Priceville’s season came to an end on Monday with a 56-52 overtime loss to the Rogers Lady Pirates in the Northwest Regional Tournament.
Rogers entered the game ranked No. 5 while Priceville was the No. 1 team in Class 4A.
The Lady Pirates opened the game by hitting two three-pointers as they started on an 8-0 run. Priceville worked their way back into the game by outscoring Rogers 9-6 over the final four minutes to cut the lead to six points, 15-9 as the quarter ended.
The Lady Pirates extended their lead to 18-11 before Priceville took control of the second quarter. The Lady Bulldogs closed out the quarter on an 18-3 run sparked by their bench. Lannah Johnson hit back to back three-pointers to go along with Brianna Marquette’s six points to lead the Lady Bulldogs resurgence. Priceville went to halftime holding a 29-21 lead.
Priceville extended their lead to nine points as they outscored the Lady Pirates 5-4 over the first few minutes of the third quarter. Rogers hit four three-pointers during a 12-4 run to get them back in the game. Heading to the fourth quarter the Lady Bulldogs held on to a one-point lead, 38-37.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to three less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Rogers proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to give the Lady Pirates a two-point lead, 44-42 with 3:55 remaining. Over the next three minutes, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead, 48-44. Over the final 38.4 seconds of the quarter, Rogers outscored Priceville 6-2 which included a Madie Krieger lay-up at the buzzer to tie the game at 50.
Foul trouble plagued the Lady Bulldogs most of the second half and they headed to overtime down two starters, Jenna Walker and Kassie Duran, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs got on the board first in the overtime period with two Skyler Benson free throws to give them a 52-50 lead. The Lady Pirates held Priceville scoreless the final three minutes as they would go on to hit six free throws to close out the game.
Priceville (24-6) was led by Benson’s 12 points while Kathleen Wheeler finished her high school career with her seventh double-double of the season, 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Rogers (29-3) was led by Kreiger who scored a game-high 24 points while Gabby Davis and Gloria Pounders each added eight points.
“That was a very tough loss, but I’m proud of the fight and effort that was left on the court today,” said Priceville Coach Terrie Nelson. “Rogers has a great team. They are fundamentally sound and have great shooters.”
“We had great minutes from a lot of younger players,” said Nelson. “These younger players got a taste, and I think they’ll come back next year hungry.”
Final Game
The game with Rogers game marked the final time that Kathleen Wheeler, Skyler Benson, Kassie Duran, and Mauriene Clark would take the floor in a Priceville uniform.
Wheeler has been a part of the varsity team since her eighth-grade year. She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer for the Lady Bulldogs with 2,044 points. She scored in double digits in every game this season on her way to averaging 19.8 points per game. She also led Priceville with 6.7 rebounds per game. She was a part of 78 victories during her career. She has signed with Samford University.
Benson has been a part of the varsity team since her freshman year. She finished her career having scored more than 1350 points, good for third on the Priceville scoring list. She finished her season with an average of 13.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. She was a part of 72 victories during her career. She has signed to play volleyball with Snead State.
“Kathleen and Skyler have been program-changing players. I can’t say enough about what they have done for future generations of little Priceville Lady Bulldogs,” said Nelson. “Both will continue on playing basketball and volleyball in college and I can’t wait to watch them be successful in everything they do.”
Kassie Duran has been a part of the varsity team the last two seasons. She has been an integral part of this year’s team doing the little things such as diving on the floor for loose balls and forcing bad passes with her defense.
Mauriene Clark has been a part of the varsity team the last two seasons.
Coach Nelson had the following to say about her four seniors, “They have been a fantastic group to coach and very special teammates. They are leaving behind a legacy. All four contributed to our team in many different ways. Their contributions were all needed for the success of this team. These girls have paid it forward to the next group of Lady Bulldogs.”
