Central teams regional consolation champs, head to area tournament; Vian seasons end

The Central High School basketball teams swept the Class 2A Regional Tournament consolation title games last Saturday afternoon in Haskell to make sure there was at least one more week of basketball practice.

The Lady Tigers upset No. 16 Pawnee 53-39 to win Saturday’s consolation championship and earn a trip to this week’s Class 2A Area Tournament in Henryetta, where they will meet Kansas in the area consolation quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Thursday. They must win three games in three days to make it to state.

The Central girls bounced back to beat Morrison 59-37 last Friday afternoon to win their regional consolation semifinal.

The Tigers made it a hat trick in Class 2A Area Tournament appearances as they defeated the Vian Wolverines 60-51 to win the regional consolation title. The win marked the third straight victory for the Tigers over the Wolverines after Vian won the first three meetings.

The Tigers will meet Summit Christian at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Class 2A Area Tournament consolation quarterfinals in Henryetta and will need three victories in three days to win the area consolation title and earn a trip to state.

The Tigers staved off elimination with a 44-28 rout of Oktaha in Friday’s regional consolation semifinals.

The Vian boys’ third straight loss to Central ended their season after they beat Morrison in Friday’s consolation semifinals.

The Lady Wolverines split their first two games of the regional, but their season still ended.

The Lady Wolverines got their second win of the season as they won Thursday night’s Class 2A Regional Tournament consolation quarterfinal game 5246 over Haskell at Hartshorne before being eliminated 48-27 by Pawnee in the consolation semifinals on Friday in Haskell.

In the boys’ consolation title game, the Tigers (16-10) rallied from an 1812 first-quarter deficit by outscoring the Wolverines 48-33 over the final three periods to get the come-from-behind win — and advance to the area tournament.

For the game, Gavin Randolph and Noah Buzzard each scored a game-high 18 points to lead Central, followed by Josh Brunk with seven points, Jake Woods and Cale Stewart with six points each and Paitton Merrill, Aiden Cawhorn and Brycen Chandler-Eisman with two points apiece.

In defeat, the Wolverines (14-10) put a trio of players into double figures with Masyn Wight leading the way with 14 points, followed by Jeremiah Marshall with 13 points and Trace Sanders with 11 points. Dee Antwine had six points, while Joe O’Neal added five points.

In the girls’ consolation championship game, the Lady Tigers (16-11) led 16-9 after a quarter, 24-17 at halftime and 44-27 after three periods.

For the game, Cheyenne Busch scored a game-high 21 points to lead Central, followed by Cambree Bair with 10 points, Sara Williams with nine points, Brianna Taylor with five points, Paris Campbell and Charlie Petree with three points each and Sarah Buchanan with two points.

In the Central boys’ consolation semifinal win over Oktaha in a battle of Tigers, Central led Oktaha 9-8 after a quarter en route to a 20-17 halftime advantage and a 33-22 lead after three periods.

For the game, four Central players reached double figures in scoring, led by Randolph’s 12 points and 10 points apiece from Brunk, Buzzard and Cawhorn. Woods had two points.

In the Vian boys’ consolation semifinal victory over Morrison, the Wolverines rallied from an 18-6 first-quarter deficit by outscoring the Wildcats 60-37 over the final three periods.

For the game, Marshall led Vian with 23 points, followed by Masyn Wright with 17 points, O’Neal with nine points, Sanders and Dee Antwine with six points each, Trey Antwine with three points and Amos Wright with two points.

In the Central girls’ consolation semifinal win over Morrison, the Lady Tigers had a 13-10 lead after a quarter, which became a 28-22 halftime advantage. Then, Central used a 15-4 third quarter to up its lead to 43-26 heading to the final period.

For the game, Central put a trio of players into double figures, led by Campbell’s game-high 17 points, followed by Busch’s 16 points and Williams with 12 points. Bair had nine points, while Taylor added five points.

In the Vian girls’ consolation semifinal loss to Pawnee, the Lady Bears jumped to an 18-5 lead after a quarter to take control of the game.

In defeat, Olivia Lovell led Vian with eight points, followed by Halli Russell with seven points, Rayleigh Terrill with five points, Gracie Buttery with four points, Payton Crutchfield with two points and Aliyah Tucker with a free throw.

In the Vian boys’ consolation quarterfinal win over Haskell, the Wolverines led virtually from wire to wire, leading 28-8 after a period, 4918 at halftime and 69-32 after three quarters. Vian’s largest lead was at 42 points when Isaiah Owens hit a basket with 2:52 left to play to put the Wolverines ahead 82-40.

For the game, Vian put a quartet of players into double figures, led by Masyn Wright’s game-high 17 points, followed by Marshall and Dee Antwine with 14 points each and O’Neal with 13 points, Sanders had nine points, followed by Trey Antwine with six points, Owens and Ledger Folsom with each with four points and Amos Wright with a free throw.

In the Vian girls’ consolation quarterfinal victory over Haskell, the Lady Wolverines rallied from a 43-39 fourth-quarter deficit bey ending the game with a 13-3 run, capped by Buttery’s free throw with 28 seconds left, to get the come-from-behind win.

For the game, Russell scored a gamehigh 18 points and Buttery added 13 points to lead Vian, followed by Lovell with seven points, Bostyn Rodgers and Kiah Richardson with four points each and Tucker and Raylan McEver with three points apiece.