed the Lady Eagles to cut the Buffaloes’ lead to 56-55 with 40 seconds remaining. After McAlester added a free throw, Edison had several chances to tie the game, but blocked shots and turnovers prevented the Eagles to force overtime.

Booker T. Washington 34, Claremore 31

Booker T. Washington advanced to the state quarterfinals after holding off perennial power Claremore 34-31 in the early game.

Mariah Gilliam led a balanced Lady Hornet scoring attack with nine points, while Claremore’s Jordan Schultz led all scorers with 18.

The Lady Hornets stormed out to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter, but stiff defense by the Lady Zebras cut the Booker T. Washington lead to 17-15 by halftime.

BTW would extend the lead to seven points after three quarters and held off a late charge by Claremore.