Jackets win 2 of 3 at Alva Shootout
![JACKSON WILLBANKS attempts a shot during Friday’s loss to Clinton. Willbanks was one of two Jackets to earn all-tournament honors. [Photo by Russell Stitt/www.stitt. smugmug.com]](https://kingfisherpress.etypegoogle10.com/sites/kingfisherpress.etypegoogle10.com/files/styles/article400/public/281ff0750b_Ar00702017.jpg?itok=2G6ssziR "JACKSON WILLBANKS attempts a shot during Friday’s loss to Clinton. Willbanks was one of two Jackets to earn all-tournament honors. [Photo by Russell Stitt/www.stitt. smugmug.com]")
JACKSON WILLBANKS attempts a shot during Friday’s loss to Clinton. Willbanks was one of two Jackets to earn all-tournament honors. [Photo by Russell Stitt/www.stitt. smugmug.com]
It wasn’t exactly the experience coach Colby Connel was hoping for.
But, as the Kingfisher High School boys basketball coach put it: “The solution would have been to just win on Friday.”
Kingfisher went 2-1 over the weekend at the Alva Shootout and claimed third place Saturday with its 76-48 victory over the Weatherford freshman team.
The Jackets opened the tournament with an 83-26 victory Thursday against Alva JV, but the top seeds were knocked off 49-42 on Friday by Clinton in the semifinals.
“We spent 12 hours of bus time over three days to beat two sub-varsity teams,” lamented Connel. “But, again, we should have taken care of business on Friday.”
With the way the sixteam bracket was set up, KHS was set to play the loser of the first-round game between the third and fourth seeds.
That was Clinton, which fell 56-37 to Cimarron (Kan.) on Thursday.
But also on Thursday, Kingfisher’s Cash Laird rolled an ankle, making the team’s second-leading scorer and one of its best defenders unavailable the rest of the tournament.
His absence was glaring against Clinton’s zone.
The Jackets shot just 36 percent from the game, which included going 3 of 23 (13 percent) from 3-point range.
The game was tied 1313 at halftime.
While both teams warmed up in the third quarter, Clinton did it at a higher rate.
The Reds took a threepoint lead into the fourth, then staked a 41-31 lead with 3:31 left.
That created some urgency for the Jackets.
They used a 9-2 run starting at the 2:06 mark to cut their deficit to 45-42 with 43.7 seconds left.
Atticus Thompson extended it back to five with a pair of free throws with 22.2 seconds left and the Jackets couldn’t answer.
Hayes White scored 19 to lead the Jackets.
Jhett Birdwell, who made a 3-pointer during the late surge, added 11 points while Boomer Mendenhall scored 10.
Thompson led the Red Tornadoes with 15.
The Jackets came back Saturday, shrugged off a slow start and downed the freshmen from Weatherford.
White led all scorers with 23 while Jackson Willbanks added nine.
Both were named to the all-tournament team.