1 week Ago By By Emma Finer | Sports staff
Three-point shooting was the story of the game as the Sapulpa Chieftains (1-2) turned a dormant defensive slugfest into a second-half clinic to hand the McAlester Buffaloes (1-2) their second-straight loss, 69-60. Freshman guard Rodney Washington led the Buffaloes with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds while sophomores Brandon Smith and Davien Pouncil also reached double-figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively. It may have taken nearly two minutes of game time for the first points to come on the board, but McAlester quickly found its offensive rhythm when Washington knocked down an early three-point shot.
Until Sapulpa sophomore Jace Parker then entered the game. After the Chieftains took a timeout midway through the opening quarter down 9-3, two straight triples by the sophomore as well as a layup from senior Jalen Pratt left the game tied 11-11. While the Buffaloes were able to get some good looks at the rim in the second quarter, turnovers started to pile up and lead to points the other way.
All of a sudden, McAlester was on the wrong side of an 8-1 scoring run, forcing head coach Mike Dooney to call a timeout. The turnover bug would later be flipped to Sapulpa, allowing the Buffaloes to claw their way back into the game. Despite being down by double digits, Pouncil provided some spark in the final two minutes of the second quarter with two sets of free throws though McAlester still found itself down 23-17 at the break.
Halftime only lasted 10 minutes, but the defensive slugfest completely shifted into a shootout as Washington once again opened a quarter with a triple to put the Buffaloes back within one possession. Pouncil, who was having a quiet game after scoring a career-high 19 points in Monday’s one-point loss to Durant, then completely took over the game. His triple and two layups on back-to-back drives and layups by sophomores De’Veion Bickham and Cade French not only gave McAlester its first lead since the first quarter, but also a bit of a cushion.
However, Chieftains senior Laneer Everett began to emulate Pouncil and back-and-forth each team went. Everett knocked down his third triple of the game, leading Sapulpa on a run to end the third quarter up 11 at 35-44. Just like a runner hands off their baton, Pouncil’s third-quarter hot hand transferred to Washington in the fourth.
For the third time in the game, the Buffaloes’ first points of the period came from a Washington triple and he would add on two more to once again put the game within reach. In the blink of an eye though, Parker and Pratt hit back-breaking three-point shots, which would ultimately seal the game despite matching triples from Washington. From there, the Chieftains ran out the clock and won 69-60.
With the loss, the Buffaloes will enter the Sequoyah Tournament’s consolation bracket and either take on Muldrow (1-2) or Riverside (5-1) tomorrow at 2:30 p.m..
