The No. 16 Eufaula Lady Ironheads (6-2) managed to defeat in-county rival Checotah 45-31 Tuesday night in the Perry Anderson Gymnasium. It was a battle from the opening tip as Eufaula relied on playing great defense while they drove to the paint offensively. Olivia Hamby battled the Lady Wildcats Nikia Carr for control of the paint. Ariel Greenlee put the Lady Ironheads on the board first but Logan Dowdy made a great steal and score to tie the game 2-2. Both teams exchanged scores. Carr gave Checotah the lead for a brief moment before Eufaula senior Johna Bumgarner made a threepoint shot to give the Lady Ironheads a 8-6 lead. Hamby then scored her free throws to end the period 10-6.
The second period was the time when Eufaula began to pull away. Eufaula outscored Checotah 14-3 in the second period to take a 24-13 lead into the halftime break.
Checotah struggled against Eufaula’s Greenlee, Hamby and Ava Neill. Hamby scored first in the third period on a well-guarded contested shot. The Lady Ironheads began to force turnovers and grab defensive rebounds. Lauren Gray scored her first three-point shot with 4:02 remaining in the third period, giving Eufaula a 29-9 lead. Carley Dismukes scored a three-point bucket to make it a 29-12 contest. Hannah Needham made a steal and score followed by Carr’s tough shot in the paint.
Turnovers were the Achilles heel for the Lady Wildcats. Just when you thought they gained momentum Checotah would turn the basketball over. Give credit to the Eufaula defense for closing down shooting lanes and forcing turnovers.
Checotah ended the period on a positive note when Shyanne Madewell made a steal and score followed by a three-pointer to end the third period trailing 3119.
Daisy Prince made a steal to start the final period and made a great pass to Madewell who hit a three-pointer to cut the Eufaula lead 31-22. On the following play Neill grabbed a rebound and passed it to Bumgarner who made a three-pointer.
The Lady Ironheads began to dominate the backboard as Neill, Bumgarner, Kristee Thompson and Neill each grabbed the next four rebounds.
Kalleigh York gave the Lady Wildcats some life as she made a threepointer (34-25) and on the next possession Dismukes made a steal only to be rejected on the other end of the court. Neill would score and then grab a rebound, pass it to Needham who got fouled. Needham made one of her two free throws to make it 37-25.
The Lady Wildcats struggled to finish but made a gallant effort as they scored 12 points in the final quarter. Madewell stole the ball and scored a threepointer to make it a 4429 game.
“I thought we played a solid defensive game. I’m so proud of how our crowd showed up. The gym was packed and a most inhospitable environment. This team never gave up. They played hard to the end,” Checotah head coach Wes Cloud said.
Both teams played extremely well in the final period. Madewell finished hard scoring the game’s last points and forcing a steal but it would be too little too late as the Eufaula Lady Ironheads would hang on to the 45-31 victory.
“I’m very proud of this team. They really did a good job tonight. We knew there would be a lot of emotions on the court playing Checotah. We started off slow but we found our groove and began to play Eufaula basketball. It was loud and exciting and it was great to be a part of it,” Eufaula coach Jason Radomski said.
Olivia Hamby led Eufaula with 14 points, Neill 10, Bumgarner eight, and Gray added five points.
Shyanne Madewell led Checotah with 14 points; Dismukes and Carr each scored five points.
Lady Wildcats defeat Muldrow for the first time
The Checotah Lady Wildcats defeated the Muldrow Lady Bulldogs for the first time in the modern era Tuesday night at the Checotah Event Center 39-38. Logan Dowdy had the hot hand for Checotah, scoring 14 points including four, three-point baskets. It was a great win for Checotah as head coach Wes Cloud saw his team give maximum effort. Nikia Carr scored 11 points and was great in the paint. Shyanne Madewell did a solid job of making assists and bringing the ball up court. She doubled-teamed most of the night as she still scored seven points.
“These are some great girls. They played their hearts out and it paid off for them. Muldrow has always had a great basketball program and for us to beat them on our home floor is fantastic,” Checotah head coach Wes Cloud said.
