Muldrow led by as many as 21 points on Thursday night as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 60-48 win over sixth-ranked Perkins-Tryon in the first round of the Class 4A State Tournament at State Fair Arena.
The seventh-ranked Lady Bulldogs advanced to a 4:30 p.m. Friday semifinal game against No. 1 Cache.
Head coach Jana Armer was thrilled with the way her players were unfazed by the experience of competing on the biggest stage of high school basketball.
“We talked about playing in the ‘Big House’ and only four of us had ever been here before. We came up early to watch a game and get that awe factor out of us,” said Armer. “I think that was probably the best thing, because they came out like they’d been playing here for years.”
One of those players who looked especially comfortable was Brandie Holt. The junior guard went 9-for-9 from the free throw line, sank two three-point baskets and scored a game-high 21 points for Muldrow.
Holt said watching the afternoon session of games got her ready to play.
“It helped, it really did. It gave us a view of what the other teams look like and what we have to play up to,” said Holt. “Walking in and seeing all this, I think my mouth dropped a couple of times. It was amazing, especially when the lights came on tonight.”
Her coach pointed out that Holt contributed more to the win than just her scoring.
“Brandie had a huge game, a huge game,” said Armer. “Not only does she do that offensively, she also draws their best person defensively so she has double duty. We’re glad for her and we expect her to step up like that because that’s the type of player she is.”
Sarah Martin also had a big game for Muldrow with 18 points. The Arkansas Tech signee knocked down four three-point shots and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Fontana Tate came off the bench to score 11 points, Debra Silva added eight and Brittnie Porter scored two as the Lady Bulldogs ran their record to 22-3.
Muldrow had seven three-point baskets in the game, including three in the first quarter. Tate’s bomb with 27 seconds left put the Lady Bulldogs up 15-14 at the end of the period.
Tate and Holt scored four points each in the second stanza and Martin dropped in a pair of treys. The second was buzzer-beater from the top of the key that capped a 9-2 run and handed Muldrow a 31-20 halftime lead.
The Lady Bulldogs maintained their lead in the third quarter as Holt sank an 18-foot jumper, scored on a put-back and nailed a three-pointer to spark a 14-3 run.
She said her 14-point performance in the area final win over Newcastle last week gave her confidence.
“Oh my gosh, yes. I was thinking, all right, let’s do this again. I was really excited,” said Holt.
“I was kind of shocked, but it’s our time and we knew we all needed to hook up. That was my part.”
Martin played her part as well, driving to the basket for two points and then burying a three to give Muldrow its biggest lead of the night at 46-25 with 2:00 left in the third quarter.
Armer said she was a bit surprised to be up by 21 in the state quarterfinals.
“Maybe I was, since I knew what a good team they are,” said the Muldrow coach. “I knew they would make a run and come back, but I feel like my girls played really well. We had a stretch there in the fourth quarter where we didn’t play as well, but that’s basketball. People make runs and our’s just happened to be a big one. They got one, but we held them off and I’m real proud.”
The Perkins run came in the fourth quarter and the Lady Demons closed to within 52-42 with 4:02 remaining.
Muldrow was able to hold on by converting all eight of its free throw attempts in the final four minutes. Martin and Holt both made two and Tate was 4-of-4 down the stretch.
Armer praised the poise of Tate, who netted seven points in the first half to help Muldrow take control.
“Fontana played great. She’s not like a sophomore, she’s like a seasoned veteran and she does such great things,” said Armer.
Perkins closed its season with a record of 23-3 despite 13 points from Justice Payne. Rachelle Furrh and Meredith Treat both added 10 for the Lady Demons.
Muldrow’s win pushed the Lady Bulldogs one step further than their previous appearance at the state tourney in 2002.
“It feels great,” said Armer. “We thought we could do this as long as we came out and played our style of game. We did that and things happened for us.”
In other first-round action on Thursday, Cache blew out Wagoner 66-24 to set up a semifinal showdown with Muldrow. Fort Gibson moved a step closer to its fourth-straight trip to the finals by beating Newcastle 59-50 and Vinita got past Anadarko 65-54.
