BOYS BASKETBALL: Isenbart, Zebras' 3-point shooting sends Claremore past Bishop Kelley

Feb. 7—If the Zebras missed their leading scorer Will Jones — who was out with a torn ligament in his right foot — they certainly didn't show it.

Claremore — led by senior guard Adam Isenbart — put on a 3-point bonanza, hitting 12 perimeter shots on the way to avenging last month's District 5A-3 loss to Bishop Kelley with a 62-45 victory Tuesday night. Isenbart made four of those, finishing with a game-high 14 points and three rebounds.

"We knew he could shoot the basketball, and he's done a good job for us," Claremore coach Tommy Nolan said. "Early on, we just had to get him consistent and get him in the flow of everything we're trying to do. He stepped in tonight and did a really good job and brought a lot of energy. He's done that a couple of games for us, but especially early on tonight."

However, it wasn't Isenbart who started the Zebras' shooting extravaganza. That honor belonged to Hayden Lee.

With the Comets (11-9, 7-4) leading 5-0 more than halfway through the first quarter, the sophomore guard took a pass from Walker Dunaway near the top of the key and banked in a 3-pointer for Claremore's first points at the 3:41 mark. Despite the slow start, that triple served as a catalyst for the team's ensuing success.

Isenbart's first 3-ball gave the Zebras a 6-5 lead, and though Bishop Kelley quickly regained its edge with the next four points, Claremore (11-9, 4-7) was only getting started.

Just before the end of the first period, Gunner Holm gathered a skip pass from Dunaway and quickly launched a 3, the ball rolling off the rim and through the net as the buzzer sounded. The senior's buzzer-beater gave the Zebras an 11-9 edge going into the second, and they never trailed again.

It was also the second basket of a 17-1 run, which saw Teegan Mann hit two 3-pointers and Isenbart one as Claremore ballooned its lead to 23-10 before the Comets made another field goal. As a result, the Zebras went into halftime with a 26-15 lead.

Claremore scored five of the second half's first seven points to extend its advantage to 31-17, but Bishop Kelley answered with an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to a manageable six-point spread at 34-28 with 2:54 remaining in the third.

Not to be outdone, the Zebras responded with a 12-2 surge to end the frame, with Lee and Isenbart making a pair of 3-balls during that stretch to give them a comfortable 46-30 lead going into the final period.

"That's just the way we play," Nolan said of his team's 3-point shooting prowess. "Honestly, we're undersized, and we try to attack the rim and do some different things, but our guys do a good job of shooting. We have some guys who can shoot it, so that kind of plays to our strengths. One of the things we were trying to do was get the 3-ball going early, get them (Bishop Kelley) to come out and then try to attack the rim later in the game."

That wasn't the end of the 3-point shooting, though.

The Comets got in on the action with a 3 from Will Essman to open the quarter, but Isenbart and Eli Rodgers repaid the favor with a pair of 3-pointers, giving Claremore its biggest lead of the game at 52-33.

Mann later tallied a traditional three-point play, and Michael Tarver closed the grand offensive performance with a 3 to cap the Zebras' second-highest scoring performance of the season — trailing only their 67 points against Tahlequah in overtime on Jan. 23.

"This group has been resilient all year long," Nolan said. "It's a tough district we got into, and we knew it was going to be a grind night in and night out. They do a good job every day of competing in practice and being coachable. I'm just very proud of them."

Mann finished with 11 points, and Rex Clark added 10 and a game-high six rebounds. Rodgers and Lee, who both made two 3-pointers, had notable performances as well with eight and seven points, respectively, while combining for three boards.

As for Jones' status, his senior season might not be over just yet despite the injury.

"He got hurt last Tuesday night driving to the rim against East Central," Nolan said. "He fell and someone fell on top of him and just kind of twisted it up and tore a ligament. We're hoping to get him back sometime next week. We're doing a lot of rehabilitation to get him going."

Essman paced Bishop Kelley with 10 points and four rebounds, and Luis Raab grabbed a team-high five rebounds alongside nine points while Jack Taylor managed nine points and one board. Those three, along with Beau Goodwin, accounted for the team's four 3-balls.

With so many successful shots from both teams, rebounding as a whole was at a premium. Claremore and the Comets combined for only 41 rebounds — the former winning the battle 22-19. However, Bishop Kelley did edge the Zebras on the offensive glass 7-6.

Claremore returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Grove before closing the regular season with a home-and-home series against rival Pryor at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"We still have three big district games left, so it's really nice this year that every one of these games count, whereas in years past they (the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association) already had everything locked up," Nolan said.