BOYS BASKETBALL: Buffs edge Broken Bow in home win

Dec. 8—This one went down to the wire.

McAlester (2-1) faced off against 4A-No. 18 Broken Bow (2-1) inside Bob Brumley Gymnasium on Tuesday, with the Buffs taking the 82-81 win.

Broken Bow opened the game with a triple, but Adante Holiman drove through the lane to put the Buffs on the board.

As Broken Bow attempted to try to create some space, the Buffs responded by feeding Garrett Pickett to under the bucket to keep pace.

Later, Adonis Holiman drilled a triple to tie the game at 13-13. He would then follow that up with another fadeaway three — but Broken Bow answered to take a 19-16 lead after the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Broken Bow scored seven quick points to push further out front. That's when Adante Holiman swished a three, later followed by one from Jake Forehand to cut into the deficit.

Adante Holiman sank one from the right side corner, then next dished the ball to Pickett on the opposite block on the next possession for a bucket.

The Buffs kept pushing offensively, powering out to the lead. A floater by Bryson Martin and a pair of free throws each from Adante Holiman and Pickett saw McAlester take a 39-35 lead heading into the locker room.

On the other side of the half, Martin opened scoring for the Buffs with a reverse layup. Broken Bow responded by hitting a three, but McAlester answered with a bucket from Evan Black.

After trading free throws, Adonis Holiman would then make his way through traffic, floating up a shot into the net. He and Black would then add a pair of swishes from beyond the arc, extending the McAlester lead.

The Buffs kept applying pressure on both ends of the floor, with Adante Holiman nailing a long-distance triple to make it a 64-54 McAlester lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the opening of the final period, the Buffs gathered seven quick points to open the quarter. But Broken Bow found its own rhythm on offense, keeping just within striking distance of the Buffs.

Broken Bow hit a corner three with 2:45 remaining to cut the McAlester lead down to five. They'd later hit another, followed by a made three and a foul. The ensuing free throw was sank, leading to a 77-75 Broken Bow lead with 1:19 remaining.

Adante Holiman was fouled on the following offensive possession, and he made both of his free throws to tie the game.

The Buffs turned up the heat on defense, gathering in a rebound and finding Martin on the other end. He was fouled, and made the back end of his foul shots to take a one-point lead with 51.7 seconds remaining.

McAlester got another stop on defense, followed by an Adante Holiman layup. But Broken Bow would next find its way to the foul line and sank both shots, trimming the Buffs lead down to one.

A steal-and-score for Broken Bow gave the one-point lead back to the visitors, but McAlester next found itself with an inbounds play under the goal with 18.5 seconds remaining.

Adante Holiman's shot would just roll off, but Pickett would get his own rebound twice — finding purchase the second time to give McAlester the lead back with 6.6 seconds left on the clock.

The Buffs applied full-court pressure, with Broken Bow just getting across the half-court line. They'd send up a shot, but it bounced off the back of the rim — securing the win for the Buffs.

Adante Holiman finished with 40 points on the night, followed by Adonis Holiman with 15 points, and Pickett with eight points.

Next up for the Buffs, they'll travel to Tahlequah for tournament action — facing off against Bixby on Thursday in the opening round at 2:30 p.m.

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.