GIRLS BASKETBALL: McAlester takes dominant win over Broken Bow
Dec. 8—An early spark of offense turned into a explosion of points for the Lady Buffs.
No. 6 McAlester (3-0) faced off against Broken Bow (1-2) inside Bob Brumley Gymnasium on Tuesday, with the Lady Buffs bolting out to the 73-44 win.
McAlester struck first in the opening moments as Jada Ponce was fouled and hit two free throws to put the Lady Buffs on the board. But Broken Bow answered with a bucket to strike right back.
The two teams traded blows, fighting for the lead. That's when Stevie Stinchcomb drove the lane and hit a jumper, sparking an offensive run for McAlester.
Jayda Holiman next hit a pair of free throws, followed by a baseline jumper from Stinchcomb to extend the lead for the Lady Buffs.
Later, Holiman drilled a three to continue the scoring run, with Stinchcomb adding another bucket and Holiman knocking down a long jumper at the buzzer to cap off a 15-0 run — giving the Lady Buffs a 21-8 lead at the end of the first.
In the second, McAlester kept moving forward with its momentum.
Although Broken Bow hit a triple, Holiman answered with a cleanup bucket and a pair of free throws to make up the difference. Stinchcomb then stole an inbounds pass away from her opponent, lightly finger-rolling the ball into the circle for the score.
The offensive onslaught continued, leading to a dominant 42-14 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, a pair of buckets from Mariah Guyer and Stinchcomb sparked McAlester's movements once again. But defensive efforts for both teams began to take over, prompting Lady Buffs coach Jarrod Owen to call a timeout midway through the period.
The Lady Buffs responded with a big three by Holiman, and Kaydence Beshears later added a bucket of her own as McAlester took a 60-28 lead heading into the final period.
Pedal to the floor, the Lady Buffs marched toward the final buzzer. Raelynn Othole hit a shot, followed by a drive and score by Avery Alberson, as McAlester's younger members added in to the action.
The pressure on both ends of the floor continued, leading McAlester to the dominant home win.
Holiman led the way with 27 points, followed by Stinchcomb with 21 points, and Guyer with eight points.
Next up for the Lady Buffs, they'll travel to Tahlequah for tournament action — facing off against Muskogee on Thursday in the opening round at 1 p.m.
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
