Displaying a deft touch around the basket, Brown poured in a game-high 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The 6-foot junior was 6 of 8 from the free throw line and created mismatch problems for Central all night.
Brown’s accuracy helped the Lady Bulldogs shoot a sizzling 65.7 percent (23 of 35) from the floor. She netted 12 points in the first quarter, but Central kept pace as Tanar Sigel came off the bench to sink two treys and knot the score at 15-15.
It was a one-point game midway through the second period before Savanna went on an 11-2 run to grab a 31-21 halftime edge.
Central relied heavily on long-range shooting in the second half, scoring all of their points on seven baskets from 3-point range. Lindsey Woody’s third trey of the night pulled the Lady Tigers within eight with 4:15 to go, but they could get no closer.
Hayley Tanner knocked down three of Central’s 11 treys on the way to a team-high 14 points. Woody finished with 11, Cydney Dillard added eight, Sigel six and Jacklyn Jiles three. Maegan Goodwin paced Central on the boards with seven rebounds.
The Lady Tigers slipped to 14-8 and fell into the losers’ bracket. They were set to play Talihina, a 57-38 winner over Silo, at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Talihina.
Savanna (20-2) will continue its quest for a return trip to the 2A state tournament on Saturday night in the regional final against Crowder, which defeated Colbert 39-23 on Thursday.
Wister 66, Gore 54 (B)
Wister was barely above .500 entering the playoffs, but the Wildcats are rolling now.
Three players scored in double figures as Wister upset No. 14-ranked Gore in the regional semifinals Thursday night.
Scoute Warren led the way with 13 and the Wildcats got another 12 each from Ben Shipman and Cody Luman while shooting an even 50 percent from the field.
Luman’s 3-pointer put Wister in front, 24-22, midway through the second quarter and the Wildcats (15-12) led the rest of the night.
Gore trailed by 12 at the start of the fourth quarter. Devan Rineheart pumped in 14 of his game-high 18 points in the final six minutes, but the Pirates could get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Logan Andrews added 10 points for Gore. Dylan Humphrey and Ethan James both scored eight, Garrett Lehnick six, Cory Hunt three and Sam Kusler one.
James and Andrews combined for 17 rebounds while helping Gore to a sizable 30-19 edge on the glass. However, the Pirates were unable to turn second chances into points while shooting just 18 of 47 (38.3 percent).
Gore (17-7) moved into an 8 p.m. Friday losers bracket game at Talihina. The Pirates’ opponent is Colbert, which beat Crowder 47-30 on Thursday.
Wister will take on No. 2-ranked Talihina in the regional final Saturday night at Talihina.
Savanna 67, Central 57 (B)
Savanna used a 15-4 run in the third quarter to take control of Thursday’s losers bracket game at the 2A regional.
Central led by two at halftime, but fell behind 45-36 after three quarters of play and was eliminated from the playoffs.
Trey Rogers nailed three 3-pointers in the second quarter and went on to net a team-best 16 points for the Tigers (13-8). Dakota Cogburn added 11, Cole Dillard nine, Taylor Davidson and Kolten Remy seven each, Grant Demaree three and Shade Kutil two.
Savanna was paced by Landon Walker’s 21, plus 16 from Dylan Baker and 11 from Mike Kaskia.
The Bulldogs advanced to a Friday afternoon losers bracket game against Silo.
Wister 65, Gore 59 (G)
The Lady Pirates would have been fine, if not for the first and last quarters of Thursday’s regional losers bracket game at Wister.
The host Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 17-6 lead and closed the game with a 22-11 surge in the fourth to secure the win and knock Gore out of the playoffs.
The Lady Pirates made a game of it by pouring in 27 second-period points to grab a 33-30 halftime advantage. They were up by five at the start of the fourth before Wister came back.
Dena Qualls closed out her career with a 22-point effort for Gore. Kelsi Brooks chipped in 17, Kenna Tackett 14, Cheyanne Johnson four and Mikaila Morgan two.
Wister was led by Kayla Newton’s 17. Bryana Warren added 14, and Hannah Horn had 13 to set up a Friday afternoon losers bracket game against Colbert.
CLASS 2A AREA IV REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
Feb. 25-27 at Wister, Colbert, Talihina
Boys Bracket
Thursday’s Scores: Winners Bracket - Wister 66, Gore 54; Talihina 60, Silo 42. Losers Bracket - Savanna 67, Central 57; Colbert 47, Crowder 30.
Friday: Savanna vs. Silo, 3 p.m., at Talihina; Colbert vs. Gore, 8 p.m., at Talihina.
Saturday: Consolation Final - Savanna/Silo winner vs. Colbert/Gore winner, 3 p.m., at Talihina; Championship - Wister vs. Talihina, 8 p.m., at Talihina.
Girls Bracket
Thursday’s Scores: Winners Bracket - Savanna 54, Central 42; Crowder 39, Colbert 23. Losers Bracket - Wister 65, Gore 59; Talihina 57, Silo 38.
Friday: Wister vs. Colbert, 1:30 p.m., at Talihina; Talihina vs. Central, 6:30 p.m., at Talihina.
Saturday: Consolation Final - Wister/Clbert winner vs. Talihina/Central winner, 1:30 p.m., at Talihina; Championship - Savanna vs. Crowder, 6:30 p.m., at Talihina.
