Final Day of Tournament Brings Big Wins
The 2023 Comanche County High School Basketball Tournament Consolation Finals, 3rd Place and Championship games for the girls and boys were played on Jan. 21 at the Great Plains Coliseum.
First to tip off was the girl’s consolation game between Big Pasture and Fletcher.
The first quarter ended Big Pasture 9 to Fletcher 7.
At the half, the score is Big Pasture 19, Fletcher 12.
The game remained close until the fourth when Fletcher fell behind.
The final score ended with Big Pasture 44, Fletcher 15.
Next for consolation were the Geronimo and Chattanooga boys’ teams.
It began with a point from Warrior Evan Wauqua. Blue Jay Jayden Wallace would score with two minutes to spare.
The first quarter of their game ended with Geronimo 12, Chattanooga 9.
The half would end with 24 Geronimo and 22 Chattanooga with Warrior Wauqua scoring six points.
Geronimo and Chattanooga created a three-point difference in the third quarter and ended 39 to 36 for Chattanooga. Three of those points came from Blue Jay Joseph McCarthy.
The final score would be Chattanooga 51, Geronimo 45.
The girl’s Geronimo Blue Jays and Chattanooga Warriors were next on the hardwood for third place.
Blue Jay McKenzie Huffman made a three to start the game, and the Warriors would respond with two points.
Blue Jay Chrissa Gomez would add three more points, and the quarter would end Chattanooga 11, Geronimo 9.
Blue Jay Huffman would tie it up in the second, and Gomez would assist a two-pointer.
The half would be Chattanooga 21 to Geronimo 18.
Geronimo would add 4 more points in the third, while Chattanooga would add 11.
Geronimo and Chattanooga would battle it in the fourth quarter, with Geronimo scraping ahead with about 3 minutes left and a score of 33 to 32.
A final drive for the Blue Jays from Gomez helps solidify Geronimo’s win with a final score of 35 to 34.
And the boy’s third-place game was played by Indiahoma Warriors and Walters Blue Devils.
The first quarter was tied 6 to 6 with a score from the Blue Devils. Warrior Joesyah Johnson would score two.
The Warriors would return in the second quarter with a three, and two more would come later from Warrior Trenton Stinson.
The first half of their game ended in a tie, 24 to 24.
Walters would pick up speed in the third, and Warrior JJ McClung would make a three. Later, Blue Devil Kason Johnson would respond with a minute left. Warrior Stinson would finish out with a free throw.
The third would finish 44 Walters, 30 Indiahoma.
The fourth would end with both teams scoring 12 points and finishing with Walters 56 and Indiahoma 42.
Championships tipped off with the girl’s game, where Walters Blue Devils battled against Sterling Tigers.
Sterling began with a bucket, and the game was on. Blue Devil Emma Youngblood would sink two in the first quarter.
The quarter would end with 14 Sterling and 4 Walters.
The second would begin with a score from the Tigers, and Blue Devil Youngblood would add 10 points to the board.
The score at half would be Sterling 24 and Walters 20.
Sterling would start the second half with a three and allow a two-pointer from Blue Devil Youngblood.
The score at the end of the third is 37 to 24 – Sterling.
Tiger Ashlyn Clift would make a two near the top of the fourth quarter.
Blue Devil Youngblood would get two points at a free throw for a total of three points in the quarter.
Sterling would win the girl’s championships 47 to 30.
The final game of the night was Big Pasture Rangers versus Sterling Tigers.
The Tigers dominated their first quarter. Tiger Nate Anderson made a basket before Big Pasture’s buzzer-beater.
The quarter would end Sterling 14 to Big Pasture 11.
In the second, Tiger Anderson would get two more points in. Later the game would tie at 2:31.
The halftime score is Sterling 25 to Big Pasture 23.
The third quarter begins with a point at the five-minute mark with a score from the Tigers. Seconds left, Big Pasture scores; the quarter is 35 Big Pasture to 31 Sterling.
A chase for a W ensues during the fourth quarter, with Sterling coming on top 42 to 41.
The last time the girl’s Sterling team won was in 2013, while the boy's most recent win was in 2017.
