Dragons third at Verdigris

Kobe Freeman has been on a scoring tear since the Christmas break pouring in 58 points in three games in the Verdigris Tournament leading the Dragons to two victories last weekend.

Purcell knocked off Mannford 70-43 in the opening round before dropping a close game in the semifinals to Coweta, 55-51.

The Dragons bounced back for a 57-43 victory over Wagoner when four players finished in double digit scoring.

Freeman led the point parade with 15 with Kylen DeFreeze right on his heels with 14. Seth Bunch, who scored 41 in the tournament, finished with 13 and Jaime Resendiz added 12.

Purcell actually trailed at halftime, 28-25 but out-scored the Bulldogs 32-16 in the final two periods to post the victory.

That leveled coach Roger Raper’s club at 5-5 on the season.

Resendiz scored 28 points in the three games of the tournament while DeFreeze finished with 26 for the weekend.

Freeman torched the nylons for 29 in a 72-57 setback at Bridge Creek to open the post-Christmas portion of the schedule.

“After going into Bridge Creek, who is a very good team, and playing extremely soft these guys bounced back strong,” Raper said.

“We really challenged them to play tougher and more aggressive on both ends going into the Verdigris Tournament.  I was extremely proud of how they responded.

Winning third place and being just a few mistakes away from playing in the finals, we had several kids step up,” the coach continued.

Freeman was named to the All-Tournament team. His seven game streak of scoring at least 20 points came to an end versus Coweta where he finished with 19.

“Seth Bunch, Kylen DeFreeze, Brayden Tharp and Jaime Resendiz all showed how they are capable of playing in this tournament,” Raper said.

“Tharp was a defensive menace throughout the tournament, the coach said. “We also out rebounded our opponents throughout the tournament something, we have been lacking as of late.

“I am super proud of their improvement and we look for even more as we gain experience,” Raper concluded.

Coach Toney Cooper’s Dragons got off to a blistering start coming back from Christmas torching Bridge Creek 72-39.

Purcell had three players in double figures led by Kenna Esparza’s 15. Jenna Avery cut the strings for a dozen while Ella Resendiz added 11.

The Dragons had their undefeated season interrupted at Verdigris, however, losing two of the three games they played.

Purcell topped Mannford 55-49 in the second round after getting tripped by Tahlequah in the opener, 59-42.

In that contest Kori Rainwater had 20 free throw attempts while the Tigers made 19 of their 26 charity tosses. Purcell had 10 attempts at the line as a team.

Esparza, who knocked down 31 points in the three games, led all scorers in the Tahlequah contest with 14.

“We knew Tahlequah would be a tough game for us. Drawing the one seed always comes with challenges,” Cooper said.

“Early on we were able to have some success offensively. Trailing only four at the half we felt really good going into the second half.

“Unfortunately, that is where we saw the majority of our 18 turnovers.

“They turned up their intensity defensively and took back control of the pace. They are such an experienced team and it showed,” Cooper said.

Hadleigh Harp cut the strings for 12 in the Mannford victory. Joining here in double digits were Esparza and Avery, both with 11.

“We were excited to get back on the court after a disappointing day one,” the coach confirmed.

Playing another highly ranked team our girls were ready for the challenge. Hadleigh played an incredible game on both ends of the floor,” Cooper said.

She not only led the offense but guarded their best player.

“Our back court controlled the pace. We got solid contributions from everyone, definitely proud of how we responded to taking our first defeat the day before,” he said.

In the loss to Verdigris, Haven Buchanan and Harp led the scoring with 11 each.

“This was an exciting game,” Cooper said. “Playing the host school we faced a  good crowd.

“We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter but came back strong to get back in the game in the second.

“Fouls hurt us. We put them on the line 26 times. I was extremely proud of our effort. Haven Buchanan was incredible. She stepped up big in the second half particularly when foul trouble affected our rotation. Hadleigh Harp continued her strong play as well, dropping 11 to match Buchanan.

Harp scored 28 points in the three games while Winters, Resendiz and Avery all scored 18 points in the tournament.

“Overall, completely proud of our team. Competing against top 10 teams in both 4A and 5A each round was good for us.

“We continue to improve with every opportunity to compete,” Cooper concluded.

The Dragons took an 8-2 record into Tuesday night’s home contest with Marlow.

This coming Friday night, the girls will play second due to homecoming.

Homecoming will be at 6 p.m. with the boys game starting at 6:30 p.m.