Coach Matt Lohn’s Dragons went 2-1 in last weekend’s ECU Tournament at Ada and brought home the third place trophy.

Purcell brushed aside Idabel in the opening contest last Thursday, 43-40, led by Drew Blair’s 12 points.

The Dragons fought back after trailing 20-13 at halftime and out-scored the Warriors by 10 in the final two frames.

“I liked the way we started the game,” Lohn said. “We were defending with intensity and really executed a lot of good things on the offensive end.

“Our problem was we couldn’t finish, missing many bumps and wide open looks,” he confirmed.

After halftime, the offense began to click.

“We finally found our stroke and began to gain traction on offense,” he said. “I was proud of how the guys preserved and stuck to our identity, allowing their efforts on defense to lead to better offense.”

Lohn said his club made some poor turnovers in the second half but made enough plays to beat a good team.

Junior Drew Blair led the Dragon offense in the tournament with 37 points in the three games. Senior Jaime Martin finished with 25 points with junior Kyeston Martin right on his heels pouring in 21.

Purcell got the match up they wanted in the semifinals with a ticket to face No. 5 ranked North Rock Creek with a berth in the finals at stake.

Led by Martin’s six points, the Dragons amassed a 15-2 lead after the first quarter.

“We were eager to compete and that showed in the way we started,” Lohn said. “Our game plan was to put pressure back on them in various ways and the guys answered with precision.”

North Rock Creek was able to cut into the margin in the second quarter out-scoring the Dragons 11-8.

“I would have loved a better finish going into halftime,” he said. “They got the momentum and were able to find their big kid for some quality looks and a guard got going, too. It was hard for us to keep pace offensively.”

Lohn said to give the Cougars credit for coming back.

“They adjusted and showed why they are highly ranked and undefeated. My guys never quit. It was tough to accept defeat after the start we had,” he confirmed.

The coach told his team to go out with their heads held high.

“We need shots to start falling and continue to trust the process and play to our standard,” he said. “The rest will take care of itself.”

The Dragons bounced back to defeat Durant for the second time this season.

Led by Blair’s 12 points, Purcell pinned a 43-40 loss on the Lions for third.

Lohn said he knew it would be tough since his club defeated the Lions in the Madill Tournament.

“We really struggled to get out of the gate,” Lohn said of Purcell’s paltry five points in the opening quarter.

“Durant is highly disciplined and highly detailed in how they attack teams. Their zone kind of zapped our energy and created a stagnant attack that produced just 14 points.

“But after the half we came out with better energy. Credit goes to our guys to keep fighting, making adjustments and get out in transition to beat the zone.”

The Dragons out-scored the Lions 30-20 in the final two periods to win the hardware.

“Given the stiff competition at Ada, we were proud to earn the third place finish. It’s another step in the process of being where we want to be when we finish the season,
Lohn concluded.

Purcell was 6-4 heading to Tuesday’s game at Pauls Valley.

Coach Toney Cooper’s Dragons went 1-2 in the ECU Classic basketball tournament.

They defeated Mustang JV 44-32 and dropped close games with Durant (41-35) and North Rock Creek (40-36).

It was the third quarter of the NRC contest that may have been the best quarter of basketball for the Dragons all year.

They poured in 14 points while limiting NRC to five to pull within one point of the Cougars.

“Playing a top 10 team was such a big opportunity for our kids. They answered the bell and went toe-to-toe with a really good team.

Rylee Peoples led the scoring against NRC with a baker’s dozen. She scored 23 points in the three games.

Lili Del Toro, who scored 35 points in the tournament and was named to the All Tournament team, chipped in nine.

Halle Buchanan was also in double figures with 10. She cut the nylons for nine in the third period. In the three days, she scored 33 points right behind Del Toro.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win. This game will help us down the road as we know we can compete against the best teams in our class,” Cooper continued. “Rylee Peoples led us scoring with 13, she played such a good game and was a key contributor in helping us not only stay in this game but have an opportunity to win it.”

Del Toro was on fire in the victory over Mustang, pouring in 17. Buchanan was also in double digits with 11.

Buchanan’s 12 points was the team leader in the Durant contest.

“Having played Durant at Madill, we came into this game knowing what we needed to do differently to have some success against them,” the coach said. “It was a very tight contest throughout and our kids matched their effort throughout the game.”

In addition to her dozen points Buchanan had several key rebounds.

“That gave us extra possessions,” Cooper said.

Purcell came out hotter than a two dollar pistol in the Mustang contest, jumping out to a 21-9 lead when the first quarter buzzer sounded.

“Our girls came out with a lot of energy and it showed from the jump,” Cooper said. “We  played one of our strongest quarters on both sides of the ball all season.

“Del Toro controlled the pace, made good decisions with the basketball and really set the tone defensively for us.”

Purcell was 2-8 heading into Tuesday’s game at Pauls Valley.