GIRLS BASKETBALL: Verdigris upsets No. 3 Tuttle, reaches first state tournament in 7 years

Mar. 8—BY KEVIN GREEN

Progress Sports Editor

CHECOTAH — Lexy Borgstadt didn't want a repeat of last season.

A year ago, Verdigris struggled against Tuttle's height advantage in the regional final and didn't get its offense going until late, resulting in a 10-point loss. The Lady Cardinals managed only 15 points through the first 24 minutes of that contest.

It was a different story this time around, though.

No. 7 Verdigris found points early and often thanks to some stellar perimeter shooting Friday night, reaching double digits in every quarter except the fourth to down the third-ranked Lady Tigers 43-36 in the Class 4A IV championship game at Checotah High School.

Borgstadt, a senior, hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 77 seconds, finishing with 14 points — including three 3-pointers — and six rebounds to help the Lady Cardinals reach the state tournament for the first time since 2014, when Verdigris was in Class 3A.

"I thought it would feel just like, 'Yes, we made it,'" said Borgstadt, who played most of the fourth period with four fouls. "But there's still so much more that I think we can do. And it's just like a relief because my whole entire four years, I really wanted it, and for us to finally achieve it my senior year, it's just something special. I can't tell you exactly how I feel."

Fellow senior Jordan Chancellor was instrumental for Verdigris as well, draining five of the team's nine 3-pointers to finish with 16 points.

The Lady Cardinals (17-2) led 10-9 after the first quarter, but Borgstadt and Chancellor combined for seven 3-balls in the middle frames to increase the lead to 37-23 entering the fourth. Chancellor had already made one 3 in the first quarter, setting the stage for the shooting spree.

Makenzie Blackwell, who finished with five points, was the only other Verdigris player to make a 3.

"We hit shots on the outside," Verdigris coach Mike Buntin said. "Both of them (Borgstadt and Chancellor) were given open looks, and both came out and hit big shots. We were able to execute some sets and get some double screens for Jordan and get her some space, which we weren't able to do last Saturday night against Inola. We got both of them rolling, so (Tuttle) had to do some different things, and Morgan (Borgstadt) just kept us in control the whole night."

Morgan Borgstadt tallied eight points and four rebounds.

Tuttle (22-3) made a late push thanks to seven fourth-quarter points from 6-foot-2 forward Hadley Periman, but the Lady Cardinals played keep-away well enough down the stretch and made free throws when needed to stave off the comeback.

Periman led all scorers with 17 points while Landry Allen, a 6-4 center, added eight. The latter had a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds in last year's meeting.

The loss wasn't the end of the season for the Lady Tigers, though, for they secured a second-consecutive state tournament berth with a 62-33 victory over Inola in the Area consolation final Saturday at Checotah.

Verdigris will be making its first Class 4A state tournament appearance against No. 4 Weatherford at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Jim Norick Arena, also known as the Big House and State Fair Arena, in Oklahoma City.

"It's just such a special feeling because I've told you all year how much I love this group of seniors," Buntin said. "When this group came to us in seventh grade, I told them they were a special group and that they had a chance to do something that no one had done before, and they have. We've never been to a 4A state tournament, and now we get to go together. I just love those kids."

Weatherford sports a 22-4 record and reached the state tournament with a 62-42 win over No. 9 Harding Charter in its area consolation championship Saturday after losing to No. 6 Holland Hall by two a day prior.

The Lady Eagles boast top-five wins over No. 2 Anadarko and Tuttle.

"We're going to probably have a lot of 'focusing on us' practices to get all our little things figured out," Lexy Borgstadt said. "And we'll obviously scout and do all that, but for the most part, I think our defense takes care of itself. We just have to focus on doing our little things right and really just getting back to our head."