Bertha Teague Holiday Classic Day 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A Holiday Tradition in Oklahoma for 48 straight years, the Bertha Frank Teague Holiday Classic gets under way this week on the campus of East Central University. An extremely deep field is set for action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howe (#2 Class 2A) vs. Kingfisher (#5 Class 4A)- A big final period (13 point advantage for Kingfisher) was enough to clinch a double digit win against Howe in the first game of the day. [player_tooltip player_id='1550182' first='Reese' last='Roof']'s hot shooting night sparked a collective effort for a Kingfisher squad that hasn't lose since an earlier meeting with Washington this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Merritt (#3 Class 2A) vs. Keys (#8 Class 3A)- Keys held Merritt star player [player_tooltip player_id='921894' first='Marlie' last='Mong'] scoreless in the fourth quarter (she had 16 for the game) as they were able to erase a fourth quarter deficit to advance to the second round. Keys also did a great job on Merritt 20ppg scorer Allie Britton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kiowa (#2 Class B-1) vs. Washington (#1 Class 3A)- the only game that wasn't tightly contested on opening day, Class B-1 top contender Kiowa ran into a buzzsaw against Washington. Anytime the defending State Champion can bring back most of their team and add a freshman as good as [player_tooltip player_id='1542324' first='Bentli' last='Brantley'], everyone else is going to be in trouble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Latta (#7 Class 2A) vs Lomega (#1 in B-2)- Lomega came into Bertha Teague leading the entire state in points per game (73.5, just ahead of their semi-final opponent Washington). While they wouldn't touch their season average on this night, it was still enough to put away a very good Latta team in the fourth quarter. Lomega coach Kevin Lewallen has a pretty cool link to the Hall of Fame namesake of the tournament, as he is currently tied with Bertha Teague for most State Championship wins, and will have a chance to break the tie this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1208963"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69548623ebdef"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">14 point and 11 rebound double-double for the uber talented sophomore. Huge fourth quarter, an And-1 putback with under a minute left gave the Lady Raiders a 6 point lead to ice the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["578004"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6952fa8be7745"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">MVP of the Tournament her Sophomore season, Beller was stellar in last season's tournament as Washington fell to Dale in the Finals. A 3 sport State Champion, Bellar got some state-wide attention for stepping up as the place-kicker for a very good Washington football team. Fans of the Bertha Teague are lucky to get to see her play in the tournament for one more go-round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1550182"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6952fa8be785e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Red hot from behind the arc, going 6-for-10 from three. Reese has a quick, one-motion release that makes her shot tough to come contest. Kingfisher looks like such a more poised team from when I saw them last year as players have gained a year of experience.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["992466"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695497d1c9a38"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Zodrow sisters came up big in the first round, as yet another game came down to fourth quarter heroics. Paizlee scored 13 in the game while Payton added 12. I enjoyed the defensive matchups against Mong as each guard was trying to get downhill while going against tough physical defense. No easy cuts, no easy entry passes in this ball game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1542324"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695497d1c9a77"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">First saw Brantley when she was a 6th grader at K-8 Blanchard, and coaches were already curious as to where she would play HS ball. Powerhouse Washington has been able to plug her in and she immediately catches your eye. Lefty jumper, shifty in traffic, plays with a unique swagger and intensity for a freshman. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->