GIRLS BASKETBALL: McAlester regional runner-ups, advance to area

Feb. 27—After a hard-fought battle, the Lady Buffs are heading to the next round.

McAlester faced off against Sapulpa in the Class 5A Region 1 finals, where the Lady Buffs fell 81-39 — but are still advancing to the area tournament.

Sapulpa got its offense working quickly, jumping out to a 26-2 lead after the opening quarter. But in the second quarter, the Lady Buffs began attacking the basket and forcing their way to the free throw line.

Elizabeth Milligan, Stevie Stinchcomb, and Kaydance Beshear all added in foul shots to help get the McAlester offense rolling. Later, Stinchcomb would find Milligan driving through the lane to add to the score for the Lady Buffs, who found themselves down 42-12 at the half.

But McAlester didn't let the deficit keep them down, and came out of the locker room ready for another half of battle. Stinchcomb drilled a triple, sending the Lady Buffs bench to their feet.

Later in the quarter, Milligan would add a triple herself, followed by a Stinchcomb bucket to help keep the Lady Buffs moving forward. Jada Ponce would then add a drive through the lane and around a defender to put the ball in the net. But the Sapulpa offense answered with shots of their own to lead 67-29 after three quarters.

McAlester kept up the fight to the final buzzer, but would ultimately be named as regional runner-ups — and advance to the next round.

Stinchcomb led the way with 17 points, followed by Milligan with 13 points, and Madigan Griffin with four points.

The Lady Buffs will next play on Thursday in the opening round of the area tournament, with the site and tipoff time to be announced.

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.