Lady Dogs use second-half offensive surge to earn first win of season

The varsity basketball teams for Okmulgee and Beggs met Saturday afternoon at historic Brock Memorial Gymnasium in Okmulgee. The host Okmulgee cage squads came away with a sweep in the county showdown. The Lady Bulldogs earned their first win of the 2022-2023 campaign in Saturday’s opening contest with a 41-24 victory over the visiting Beggs Lady Demons, while the Bulldogs completed the home sweep in the nightcap with a 52-39 win over the Beggs Golden Demons. The county squads were back in action Monday and Tuesday with Okmulgee traveling to Idabel and Haskell, respectively, while Beggs played host to Kellyville and Henryetta, respectively. In Saturday’s girls county battle, the visitors took the opening period by a narrow 10-9 advantage. The host Lady Bulldogs went into the intermission with a 16-14 lead after coming out of the second stanza with a 7-4 margin. The Okmulgee ladies edged their county foes 6-4 in the third stanza for a 22-18 advantage after three quarters of action. The Lady Bulldogs put the finishing touches on their first win of the season with a 19-6 margin in the final frame. Skye Sanders led the way offensively for Okmulgee with a game-high 17 points. Other Lady Bulldog scorers in the county battle were Mellani Blackbear with eight, Mallory Rivas five, Tori James and Cora Love four each, and Chassidy Keesee three. The Lady Demons’ top scorer Saturday was Mylah Williams with 10 points. Other Beggs scorers at Okmulgee were Bleu Hall five, Alexis Tecumseh four, Payton Crook and Destiny Clay two each, and Konner Stanton one. In Saturday’s boys county contest, the Bulldogs doubled up the Demons 14-7 in the opening period, then outscored the visitors 14-9 in the second frame for a 28-16 halftime lead. Beggs came out of the third quarter with a 12-7 advantage to send the county battle to the final stanza with Okmulgee’s lead dwindled down to seven, 35-28. The Okmulgee squad thwarted their county foes’ second-half rally attempt by taking the final frame by a 17-11 margin to walk off their home floor with the 52-39 victory. Jaxsun Fulton led all scorers with a game-high 24 points. Allen Thierry was next for the host Bulldogs with eight, followed by Darin Miles with six, Keith Talton five, Joseph Robertson four, Tre Swan three, and Nolan Yates two. Beggs was led offensively by Jaxon Remington with 12, followed by Logan Hicks and Red Martel with nine and eight, respectively. Other scorers for the Demons in the county showdown were Brayden King with four and Ezrah Anderson, Gage Tennyson, and Ashwynn Goudeau two apiece. --- Girls Game Okmulgee 41, Beggs 24 Beggs: 10 - 4 - 4 - 6 (24) Okmulgee: 9 - 7 - 6 - 19 (41) Beggs Scoring: Mylah Williams 10, Bleu Hall 5, Alexis Tecumseh 4, Payton Crook 2, Destiny Clay 2, Konner Stanton 1. Okmulgee Scoring: Skye Sanders 17, Mellani Blackbear 8, Mallory Rivas 5, Tori James 4, Cora Love 4, Chassidy Keesee 3. --- Boys Game Okmulgee 52, Beggs 39 Beggs: 7 - 9 - 12 - 11 (39) Okmulgee: 14 - 14 - 7 - 17 (52) Beggs Scoring: Jaxon Remington 12, Logan Hicks 9, Red Martel 8, Brayden King 4, Ezrah Anderson 2, Gage Tennyson 2, Ashwynn Goudeau 2. Okmulgee Scoring: Jaxsun Fulton 24, Allen Thierry 8, Darin Miles 6, Keith Talton 5, Joseph Robertson 4, Tre Swan 3, Nolan Yates 2.