Class 6A boys basketball: Mustang tops Edmond Memorial to advance to first-ever state title game
Mustang coach Terry Long
stepped out of character for much of the second half, but it worked just
the same, and Mustang will play for its first-ever boys state
basketball championship.
Long went with a slow-down offense, rather than the run-and-shoot attack that got his No. 1 Broncos to the Class 6A state semifinals, but they still had enough punch to put away third-ranked Edmond Memorial 60-50 Friday night at the Mabee Center.
The Broncos jumped to a 38-22 lead at halftime and looked poised to run away with the game, like they've done so many times before. But Long slowed the pace, in part because he thought his team might be getting tired.
"We work on it every day. It's something I truly believe in. Thirty years ago on this same floor, we did the same thing," Long said, referring to his playing days on Douglass' 1984 state championship team. "It looked like our kids were a little fatigued. Nothing was going right at the time. I thought it was important to run some time off.
"But yeah, totally different than what we've done thus far this year."
The Broncos (27-0) will try to complete the perfect season at 7:45 p.m. Saturday against No. 9 Edmond Santa Fe in the 6A title game at the Mabee Center.
One thing that wasn't different for the Broncos was the value of their bench. Junior guard Kejuan Frazier led the team with 13 points and was one of the primary ball-handlers in the second half. Reserves Geoff Hightower and Karl Madison each hit big shots, to go with starters Terrell Williams and Aubrey Johnson, who scored 10 points apiece.
Edmond Memorial got 12 each from Curran Scott and Marlik Depp in the loss, ending the Bulldogs' season in at least the state semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons.
Mustang defeated Edmond Santa Fe 83-74 in their only regular-season meeting, but that was more than three months ago.
"They're a completely different basketball team from the beginning of the season," Long said. "(Coach Lenny Hatchett) totally changed his philosophy. They're pressing. They're running. They're playing phemoenal. They're probably the hottest team in 6A right now. It's gonna be a dogfight."
Long went with a slow-down offense, rather than the run-and-shoot attack that got his No. 1 Broncos to the Class 6A state semifinals, but they still had enough punch to put away third-ranked Edmond Memorial 60-50 Friday night at the Mabee Center.
The Broncos jumped to a 38-22 lead at halftime and looked poised to run away with the game, like they've done so many times before. But Long slowed the pace, in part because he thought his team might be getting tired.
"We work on it every day. It's something I truly believe in. Thirty years ago on this same floor, we did the same thing," Long said, referring to his playing days on Douglass' 1984 state championship team. "It looked like our kids were a little fatigued. Nothing was going right at the time. I thought it was important to run some time off.
"But yeah, totally different than what we've done thus far this year."
The Broncos (27-0) will try to complete the perfect season at 7:45 p.m. Saturday against No. 9 Edmond Santa Fe in the 6A title game at the Mabee Center.
One thing that wasn't different for the Broncos was the value of their bench. Junior guard Kejuan Frazier led the team with 13 points and was one of the primary ball-handlers in the second half. Reserves Geoff Hightower and Karl Madison each hit big shots, to go with starters Terrell Williams and Aubrey Johnson, who scored 10 points apiece.
Edmond Memorial got 12 each from Curran Scott and Marlik Depp in the loss, ending the Bulldogs' season in at least the state semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons.
Mustang defeated Edmond Santa Fe 83-74 in their only regular-season meeting, but that was more than three months ago.
"They're a completely different basketball team from the beginning of the season," Long said. "(Coach Lenny Hatchett) totally changed his philosophy. They're pressing. They're running. They're playing phemoenal. They're probably the hottest team in 6A right now. It's gonna be a dogfight."