Jackets persevere
Kingfisher shrugs off buzzer-beating heave to knock off #13 Cushing in 2OT
HAYES WHITE drives to the bucket during the third quarter of Kingfisher’s 66-60 double- overtime victory Thursday against Cushing. White scored 30 points for the Jackets as they advanced to the regional championship. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos. smugmug.com]
It will go down as one of the wildest games in the history of the Kingfisher APB.
It also goes down as coach Colby Connel’s biggest win to date.
KHS shrugged off an improbable heave by Cushing’s Koda Chavez to outlast the 13th-ranked Tigers 66-60 in double-overtime on Thursday.
The regional semifinal victory avenged a 20-point loss to the Tigers in January, sent them to Saturday night’s 4A regional championship game against No. 1 Weatherford and locked up a spot in this week’s area tournament.
“I’m going to have to start a pregame routine that includes Rogaine if we’re going to do this very often,” said Connel after the game.
After surviving Cushing surges in the first, third and fourth quarters, the Jackets managed to find themselves with a 49-46 lead with 13.7 seconds left after Paytun Burnham made 1 of 2 free throws.
The Jackets then forced Chavez into a contested 3-pointer that missed its mark. The long rebound went to Jackson Willbanks, who took off for the other end.
At the last moment, he was tripped up by Max Wood. The foul came with just 1.5 seconds showing on the clock.
Willbanks needed just one free throw to seal it, but missed both.
Cushing’s Roman Tucker grabbed the second miss, quickly tossed it to Chavez, who sent his Hail Mary three-fourths the length of the APB court.
Almost certain victory turned to crushing disbelief as the Chavez prayer hit the backboard and fell through the bottom of the net, tying the game and forcing overtime.
The Jackets eventually collected themselves and struck first in overtime as Cash Laird opened it with a 3-pointer.
But Kingfisher found itself trailing with under a minute to go.
That’s when Hayes White delivered while being fouled in the paint.
His bucket tied the game with 30.2 seconds left, but the junior missed the ensuing free throw.
The Jackets were able to get a stop on the other end and the game eventually went into the second extra period.
It was 45 seconds into that frame that White again scored while being fouled.
This time he made the foul shot and Cushing played catch up the rest of the contest.
The Jackets were just 4 of 11 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and first overtime.
They were 6 of 7 in the second OT.
White made all five of his attempts, including a pair with 41 seconds left for a 63-59 edge.
He then poked the ball away on the defensive end, which set up Laird for a layup to put the Jackets up six with 23 seconds to go.
Kingfisher and Cushing traded free throws in the final seconds.
Cushing was taking it to Kingfisher early with its pesky zone and physical style.
After several early turnovers, the Jackets settled in, then started to take command.
White score eight points in the second quarter and both Burnham and Daxx Compton came off the bench to score five apiece as Kingfisher took a 28-18 lead at halftime.
“Those guys both came in and gave us some really big minutes all night,” Connel said of Burnham, a senior, and Compton, just a freshman.
The Tigers again were the aggressors in the third quarter and had Kingfisher’s lead down to two by the 3:17 mark and even took a 33-32 lead at 2:25.
The Jackets again settled and managed to take a three-point margin into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ Kannan Guerrero quickly tied the game with a 3-pointer and then tied it at 44-44 with another with 2:11 to play.
Those treys gave him 23 points, but he didn’t score again.
Laird nailed a 3-pointer with 1:35 to play and Willbanks made 1 of 2 free throws 40 seconds later for a four-point Kingfisher lead.
The Tigers cut it to two points before Burnham was sent to the line in the final 14 seconds.
The Chavez buzzer- beater was his second of three 3-pointers on the night. He scored 11 while Max Wood chipped in 10 for the Tigers.
White notched 30 for the Jackets.
Laird added 15 while Burnham scored eight and Compton seven.
In their two playoff wins, the Jackets have erased a nine-point second- half deficit against Clinton and then withstood the late-game heroics by Cushing.
Kingfisher entered its regional final with a 16-9 record.