by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)3/12/2018 7:14:40 PM
posted in: Game Summary | 2,059 views
OKLAHOMA CITY — Larry Callison went to bed Friday night terrified. The sleep that he did get was filled with horrifying visions of Kingston in Saturday night’s Class 3A championship game.
“They scared me to death when I saw them play the way they played (on Friday),” Tahlequah Sequoyah’s coach said of Kingston’s semifinal victory over Adair to reach the title game. “I thought if they came back with good legs, we were going to have problems.”
Tahlequah Sequoyah had more than its fair share of issue with No. 11 Kingston, but a furious fourth-quarter rally propelled the second-ranked Indians to a 53-51 victory, allowing the Indians to claim their second straight state championship.
Alexys Keys scored 18 points to lead Tahlequah Sequoyah, which entered the fourth quarter down 38-33.
“I knew we had it in us,” said Keys, who shot 6 of 17 from the field with five rebounds. “We just had to dig deep.”
Jonia Walker added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Indians, who overcame a 18 of 49 shooting exhibition and 17 turnovers.
Eventually, Kingston (22-7), led by Kes Reeves’ 18 points, wore down. The Redskins connected on 11 of 36 shots from the floor in the second half as their lead slipped away throughout the entire fourth quarter.
“Their legs kind of went late in the ball game,” Callison said. “And we just had to fight so hard to come back.”
Tahlequah Sequoyah capped the season at 27-3 and secured its third championship in four seasons.
“This one is very special,” Callison said, “I can tell you that.”
Box Score
No. 2 Tahlequah Sequoyah 53, No. 11 Kingston 51
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Tahlequah Sequoyah | 11 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 53 |
| Kingston | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 51 |
Tahlequah Sequoyah (27-3): Alexys Keys 18, Jonia Walker 13, Aubrey Brown 8, Jaide Long 4, Icelei Duke 4, Calesa Murdock 4, Lana Gass 2.
Kingston (22-7): Kes Reeves 18, Brit Henderson 15, Avri Weeks 10, Danna Wagnon 8.