Bombers fall short in 5A state semifinals

By Anthony Thomas
Midwest City Beacon

NORMAN — The Midwest City boys concluded the season with a state tournament run full of highs and lows as the Bombers punched their ticket to the Class 5A semifinals in dramatic fashion but ultimately saw their title run fall short.

The Bombers (20-7) battled Newcastle (28-2) defensively in their semifinal matchup but struggled to find a rhythm offensively and found themselves in foul trouble throughout the game.

Deshawn Denson, Adrian Randle and Kenyon Brown each put up 9 points in the tough loss.

Newcastle got hot early in the first quarter, going on two small runs slowed by scores from the Bombers. Randle closed the quarter connecting on a contested layup, slightly narrowing the Racers’ advantage, 15-7.

Early in the second quarter Midwest City had their largest surge of the matchup, with Randle sinking a deep three and Denson converting a smooth fade-away jumper. The Bombers continued to struggle offensively as Newcastle closed out the first half on a six-point run, 30-17.

Coming out of halftime it looked like the Bombers were geared up for another second-half comeback as Caleb Williams laid it in from under the rim and Brown converted on a successful and-one sequence.

Midwest City showed improvement slowing the Newcastle offense and going on small runs, but the Racers still managed to increase their lead going into the final quarter, 40-28.

Aaden Sutton sank two free throws to open the fourth period for the Bombers. Shortly after, Denson went down temporarily before returning later in the quarter, and Coach Torey Noel was issued a technical foul for his frustration over the delay of play. The energy seemed to drain from Midwest City.

Newcastle continued to go on short runs while the Bombers momentarily slowed the momentum with buckets of their own. Denson capped off the game and the season with two free throws. The Bombers fell in the Semi-Finals, 53-36.

“I just told them to keep their head up. We had a great year considering what we lost last year and people counting us out. We did a lot with what we had considering injuries. So, I’m super proud of them,” said Noel. “This game doesn’t define us. Some of their best ball is ahead and their lives are ahead of them. I hope they take this loss and the wins throughout the season, and it carries into their lives.”

The Semi-Finals game was a stark contrast to the quarterfinals, where Midwest City battled back in a fourth-quarter surge to defeat Tulsa Memorial, 48-43.

The Bombers defeated Tulsa Memorial (24-5) with quick offensive dominance and gritty defensive intensity.

Denson led Midwest City with 18 points, including the three-pointer that gave the Bombers a last-second advantage. Sutton added 10 points and led the fourth-quarter surge that put the Bombers in position to win.

“We came in at halftime and couldn’t hit shots. Coach came in and encouraged us to hit shots. So, I was just ready when my number was called and came in and did my job and the team got the win,” said Sutton.

Going into the fourth quarter the Chargers held a 12-point advantage. Sutton sparked a six-point surge for Midwest City, narrowing the Memorial lead to six.

The Bombers then locked up the Chargers’ offense and went on small runs of their own, tying the game when Stephens stole the ball and threw a quick pass to Sutton, who laid it in to tie things at 41-41 with two minutes to go.

Midwest City took the lead when Denson hit a deep three with 30 seconds left. The Bombers entered the bonus with seven seconds remaining when Stephens was fouled and sank both free throws, securing their semi-final berth, 48-43.

 

 

Bombers Fall Short in State Semi-Finals
Anthony Thomas
Contributing Writer

NORMAN – Midwest City concluded the season with a state tournament run full of highs and lows as the Bombers punched their ticket to the Class 5A Semi-Finals in dramatic fashion but ultimately fell short.

The Bombers (20-7) battled Newcastle (28-2) defensively in their Semi-Final matchup but struggled to find a rhythm offensively and found themselves in foul trouble throughout the match.

For Midwest City Deshawn Denson, Adrian Randle and Kenyon Brown worked as units putting up 9 points each in the tough loss.

Newcastle got hot early in the first quarter, going on two small runs slowed by scores from the Bombers. Randle closed the quarter for the Bombers connecting on a contested layup slightly narrowing the Racers advantage, 15-7.

Early in the second quarter Midwest City had their largest surge of the matchup with Randle sinking a deep three and Denson making a smooth fade-away jumper. Midwest City struggled to find rhythm offensively and slow the Racers as Newcastle closed out the first half on a six-point run, 30-17.

Coming out of halftime it looked like the Bombers were geared up for another second half comeback as Caleb Williams laid it in from under the rim and Brown converted on a successful ‘and one’ sequence.

Midwest City showed improvement slowing the Newcastle offense slightly and going on small runs but the Racers were still able to increase their lead, going into the final quarter, 40-28.

Aaden Sutton sunk two free throws to open the final period for the Bombers. Shortly after Denson went down temporarily, to return later in the quarter and Coach Torey Noel was given a technical for his frustration over the delay of play. The energy seemed to have sucked away from Midwest City.

Newcastle continued to go on short runs with Midwest City slowing the momentum momentarily with buckets of their own. Denson capped of the game and the season with two free throws.

After a long fought season the Bombers fell in the Semi-Finals, 53-36.
“I just told them to keep their head up. We had a great year considering what we lost last year and people counting us out. We did a lot with what we had considering injuries. So, I’m super proud of them,” said Noel. “This game doesn’t define us. Some of their best ball is ahead and their lives are ahead of them. I hope they take this loss and the wins throughout the season, and it carries into their lives.”

The Semi-Finals game was a stark contrast to the Quarter-Finals game where Midwest City battled and came back in a fourth quarter surge to defeat Tulsa Memorial, 48-43.

Midwest City defeated Tulsa Memorial (24-5) with quick offensive dominance and gritty defensive intensity.

Denson led the Bombers to win with 18 points and the three that gave the Bombers a last second advantage. Along with Sutton who put up 10 points and led the fourth quarter surge that put Midwest in the position to win.

“We came in at half time and couldn’t hit shots. Coach came in and encouraged us to hit shots. So, I was just ready when my number was called and came in and did my job and the team got the win,” said Aaden Sutton.

Going into the fourth quarter the Chargers held a 12-point advantage. Sutton set off a six-point surge for Midwest City. To narrow the Memorial advantage to six.

The Bombers then continued to lock up the Chargers’ offense and go on small runs themselves, tying it up when Stephens stole the ball and threw a quick pass to Sutton who laid it in tying the game, 41-41, with two minutes to go.

Midwest City got the lead with Denson hitting a deep three with 30 seconds left to go. The Bombers entered the bonus with 7 seconds left when Stephens got fouled and sunk both his shots securing their semi-final berth, 48-43.