Jeff Kaley
WAURIKA — Taking a big lead early has it’s benefits, and Bray-Doyle’s basketball teams experienced two of those advantages Friday night.
The Lady Donkeys burst to a commanding lead in the first 12-1/2 minutes of their season-opener against Waurika, and cruised to a 58-34 win.
In the nightcap at Eagles Gymnasium, Bray-Doyle’s boys also put Waurika in a deep hole quickly, but in the end, the Donks needed nearly every point of that advantage, as the Eagles clawed their way back, before dropping a 53-47 decision.
Darian Dickson had to be feeling good at the outset, as B-D zipped to a 19-2 lead in the first 9-1/2 minutes of the boys game.
While Waurika missed its first 13 field goal attempts, the Donks opened a 14-2 lead in the first period and then got a 3-pointer from Hayden Dickson and a drive from the wing by Jesse Barton that upped the margin to 19-2, with 6:49 remaining in the half.
Levi Henderson, who led the Eagles with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, finally delivered WHS’ first field goal at the 5:59 mark. That triggered a 12-2 run and, suddenly, the tempo changed.
By halftime, Waurika had pulled to within 24-16, and when Henderson dropped in a pair of buckets in the first minute of the third quarter, the Eagles closed the gap to 26-20.
Sparked by a pair of baskets each from Logan Mayes and Corbin Byford, who paced all scores with 19 tallies, the Donkeys responded with a 10-2 flurry and appeared to have reestablished control with a 36-22 edge.
Appearances were deceiving. In the final three minutes of the third period, Henderson scored five points in a 10-2 run, and the Eagles, playing for the first time for new coach Brad Hunt, were trailing just 38-32.
Things got even tighter under the B-D collar down the stretch, as Waurika got two key plays from some unexpected sources.
With 5:31 remaining, guard Joey Romero made a behind-the-back pass to Jace Dunn, and the senior who hadn’t played
basketball since junior high, laid in a bucket that pulled WHS within 42-38.
In the next two minutes, the Donks got a bucket from Barton and the Eagles countered with two free throws from Brady Clark that left B-D in front, 44-40.
But on Bray-Doyle’s next possession, Eagles sophomore Blake Latta, who had just entered a varsity game for the first time, came up with a steal and lay-up.
The Donks’ lead had withered to 44-42.
However, the Eagles would never get closer. Showing why they’re considered one of the top 15 teams in Class A, the Donks got six points from Byford down the stretch and held on for a six-point win.
“It was a loss, but it was a loss you can live with. I think we surprised a whole bunch of people, including (the Donkeys),” Hunt said. “We missed enough free throws (9-for-21) and we were zero-for-13 on field goals at one time. But to only lose by six and have a change to go ahead late in the game, I have no complaints.
“We played hard and I think the kids started to believe in what we want to do.”
Byford had a team-high nine rebounds to go with his 19 points, while the Donks also got 12 points from Dickson and 10 from Mayes.
Also having problems at the foul stripe (9-for-20), B-D offset that by shooting at a 47.7 clip from the field, while the Eagles finished at 38 percent.
Fuller chipped in eight points for WHS, and Driggers added six.
GIRLS
Bray-Doyle 58, Waurika 34
In contrast to what would happen later to their male counterparts, the Lady Donkeys came out rockin’ and didn’t really stop until the game was far out of the Lady Eagles’ reach.
Beka Gates scored 12 of her game-high 23 points in the first quarter, as B-D led by as much as 20-2 in the initial stanza and rolled to a 24-point decision.
Waurika didn’t get its first points of the new season until DaVida England hit a turnaround from the paint with 5:46 remaining in the first quarter. And it took another 4:04 for the Lady Eagles to score again, when a 3-pointer by freshman Andrea Kerchee stopped a barrage of 13 straight Lady Donks’ points.
Bray-Doyle had a 26-7 lead at the first pause and led by as much as 31-9 in the first five minutes of the second period. The Lady Eagles then put together a brief run, getting a bucket from Kelsi Dennard, a 3-pointer from Kerchee and a follow-up from Amber Hall to narrow the gap to 31-16.
Still, Sarah Justus’ backdoor bucket put the Lady Donkeys in front, 33-16, at halftime, and they quickly extended the margin to 37-16 in the first minute of the third frame, on a stick-back from Gates and a steal and lay-up by Shayla Bingham.
Bray-Doyle was cruising, 49-23, going into the fourth quarter.
Gates hit 9 of 15 shots from the field in accumulating 23 tallies, while Justice added 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Shelby Copeland chipped in nine points.
In its debut for new skipper Joe Masoner, Waurika got a team-high 12 points from Kerchee, all coming on 3-point shots. Hall added seven points.
Although the Lady Eagles were able to match B-D on the boards, getting seven caroms from Carly Norton and six from Kerchee, they had 29 turnovers by the Lady Donks aggressive defense.
“We got rattled early and I knew Bray-Doyle would pressure us, because that’s where we also had problems last year,” Masoner said. “We got rattled trying to handle the ball, and instead of calming down and doing what we can do, we tried to force things and make plays that weren’t there.”
GIRLS
BRAY-DOYLE 58, WAURIKA 34
Bray-Doyle 26 7 16 — 58
Waurika 7 9 7 11 — 34
BRAY-DOYLE (1-0) — Gates 23, Justus 18, Copeland 9, Stone 3, Bingham 2, Hatfield 1. Totals — 23-56 8-19 58. 3-point goals: Gates 3, Copeland 1.
WAURIKA (0-1) — Kerchee 12, Hall 7, England 4, McCauley 4, Dennard 4, A. Gomez 2, Brandon 1. Totals — 14-40 2-5 34. 3-point goals: Kerchee 4.
BOYS
BRAY-DOYLE 53, WAURIKA 47
Bray-Doyle 14 10 14 15 — 53
Waurika 2 14 16 15 — 47
BRAY-DOYLE (1-0) — Byford 19, Dickson 12, Mayes 10, Barton 6, Tucker 4, Smith 2. Totals — 21-44 9-20 53. 3-point goals: Dickson 2.
WAURIKA (0-1) — Henderson 18, Fuller 8, Driggers 6, Clark 3, Harris 3, Brown 2, Romero 2, Dunn 2, Latta 2, Gomez 1. Totals — 19-50 9-21 47.
