Lady Buffs hold off Will Rogers for third-place win at Tahlequah Tourney
Dec. 9—The Lady Buffs are coming home with some hardware.
McAlester took on Will Rogers Saturday in its final game at the Tahlequah Tournament, where the Lady Buffs held off the Lady Ropers 65-61 for the third-place win.
Tori Kilburn and Katie Allen helped put the Lady Buffs out front early, but the Lady Ropers answered to keep the game either tied or within a possession. Madi VanDorpe found Rylee Forehand in transition for a score, and Forehand returned the favor to VanDorpe the next time down the floor — leading to a 17-15 McAlester lead.
Avery Alberson fed Allen for a baseline bucket to start the second, and free throws from Allen and Kilburn kept the game tied at 22-22 with 6:25 to play as McAlester called a timeout. On the other side, the Lady Buffs rattled off an 11-2 run featuring points from Beaudee Nystrom and Allen to put McAlester back out front.
But the Lady Ropers weren't done yet, using a scoring run of their own to end the half tied at 37-37.
Rogers opened the second half on a 7-0 run, stopped by a free throw from Nystrom and a layup by Allen to pull the Lady Buffs back within four as McAlester called a timeout with 4:05 to play. Alberson nabbed a steal and found Allen in transition, tying up the game once more.
The Lady Ropers rattled off another quick run, but an Allen triple and Kilburn put-back pushed the Lady Buffs back into the lead. Rogers answered with a 4-0 run to end the quarter, holding a narrow three-point lead.
Rogers scored three quick points to start the fourth, but McAlester responded with scores from Nystrom, Allen, and Jada Ponce to tie up the game at 55-55 with six minutes left to play. After trading a pair of scores, Kilburn posted up for two more points to give the Lady Buffs a 59-57 lead with 3:12 remaining.
McAlester kept pushing on both ends of the floor, rattling off a 6-2 run to lead 65-59 with 1:04 to play. The Lady Ropers got a score, but McAlester held off any further baskets to seal away the win.
Allen led the Lady Buffs with 22 points, followed by Kilburn with 19 points, Nystrom with nine points, VanDorpe with five points, Ti'Heiress Davis and Ponce with four points each, and Forehand with a bucket.
Next up for McAlester, the Lady Buffs will return home Tuesday to host district foe Tulsa Edison in the McAlester Activity Center.
