Buffs earn high-octane win in Primus Moore Invitational opener

Jan. 4—The Buffs energy and tenacity sparked a fire on their home floor.

McAlester fought against Shawnee Thursday at the McAlester Activity Center in the nightcap of the Primus Moore Invitational first round, with the Buffs using a second-half surge to win 52-42 and advance to the semifinals.

Brandon Smith powered the Buffs into an early lead with four quick points, later adding a triple after a Shawnee timeout. DaVantrae McKendrick, Davien Pouncil, and De'Veion Bickham adding to the scoreboard on the way to a 15-7 McAlester lead after the opening period.

Shawnee nailed a triple courtesy of Angel Avitia to start the second quarter, but points from Smith and Alex Dooney answered for the Buffs. Dan Litherland nailed a pair of free throws for the Wolves to cut the lead to seven, but the Buffs later got buckets from Dooney and Garrett Pickett to extend it back out.

Shawnee nailed a shot in response for the Wolves, with Kaiden Duke following with one of his own for the Buffs to put McAlester up 25-15 at the break.

McKendrick opened up the second half with a score for the Buffs, with Daytain Patton drilling a bucket of his own for the Wolves. Aidan Siqueiros hit a jumper to further cut into the deficit, but Duke nailed a swishing three and next a runner and Bickham added a bucket to extend out to a 34-20 lead after three periods.

Bickham floated in a shot to start the fourth quarter. Shawnee earned three quick points off foul shots, with Duke adding in a cleanup bucket for McAlester to set off a back-and-fourth down the stretch.

Kayden Harris next nabbed a shot followed by back-to-back scores from Smith on fast-break opportunities to lead 44-27 midway through the period and force a Shawnee timeout.

McAlester kept its foot on the accelerator on both ends of the floor, sealing away the win and advancing in the winner's bracket.

Smith led the Buffs with 15 points, followed by Duke with nine points, McKendrick with eight points, Bickham and Pickett with six points each, Dooney with four points, and Pouncil and Harris with two points each.

Patton led the Wolves with 19 points, Litherland with 10 points, Siquerious with six points, Wilson and Avitia with three points each, and Beavers with a free throw.

Next up for McAlester, the Buffaloes will face Jenks Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the semifinal round, while the Wolves will battle Memorial's junior varsity at 11:30 a.m.

DURANT 53, WILL ROGERS 50

Will Rogers and Durant faced off in the opening boys game of the Primus Moore Invitational at McAlester, where the Lions held on for the 53-50 win over the Ropers.

The Ropers got on the board early, using buckets from Jay Oates III and Nehemiah Rhodes, as well as a triple from Terence Buckley to take the lead. Durant answered with points from Ryder Jones and Callaway Nabors, making it a 9-5 Will Rogers lead after the opening quarter.

In the second, the two teams traded buckets down the stretch, with the Ropers holding on to the 22-17 lead at the half.

D'Karrion Titsworth drilled a triple to help get Will Rogers moving after the break, but a later Nabors cleanup helped the Lions keep pace, with Jones and Jaylon Saxon adding buckets to trim the lead down to three.

After a back-and-forth, it'd be Durant taking the slim 34-33 lead heading into the fourth.

The two teams never stopped trading punches, but it'd be Durant holding on for the win.

Saxon led the Lions with 19 points, followed by labors with 12 points, Jones with 10 points, Braylen Lyday with five points, Kolton Mason with three points, and Landon Ringles with two points.

Buckley led the Ropers with 14 points, followed by Branden Crosslen and Cy Pete with 10 points each, Titsworth and Oates with six points each, and Rhodes and Josiah Hammons with two points each.

MUSKOGEE 67, SOUTHEAST 39

Muskogee and Southeast battled in the opening round of the Primus Moore Invitational at McAlester, where the Roughers used a second-half surge to win 67-39 to jump into the semifinals.

Southeast blasted out in front to start the game, taking an early 16-8 lead after the opening quarter. In the second, the Roughers answered with a run of their own to lead 27-24 at the halftime break.

In the third quarter, Muskogee blasted out of the gate. A massive run fueled by Javian Webber and EJ James saw the Roughers pull out to a 49-32 lead after three quarters.

The wave of momentum tipped the scales to the green and white, with Muskogee sealing away the win.

James led Muskogee with 25 points, followed by Webber with 15 points, Bryce Thornton with 12 points, Wesley Harvey with seven points, and Ramon Garcia, Isaac Shinault, and Traylin Reed with two points each.

Dai'Quan Jenkins led Southeast with 15 points, followed by Davon Chaffin with 13 points, Jacob Daniels with eight points, Lawrence Clayton with two points, and Cormel McDonald with a free throw.

Next up for Muskogee, the Roughers will face Durant Friday at 8:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Spartans will play Durant in the consolation semifinal at 2:30 p.m.

JENKS 62, MEMORIAL JV 36

Jenks faced off against Memorial's junior varsity squad Thursday at the Primus Moore Invitational, where the Trojans won 59-36 to advance into the semifinals.

Nehemiah Liggins and Xavier Williams pushed the Chargers into an early lead. But the Trojans responded with points from Carter Mundy and Evan Goodwin. That set off a back-and-forth, with Jenks taking an 11-8 lead into the second quarter.

Both teams kept swinging, looking for an edge over their opponent. But by the end of the half, it'd be the Trojans taking the 27-19 lead heading into the locker room.

Liggins and Kaleb Jackson helped the Chargers trim the deficit, but Jenks responded right back with points from Colter Adams and Jeff Fletcher. Goodwin added a three-point play, extending the lead for the Trojans on the way to a 46-33 lead after three quarters and riding the momentum through the fourth to the win.

Goodwin led the Trojans with 19 points, followed by Simian Gilkey with eight points, Mundy with seven points, Nate Lyon, Adams, Ace Gilliam, and Fletcher with four points each, Carson Mariska, Milo Stufflebeam, and Carter Mardis with three points each, and Ilias Tata with two points.

Williams led the Chargers with 14 points, followed by RJ Stevenson with 10 points, Jackson with seven points, Cam Hishaw with five points, Liggins with four points, and Jordan Alexander and Yodel Perez Franco with two points each.

Next up for Jenks, the Trojans will face the winner between McAlester and Shawnee Friday at 5:30 p.m., while the Chargers will face the loser at 11:30 a.m.

Here is the complete boys bracket for the inaugural Primus Moore Invitational:

THURSDAY, JAN. 4

G1: Durant 53, Will Rogers 50

G2: Muskogee 67, Southeast 39

G3: Jenks 62, Memorial JV 36

G4: McAlester 52, Shawnee 42

FRIDAY, JAN. 5

G5: Memorial JV vs. Shawnee, 11:30 a.m.

G6: Southeast vs. Will Rogers, 2:30 p.m.

G7: Jenks vs. McAlester, 5:30 p.m.

G8: Muskogee vs. Durant, 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 6

G9: Loser G5 vs. Loser G6, 11:30 a.m. (Seventh place)

G10: Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, 2:30 p.m. (Fifth place)

G11: Loser G7 vs. Loser G8, 5:30 p.m. (Third place)

G12: Winner G7 vs. Winner G8, 8:30 p.m. (Championship)

This post will be updated following games going final.