Class 5A boys basketball: OSU signee Kalib Boone lifts Tulsa Memorial past Del City 63-52 for title
TULSA — All the bragging rights now belong to Kalib and Keylan Boone. The Tulsa Memorial twins captured third straight championship on Saturday, knocking off Class 5A No. 2 Del City, 63-52, at the Mabee Center.
That’s now one more than their mother, Jamie Hawkins, won during her time at Bristow.
“I beat my momma in rings,” said Kalib Boone, who totaled 21 points and 17 rebounds to garner Memorial’s ninth championship overall. “She had one in basketball and one in track, and I’ve got three now. So when I see her, I’m bragging.”
The boasting didn’t come easy, though.
Pushed to the limit Friday night in a last-second victory over El Reno, the top-ranked Chargers (25-3) used a late run in the title game to get past Del City (25-4). With 3:05 in the fourth quarter, Del City’s Nathaniel Goodlow hit a jumper to cut Memorial’s lead to 51-47, triggering a 30-second timeout by the Chargers.
Memorial responded with a 6-0 run with Keylan Boone and Will Hill dropping in layups, and Kalib Boone connecting on two free throws.
The Eagles, again, wouldn’t go away, cutting the deficit to 57-52 with 46 seconds left, but that would be the final basket Del City would score.
“We made some turnovers that were crucial late,” Del City coach Lenny Hatchett said. “We didn’t hit some easy baskets that we normally make. We lost to a good team.”
Kalib Boone answered six seconds later with a dunk, and the Memorial faithful began to celebrate a third straight gold ball.
“It’s a priceless moment,” said Memorial coach Bobby Allison, who less than 24 hours prior was as emotional as ever in reaching the title game. “We’ve had some great fortune during this run. But we also put in a lot of hard work, and we deserved it.”
Keylan Boone capped his Memorial career with 20 points and six rebounds. Collectively, the Chargers out-rebounded Del City 35-18.
“I feel like dominating the paint is more on my end,” Kalib Boone said. “But also credit to my teammtes, because I couldn’t dominate by myself. But as the big on the team, if I dominate the paint then everyone follows suit.”
Memorial also knocked down 22 of 35 field-goal attempts to erase the 20 turnovers that Del City forced.
“I told our kids that Del City wasn’t going to quit,” Allison said. “Back when Hatchett got the Del City job, we knew we would be playing them (for championships) as long as they’re in 5A. We just knew it would those guys that we’d be going against.”
Demontreal Crutchfield led the Eagles with 14 points, and Goodlow and Jeff Foreman added 11 points apiece. But only 14 of Del City’s 50 field-goal attempts were converted as the Eagles weren’t able to claim their first title since 1980.
“I’m real proud of my guys’ fight and what we were able to accomplish this year,” Hatchett said.
