Sequoyah 2002-03 State Basketball Semi-Final Game

Oklahoma Boys Class 3A State Tournament

Semi - Finals

Sequoyah Indians VS Millwood Falcons

Class 3A Boys Semifinal Reports

By Scott Swyden - Coaches Aid March 14, 2003

STATE FAIR ARENA - The Millwood Falcons are state tournament regulars and perennial contenders for the state title. On Friday afternoon, however, it was relative newcomer Sequoyah Tahlequah that looked like the grisly tournament veterans.

After a tight first period, Sequoyah limited the explosive Falcons to a single point in the second stanza and never looked back en route to a 50-36 victory and berth in their first state finals in school history.

The Indians will meet top ranked Metro Christian for the gold ball on Saturday at noon as the Patriots dispatched Chisholm, 55-47, in Friday’s other semifinal.

Sequoyah Tahlequah 50, Millwood 36

Much like their first round contest with Alva on Thursday, Millwood never could find a defensive answer for the sensational Indian guard combination, which came up with key basket after key basket to keep the Falcons at bay.

The two teams battled toe-to-toe for a 10-10 deadlock after one stanza but it was all Sequoyah in round two with Millwood unable to find the range from the field.

The Falcons managed only a single point on a Donovan Woods free throw and the Indians capitalized with sensational junior guard Solomon Horsechief sparking the attack once again.

Horsechief pumped in 13 of his 14 points prior to the half, staking Sequoyah to a 22-11 advantage they would not relinquish.

“I thought our defense was very good in the first half,” Sequoyah head coach Larry Grigg said. “Holding a talented team like Millwood to 11 points in the first half was huge.

“I really thought the big key was the ability of our guys inside to keep them off the boards. Our matchup zone kind of gave them some problems too.”

Just like 24 hours before against Alva, Millwood’s defensive focus swayed more toward Horsechief after the break and fellow backcourt standout Jeff Elizondo definitely made the Falcons regret that decision.

The sophomore sharpshooter canned four three-pointers in the third quarter alone, breaking open a tight contest to push the Sequoyah edge to 40-24 heading into the final frame. Millwood never recovered.

“We have several outstanding guards which makes things very difficult on people trying to guard us,” Grigg said. “It just seems like that continue to play better and better in the big games for us.”

Elizondo pumped in 15 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 17 for Sequoyah. Horsechief added 14.

Millwood got 11 points apiece from Denard Hunt and Cory Muse but leading scorer A.J. Hawkins was limited to just seven while Woods ended with only two.

Metro Christian 55, Chisholm 47

Two dreadful second half scoring dry spells killed any hopes of a Chisholm upset.

The first came with the Longhorns leading 30-27 after Ian Burnett’s three-pointer midway through the third quarter.

Chisholm’s next points, however, came five minutes and 10 seconds later, a span in which Metro had reeled off 10 consecutive points to take control.

Metro saw its lead dwindle to 41-40 with just over five minutes remaining after five consecutive points from Chisholm junior Kyle Tefft.

That’s as close as the Longhorns came down the stretch as the Patriots put together another 9-0 flurry, spearheaded by six points from senior guard Spencer Westfall, putting the contest away.

Early on, Chisholm had the answer for just about everything Metro tried, holding their own on the boards while claiming a 23-20 halftime advantage behind 10 points from Tefft.

While the Longhorns were going cold offensively for the two crucial stretches of the second half, Metro junior Matt Canady was just heating up.

The 6-8 standout poured in 12 of his game-high 20 points after intermission and also added 12 rebounds as Metro Christian improved to 27-1.

Despite a slow start, Bailey Jones finished with 13 points and Westfall also added 13 for the Patriots.

Tefft was solid throughout for Chisholm, totaling 19 points, but got little consistent support as no other Longhorn tallied more than seven.

© Coaches Aid 2003

Seq Tahlequah big over Millwood
by Jeff Johnson OkHSS InfoNet.

Sequoyah Tahlequah out-paced the Millwood Falcons 50-36 in the 3A Boys semi-finals Friday at the State Fair Arena. Indians guard Solomon Horsechief lead the way with 14 points and 5 assists, along with guard Jeff Elizondo who also added 14 points and 3 assists.

The Indians and the Falcons went toe-to-toe in the first period, trying to get a feel for the tempo. Solomon scored the game's first basket off a pass from Tucson Grigg. Cory Muse started the scoring for Millwood with a bucket and two free throws to put Millwood on top 4-2 with 4:36 left in the first. Scoring picked up late in the period, capped by a field goal down low by Millwood's A.J. Hawkins with :25 left in the first. The Indians would not score another field goal the rest of the half.

The score remained tied at 10-10 at the start of the second quarter. Sides exchanged free throws as Millwood's Donovan Woods went to the line with 7:21 left in the half. Wood missed the first shot, hitting the second. The rest of the scoring belonged to the Indians. Horsechief hit two field goals, plus a three pointer, and two free throws in a span of just over 4 minutes. Then with 1:01 left in the half, Horsechief assisted on another. Millwood missed three free throws in the final 1:37. Sequoyah Tahlequah led at the half 22-11.

Millwood ended their drought with emphasis, Muse took a pass down low from Hawkins and scored while being fouled. Muse hit the foul shot cutting the lead to 22-14 with 7:21 on the clock. Elizondo responded in kind for the Indians, nailing his second of three 3-pointers, making it 25-14 at the 7:04 mark. Then, already up 28-19 the Indians went on an 8-0 run midway through the third that essentially put the game out of reach. Elizondo ended the third period with an NBA-distance three pointer, extending the Indians' lead to 40-24.

Horsechief collected his fourth foul at the 6:50 mark in the fourth. While Horsechief sat out most of the fourth period, Millwood managed only to cut the deficit by two points. Sequoyah Tahlequah took their largest lead at 47-27 with a free throw by Elizondo with 4:30 left. Reserves played out the final minute. Sequoyah Tahlequah advances to the 3A Boys Championship Game with a 50-36 victory.

Sequoyah Tahlequah harassed the Falcons with their quick defense all game long. Millwood moved the ball around the perimeter, looking for driving lane. When the Falcons drove, the Indians invariably caused all sorts or problems for Millwood who was usually limited to just one shot. When Millwood couldn't hit from the outside, there was no other recourse for the Falcons offensively. Muse and Denard Hunt scored 11 points each for the Falcons. For the Indians, most of the scoring involved Horsechief who seemed to be everywhere.

The Indians will play the winner between Metro Christian and Chisholm in the Championship game Saturday at noon at the State Fair Arena.

1 2 3 4 F

Millwood 10 1 13 12 36

Seq Tahlequah 10 12 18 10 50

photo courtsey of Cherokee Nation YEAH ! !

3A Boys: Sequoyah-Tahlequah continues run

By:Francisco Ojeda - The Oklahoman March 15, 2003

State Fair Arena

Sequoyah-Tahlequah coach Larry Grigg shook his head in disbelief at the run his team is having. Millwood coach Varryl Franklin shook his head in disbelief at the streak his team suffered.

One streak led to another one when Sequoyah beat Millwood 50-36 in the Class 3A semifinals at State Fair Arena on Friday.

Sequoyah has beaten its last six opponents -- four in the area playoffs and two in the state tournament -- by double figures.

"I think we play better when we play in the big games," Grigg said. "We have struggled against lesser competition during the season. But tonight I thought our intensity level was high, especially defensively and that was the difference."

With the score tied at 10 after the first quarter, No. 6-ranked Sequoyah held second-ranked Millwood without a field goal in the second quarter, outscoring the Falcons 12-1 to lead 22-11 at halftime. Millwood did not get closer than eight the rest of the game.

Sequoyah (26-2) advances to its first championship final against No. 1-ranked Metro Christian (27-1) at noon today at State Fair Arena.

Millwood struggled, shooting 25 percent for the game and looking sluggish after winning in double overtime on Thursday. That was none more evident than in the second quarter, where Millwood missed all six of its field goals and four of five free throws. The only points of the quarter came from a Donovan Woods free throw early.

"We just had a hard time scoring," Franklin said. "We had a couple of kids that were leg-weary from the double overtime. But usually you respond better than that."

Cory Muse hit Millwood's first field goal in nearly 10 minutes when he scored inside at the 7:21 mark of the third quarter.

"We did a really good job on their post men inside," Grigg said. "We started fronting them. Early in the game we were playing behind them so we gave up some easy shots. So that was probably the key, we had them fronted and they couldn't get the ball."

Solomon Horsechief had no such trouble scoring for Sequoyah, outscoring Millwood 13-11 in the first half, including seven in the second quarter spurt. He finished with 14. Jeff Elizondo took over in the second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points.

"Who's ever the one that's scoring we just let them shoot," Elizondo said. "One of us has got to take over so we took turns."

Here are a few pictures from the "Big House"....

Metro Christian 55
Chisholm 47

Top-ranked Metro Christian advanced to its first state championship game with a balanced attack and strong defensive play in the second half.

Six-foot-8 center Matt Canady led three players in double figures with nearly a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

He also helped start two second half runs as Metro Christian had a 10-0 and 11-1 run in the final 16 minutes.

Trailing 30-27, Canady, the tallest player on the court by four inches, began dominating inside. He scored six of the teams' 10 straight points in the third quarter to go up 37-30.

"Matt's a big-time player. Big-time players make big-time plays, and he did that," Metro Christian coach Will Reece said. "When we needed plays from him he stepped up. He made the plays that turned the tide."

Chisholm closed to within one at 39-38 on a 3-pointer by Matt Randolph. But Metro Christian put the game away with an 11-1 run.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws