Jan. 14—SKIATOOK — Sometimes, halftime can be the worst thing possible for a team playing with a comfortable lead.
That was the case for Sequoyah, as a seven-point advantage late in the first half evaporated into a 35-29 loss to Victory Christian in the third-place game of the Skiatook Tournament on Monday at the Brooks Walton Activity Center.
The Lady Eagles appeared to be in control after building a 17-10 lead in the second quarter, but a pair of free throws from Glory Lambert just before halftime shifted momentum to the Lady Conquerors. Lambert’s free throws sparked an emphatic 11-0 run that stretched into the third quarter, during which Lambert scored seven-consecutive points while Canadee Farquhar and Brooke Bettis each added a basket.
Farquhar’s shot gave Victory Christian a 21-17 lead, marking the first time the Lady Conquerors led since the opening period.
Sequoyah never regained the advantage.
The Lady Eagles briefly trimmed the deficit to one at 23-22 early in the fourth quarter after two free throws by Cylie Bronson, but Victory Christian responded with a game-clinching surge as a three-point play by Sarahi Beltran, followed by three consecutive 3-pointers from Lambert, ballooned the Lady Conquerors’ lead to 35-24.
Sequoyah’s Lanie Thompson scored the final five points of the game, but the late effort wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
Lambert led Victory Christian with 17 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, while Bettis and Beltran chipped in with seven and nine points, respectively. Bettis also added a team-high seven rebounds while Betran contributed four.
For Sequoyah, Matison Kruis tallied a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds, while Thompson contributed seven points — all in the fourth quarter — and seven boards. Lexis Breshears dominated the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds to go with her four points.
Despite the loss, the Lady Eagles controlled the boards, outrebounding the Lady Conquerors 44-31, including a 21-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Bronson had five offensive rebounds while Breshears and Kruis had four apiece, and Thompson pulled down three.
Both teams committed 12 turnovers, and Sequoyah shot 5-of-8 from the free-throw line compared to Victory Christian’s 4-of-5.
SKIATOOK 40, SEQUOYAH 23
Sequoyah played two solid quarters, but the other two were nightmarish, leading to a 40-23 loss to Skiatook in the Skiatook Tournament semifinals Saturday.
The Lady Eagles were held scoreless in the first quarter and managed only two points in the third, leaving little chance to overcome the Lady Bulldogs’ hot start. Skiatook set the tone early, hitting three 3-pointers in the opening frame for a 12-0 lead.
Sequoyah didn’t score until Bronson sank a 3-pointer 45 seconds into the second quarter. The Lady Eagles found some rhythm offensively in the second quarter after that, but Skiatook’s 3-point shooting continued to stifle any hopes of a comeback.
Jada Massey hit a pair of 3s to keep Sequoyah at bay, stretching the lead to 19-7. Although Bronson hit another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 19-10, the Lady Bulldogs closed the half on an 8-1 run as Massey and Allie Franklin added two more 3-pointers, giving Skiatook seven from beyond the arc in the first half and a 27-11 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the second half with another 3-pointer, this time from Adilyn Whinery, and proceeded to outscore Sequoyah 9-2 in the third quarter. The Lady Eagles’ lone basket came from Peyton Breshears, as turnovers and missed opportunities continued to plague their offense.
Trailing 38-13 early in the fourth, Sequoyah finally put together a 7-0 run sparked by five points from Laylie Schiesel. A late 3-pointer from Thompson closed the game and gave the Lady Eagles some momentum heading into their next matchups.
Skiatook finished with eight 3-pointers and relied on balanced scoring led by Massey’s 12 points. Allie Franklin contributed nine points, and Aubrea Franklin controlled the boards with nine rebounds.
Bronson led Sequoyah with six points and three rebounds, while Kruis added eight rebounds but managed only three points. The Lady Eagles outrebounded Skiatook 37-29, including a 15-10 edge on the offensive glass, and shot 5-for-8 from the free-throw line compared to the Lady Bulldogs’ 4-of-14 performance, but they committed 24 turnovers.
