VIAN - Christy Neu turned in a sparkling performance in her Muldrow debut, leading the Lady Bulldogs to a 53-33 win over Gans on Monday night at the Armstrong Bank Sequoyah County Basketball Tournament.
Neu, a junior guard who made the all-tourney team last year while playing for Roland, transferred to Muldrow over the summer and became eligible over the holiday break after winning her appeal for a hardship from the OSSAA.
Monday night was her first game for the Lady Bulldogs and she came through with a game-high 18 points as top-seeded Muldrow fought off a challenge from Gans in the first round.
"I thought Christy played very well. She was very excited to be finally playing again, but she kept her emotions in check," said Muldrow head coach Jana Armer. "Having her eligible is a big lift for us. She's been in big games and she'll help us a lot."
Gans, which is a Class A school, fought hard against the three-time county champions and trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Grizzlies were still within nine at halftime, but Muldrow seized control with an 18-6 surge in the third period.
Chelsy Chapman had seven points for Muldrow, Fallen Tate six, Amber Walker five, Mashiah Akin four, Abby Daniel four, Kara Brown three, Courtney Waters two and Kendra Click two.
Gans was paced by 16 points from post Randi Childers and another 13 from guard Kelsey Sparkman. Lacey Allen scored two and Reagan Sparkman one.
The Lady Grizzlies fell to 2-4 with the setback and were scheduled to play Vian in Wednesday's consolation round. Despite the loss, head coach Tammy Sparkman was pleased with her team's determined effort.
"I'm very proud of the girls. We held our own with them for a while and were down by nine at halftime before they pulled away in the third quarter. We played good defense and I felt good about the game, even though it was a loss. Playing a 4A school is always going to be tough," said Sparkman.
Muldrow advances to the semifinals with the victory and will play Gore at 7 p.m. Thursday,
Vian 43, Central 40 (Boys)
VIAN - The Wolverines booked a spot in the county semifinals with a close win against Big Eight Conference rival Central Monday night.
Junior post player Timmy Hart led the way with 14 points and sophomore guard Vfastv Locust chipped in another 12 for Vian. Londell Taylor added six points, E.J. Drew four, Ryan Taylor three, Demarqua Pratt two and Garrett Ford two.
Central was paced by 11 points from Jace Coffman. Jamey Blalock and Andy Edwards bucketed another eight points apiece, Jose Tarin five, Brenden Gentry four and Skyler Rogers four.
The Tigers held Vian to just two points in the second quarter while taking an 18-8 halftime lead. The Wolverines sliced the deficit to four by the end of the third period and surged in front by outscoring Central 18-11 down the stretch,
Vian is now 4-4 and will play Roland in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Central fell to 5-3 and was scheduled to meet Webbers Falls in a consolation round game on Wednesday.
Gore 42, Vian 34 (Girls)
VIAN - The Lady Pirates notched their second win of the season on Monday night, surging ahead of Vian in the fourth quarter of their first-round game at the county tournament.
Playing on their homecourt, the Lady Wolverines took an early 11-4 lead and maintained their advantage up until the final quarter. Gore had trimmed the deficit to one by the start of the fourth and then outscored Vian 16-7 over the final eight minutes.
The triumph sends Gore (2-8) into the county semifinals where the Lady Pirates will face Muldrow at 7 p.m. Thursday in Sallisaw. Vian dropped to 3-5 and was slated to play Gans on Wednesday in the consolation bracket.
Heather Andrews led Gore with nine points while Whitney Mannon and Brooke Montgomery each added eight. Macy Moseley scored six, Chelsea Kizzia four, Paige Mannon four and Lacy Taylor three.
Vian got a game-high 10 points from Leigha Girty. Keira Drew had six, Kayla Carrington and Tayy Wright five each, LaCrissa Pickup three, Chelsea Stewart three and Shalene Cortez two.
Muldrow 58, Gore 34 (Boys)
VIAN - The Bulldogs wasted no time in taking command of their first-round meeting against Gore on Monday evening.
Muldrow staggered the Pirates with an 18-0 run in the first quarter and led 24-4 by the start of the second period while cruising into the semifinals of the county tournament.
Junior point guard Caleb Cawhorn poured in 22 points for the Bulldogs, who evened their record at 4-4. Cameron Sevenstar scored 12, Trevor Earls nine, Tyler Page six, Brandon Cardwell five, Jeremy Collins two and Brandon Stamps two.
Gore was led by 14 points from senior guard Jordan Burris. Josh Caudle scored nine, Danny Kusler five, Jacob Crum three and J.T. Morgan two.
Muldrow moves into the semis and will play Sallisaw at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Gore was set to meet Gans in Wednesday's consolation bracket.
