OKLAHOMA CITY – Caddo’s girls and boys basketball teams each advanced to the Class A state finals for the third time in the past four years last weekend at OG&E Coliseum but each settled for runner- up finishes.
The Lady Bruins went cold in the second half in dropping a 53-35 verdict to Canute on Saturday afternoon while the Bruins played Class A juggernaut Okarche closer than any team all season lower than Class 5A before falling 84-65.
Coach Kolby Johnson’s girls got to the title tilt with impressive wins against Amber-Pocasset (47-44) and Cyril (54-42) while the boys dispatched Thomas (75-29) and Cyril (80-53) en route to the finals.
The Lady Bruins ended the year with a 26-3 record while the Bruins closed at 26-2.
Girls
Caddo was seemingly on the ropes in the opening round against Am-Po as they trailed 40-36 early in the final stanza but outscored the Lady Panthers 11-4 down the stretch.
A Kayden Prince three pointer gave the Lady Bruins the lead for good at 42-41 and they hit just enough free throws to wrap it up in the closing minutes. A 28-19 edge on the boards also proved pivotal for Caddo.
The Caddo Lady Bruins pose after a state final.
Prince poured in a gamehigh 25 points with Belle Hookom adding eight, Harlee Taylor six, Emma Daniel five and Brilee Tyson three points.
After trailing 3-0 right out of the box against Cyril, Caddo answered with Daniel and Taylor three pointers to claim the lead which they never relinquished the rest of the way.
It was 14-9 Caddo after one period and the Lady Bruins scored 14 straight points to close the second frame and take complete command. Prince and Hookom each tallied six in the burst.
The Lady Bruins dominated the glass with a whopping 3319 rebounding edge to overcome 21 turnovers.
Prince led three Caddo double figure scorers with 22 points with Hookom notching 13 and Daniel 11.
In the finale, things were almost dead even after one quarter with Canute holding a slim 16-15 edge but the Trojanettes expanded that advantage with a 10-6 scoring flurry in the second frame.
After the break Canute improved its shooting to 60 percent while the Lady Bruins connected only just 25 percent following intermission. Thirteen offensive rebounds played a vital role in that, providing the Trojanettes with 15 points to only four by Caddo.
Daniel led the scoring with 12 points, all of which came via four treys, along with 10 by Hookom. Prince was limited to just seven however and Taylor also pitched in six points.
Boys
The Bruins raced to a 24-4 lead through one quarter and kept the throttle to the floor from there as they dominated the Terriers for four full periods.
Caddo shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field as a team over the first two frames while holding Thomas to just 18 percent, resulting in a 41-12 halftime cushion.
Sophomore Beck Willingham scored just 12 points but also pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double. Noah Bacon canned eight of 10 field goal tries for a team-high 19 points while Dallas Williams also chipped in 12.
Cyril took it right to the Bruins in the semifinals, snagging a 15-10 edge through one period and 29-22 at halftime. Whatever was said in the break worked as Caddo came out of intermission an entirely different squad as they blitzed the Pirates to the tune of a 28-14 scoring edge in the third frame. A trey by Kale Brister less than three minutes into the period gave the Bruins a 32-31 lead and they accelerated from there. If that wasn’t enough they closed on a 30-10 flurry in the fourth.
Willingham had a huge performance with 29 points, including seven treys. Brister and Williams tallied 13 points apiece as Corbin Stoner pulled down 11 critical rebounds.
Caddo wasted little time in the title matchup in taking it right to the two-time defending state champs in building a 29-25 edge in a wild first stanza but Okarche flexed its muscle late in the half while outscoring the Bruins 29-14 in the second period.
Most of the game statistics were fairly equal except free throws where Okarche sank 26 of 33 attempts while Caddo made both of its two chances at the line.
Four Bruins hit double figures with Willingham being the catalyst with 19 points. Williams pumped in 15, Brister tallied 12 and Stoner ended with 10 points.
