Gore fought back from a halftime deficit to force overtime and then oustcored the home team 7-5 in the extra period to secure the win. Bethany Dotson and Aubrey Henry both sank two free throws in the final 1:07 to seal the victory for the Lady Pirates.
By beating Warner for the second time in three tries this season, the Lady Pirates improved to 16-8. They'll play Depew at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Area IV regional championship game at Mounds. Depew advanced with a 40-point win over Wellston.
Warner dropped into the regional losers bracket and was scheduled to play Mounds in a Friday afternoon elimination game.
Senior post Amanda Hunt paced Gore with a game-high 18 points on Thursday. Dotson scored 12, Kristi Sanders nine, Whitmey Mannon seven, Lacy Taylor four, Sharly Anderson three and Henry two.
Warner was led by 15 points from Tricia Thompson and 14 from Jaclyn Toney.
Central 55, Vian 48 (Boys)
Three players scored in double figures for the Tigers as they topped their rivals from Sequoyah County to move into the regional finals.
Ricky Corbit pumped in 15 points for Central while Preston Postoak had 14 and Jeremy Cheater 11. Their scoring helped the Tigers to their third win of the season against Vian in four meetings.
Now 14-10, Central will play Depew on Saturday in the Class 2A Area IV regional championship game at Mounds. Depew beat Wellston 68-47 to advance.
Thursday's game at Warner was close throughout with the Wolverines taking an early 12-8 lead. Central battled back to seize a 20-19 halftime edge and extended its lead to seven by the start of the fourth period.
Josh Blackbird finished with eight points for the Tigers, Skyler Rogers four and Josh Randolph three.
Vian was led by a game-high 16 points from Sampson Bennett. Seth Sloan added 12 points, Timmy Hart 10, Steve McEver six, Ryan Lame two and Lyndon Smith two.
The Wolverines dropped to 14-10 on the season and were set to meet Mounds on Friday afternoon in an elimination game at Mounds.
Vian 41, Central 35 (Girls)
The Lady Wolverines overcame a 14-point deficit to eliminate Central from the regional losers bracket on Thursday afternoon at Warner.
The Lady Tigers led 21-7 late in the second quarter, but Vian cut the gap to eight points by halftime and then took control in the second half. The Lady Wolverines limited Central to just two points in the third period and Robbie Johnson scored 12 of her game-high 17 points after the break to spearhead the comeback.
Tayy Wright added eight points for Vian, Alli Lame seven, Keira Drew four, Katie Horn three and Callie Sullivan two. Sullivan also pulled down a game-best eight rebounds to help Vian to a 27-24 edge on the boards.
Blair Haggard led the Lady Tigers with nine points, Sarah Winans eight, Preston Postoak eight, Lyndsey Sharp six, Lacey Wallace three and Jennifer Ridinger one.
The Lady Wolverines improved to 10-14 and advanced to a Friday afternoon matchup with Wellston at Mounds. Central ended its season at 9-15.
Gore 53, Warner 30 (Boys)
Josh Caudle staked the Pirates to a big lead in the first half and they were never in jeopardy on Thursday afternoon while ending Warners' season in a regional losers bracket contest at Ronnie Hales Gymnasium.
The sophomore center netted 13 of his 19 points in the opening two quarters as Gore romped to a 26-11 halftime lead. Coach George Dotson emptied his bench in the second half and 10 Pirates scored in the game.
Jacob Crum finished with eight points, Jordan Burris seven, Derrick Shade and Matt Brown four each, Danny Kusler three and John Brooks, J.T. Morgan, Bryan Williams and Ricky Shade two apiece.
The Pirates (10-14) were scheduled to play Wellston on Friday night in a regional elimination game at Mounds.
