BASKETBALL: Tuttle battles Bethany in state tourney
Mar. 7—OKLAHOMA CITY — The Lady Tigers never quit.
The eighth-ranked Tuttle girls advanced to the state tournament but had the unenviable task of trying to take down the top-ranked Bethany Lady Bronchos in the Class 4A quarterfinals Thursday. An early run gave the Lady Bronchos the separation they needed, but Tuttle still fought until the end in a 53-32 defeat to the 4A favorites.
The second-half score shows how the Lady Tigers continued to fight, even though they were already down double digits. After being outscored by 17 points in the first half, the Lady Tigers only lost the second half by four points.
Tuttle's defense was one reason the team kept the score closer in the first half compared to the first.
Bethany shot 55.6% from the field in the first half and scored 31 points. The Lady Tigers held the Lady Bronchos to just 22 points in the second half and just 36.4% from the field.
Close to the start of the game, Tuttle's Allie Rehl scored to cut Bethany's lead from 3-0 to 3-2. But Bethany went on its surge and led by double digits by the end of the first quarter.
Tuttle did go on a 5-0 run in the second quarter, but Bethany had already gained too much separation.
Rehl added another leading performance to her accomplished career at Tuttle. The senior led the team with 16 points, grabbing seven of the team's rebounds to lead in that category as well.
Samantha Teague added seven points and one of the team's two 3-pointers. Marissa Sandlin, Kinzley Battles, Mya Sisson and Ellie Dombek all scored in the loss.
Tuttle ended the season with a 21-8 record. Along the way, the Lady Tigers won a district title, regional title and area consolation title.
Tuttle also extended its string of state appearances to five seasons in a row. Tuttle has been to state six of the past seven seasons.
