Sports
Lady Broncos' dream is Jaguars' nightmare
Brendan Hoover
OKLAHOMA CITY--Midway through the fourth quarter of the Mustang girls game at the Ford Center on Friday afternoon, support staff for the Oklahoma City/New Orleans Hornets had arrived and were beginning to set up electrical equipment for the game that night against the Memphis Grizzlies as the Lady Broncos made their way up court on offense. Junior guard Kaitlin Ellison fired a dish to junior forward Lacy Ramon for an easy layup to give Mustang a 49-28 lead over the Westmoore Lady Jaguars.
More than one head turned from the computers, printers, and cables to watch Ellison drop the dime.
“Nice pass,” one of the workers said as the Mustang fans cheered in the stands on the other side of the court, the sound rising and echoing off the empty seats in Loud City. The affirmation came from an apparent objective and impartial observer, an unqualified compliment for a true and pure basketball play.
When you are undefeated and ranked number one in the state, these things happen.
The Lady Broncos stayed perfect on the Court of Dreams, defeating the Lady Jaguars 55-32 in front of approximately 400 fans.
Junior Forward Jordan Pyle led the way for Mustang with a game-high 22 points, 12 in the first half.
“Jordan’s playing really well right now,” head coach Nichole Copeland said after the game.
Senior Kasey Tweed contributed nine points in the game. Ramon chipped in seven. Junior guard Brittnay Prandy made two threes in the first half and finished with 6 points. Senior forward Julie Lofland scored five points off the bench. Junior Autumn Foley had four points. Ellison finished with two points.
The Lady Broncos came out at the start of the second half with a 29-19 lead. After both teams traded turnovers in the first possessions of the half, Prandy assisted a Pyle layup on the right side of the basket to make the score 31-19 with 6:30 to go in the quarter.
Mustang played good defense in the third quarter, contesting every rebound and loose ball, leading to multiple Westmoore turnovers.
Then Foley hit a 15-foot jumper, Ramon converted back-to-back field goals, and Ellison made two free throws to give the Lady Broncos a 39-23 lead with 2:15 to go in the third.
Prandy forced a Lady Jaguar turnover with just over a minute remaining in the quarter, leading to an Ellison layup, making the score 41-25.
Lofland assisted to Ramon for a layup off another Westmoore turnover and the Lady Broncos defense denied a last second shot to end the quarter with a 43-25 lead.
Back-to-back Pyle baskets to start the fourth extended the Mustang lead to 47-25.
Lofland hit two free throws with 2:38 to go in the game to give the Lady Broncos their largest lead of the game at 55-28.
Senior guard Christina Wilson and Junior guard Karmin Smith entered the game in the final minutes, helping the Lady Broncos hold Westmoore to four points in the last 4:29.
And although the Lady Broncos came away with their 5-0 season intact on the biggest stage in Oklahoma City, the game itself was not perfect.
Mustang started the game a little flat, missing their first several shots and making some uncharacteristically lazy passes. They trailed 6-4 with 4:47 to go in the first as Lady Jaguar junior Brittany Burge scored two of her seven points in the game.
“We were sloppy with the basketball,” Copeland said. “We unofficially had 10 turnovers in the first half, eight of them in the second quarter.”
But Copeland did not attribute the Lady Broncos’ slow first half to Ford Center nerves or the expanse of the arena.
“I think it was more like ‘we already played and beat them.’ We didn’t come out with a lot of intensity. But we made some adjustments (in the second half). They set a couple of traps on ball screens, we got some steals, and that made it easier,” she said.
Copeland, who was an assistant coach for the Lady Jaguars, helping them win a state championship in 1999, had good things to say of her former team.
“Westmoore is the best team we’ve played so far, and we beat them twice,” she said.
The Lady Broncos are playing in the Mid-America Tournament in Ada this Thursday through Saturday, and are back at home Jan. 5 to take on Edmond North.
Lady Broncos' dream is Jaguars' nightmare
Brendan Hoover
OKLAHOMA CITY--Midway through the fourth quarter of the Mustang girls game at the Ford Center on Friday afternoon, support staff for the Oklahoma City/New Orleans Hornets had arrived and were beginning to set up electrical equipment for the game that night against the Memphis Grizzlies as the Lady Broncos made their way up court on offense. Junior guard Kaitlin Ellison fired a dish to junior forward Lacy Ramon for an easy layup to give Mustang a 49-28 lead over the Westmoore Lady Jaguars.
More than one head turned from the computers, printers, and cables to watch Ellison drop the dime.
“Nice pass,” one of the workers said as the Mustang fans cheered in the stands on the other side of the court, the sound rising and echoing off the empty seats in Loud City. The affirmation came from an apparent objective and impartial observer, an unqualified compliment for a true and pure basketball play.
When you are undefeated and ranked number one in the state, these things happen.
The Lady Broncos stayed perfect on the Court of Dreams, defeating the Lady Jaguars 55-32 in front of approximately 400 fans.
Junior Forward Jordan Pyle led the way for Mustang with a game-high 22 points, 12 in the first half.
“Jordan’s playing really well right now,” head coach Nichole Copeland said after the game.
Senior Kasey Tweed contributed nine points in the game. Ramon chipped in seven. Junior guard Brittnay Prandy made two threes in the first half and finished with 6 points. Senior forward Julie Lofland scored five points off the bench. Junior Autumn Foley had four points. Ellison finished with two points.
The Lady Broncos came out at the start of the second half with a 29-19 lead. After both teams traded turnovers in the first possessions of the half, Prandy assisted a Pyle layup on the right side of the basket to make the score 31-19 with 6:30 to go in the quarter.
Mustang played good defense in the third quarter, contesting every rebound and loose ball, leading to multiple Westmoore turnovers.
Then Foley hit a 15-foot jumper, Ramon converted back-to-back field goals, and Ellison made two free throws to give the Lady Broncos a 39-23 lead with 2:15 to go in the third.
Prandy forced a Lady Jaguar turnover with just over a minute remaining in the quarter, leading to an Ellison layup, making the score 41-25.
Lofland assisted to Ramon for a layup off another Westmoore turnover and the Lady Broncos defense denied a last second shot to end the quarter with a 43-25 lead.
Back-to-back Pyle baskets to start the fourth extended the Mustang lead to 47-25.
Lofland hit two free throws with 2:38 to go in the game to give the Lady Broncos their largest lead of the game at 55-28.
Senior guard Christina Wilson and Junior guard Karmin Smith entered the game in the final minutes, helping the Lady Broncos hold Westmoore to four points in the last 4:29.
And although the Lady Broncos came away with their 5-0 season intact on the biggest stage in Oklahoma City, the game itself was not perfect.
Mustang started the game a little flat, missing their first several shots and making some uncharacteristically lazy passes. They trailed 6-4 with 4:47 to go in the first as Lady Jaguar junior Brittany Burge scored two of her seven points in the game.
“We were sloppy with the basketball,” Copeland said. “We unofficially had 10 turnovers in the first half, eight of them in the second quarter.”
But Copeland did not attribute the Lady Broncos’ slow first half to Ford Center nerves or the expanse of the arena.
“I think it was more like ‘we already played and beat them.’ We didn’t come out with a lot of intensity. But we made some adjustments (in the second half). They set a couple of traps on ball screens, we got some steals, and that made it easier,” she said.
Copeland, who was an assistant coach for the Lady Jaguars, helping them win a state championship in 1999, had good things to say of her former team.
“Westmoore is the best team we’ve played so far, and we beat them twice,” she said.
The Lady Broncos are playing in the Mid-America Tournament in Ada this Thursday through Saturday, and are back at home Jan. 5 to take on Edmond North.
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