Class 3A girls basketball: Washington advances to championship game

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The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 3A girls state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.

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Washington 64, Alva 46​


Washington's players were all smiles as they emptied the bench.

The final 40 seconds were merely a formality in their Class 3A state semifinals game against Alva. And when the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Warriors celebrated their 64-46 win.

Washington booked its ticket to the championship game with the victory. It’ll face either Community Christian or Sequoyah Tahlequah at 5:45 p.m. Saturday.

Alva head coach Jeremy Jones referred to Washington as “Goliath” on Thursday. So when the Ladybugs tipped off against the top-ranked team in the state, they turned to their giant slayer.

Alva got its first bucket of the night from 5-foot-5 guard Lakin Gaddy, who drove into a crowded paint and went high off the glass for a layup. Then, with one minute left in the opening quarter, she heaved a 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net.

Gaddy was an Achilles’ heel early on for a Lady Warriors defense that has been virtually impenetrable all season. But Washington had a weapon of its own.

After scoring 15 points in a quarterfinals win over Roland on Thursday, Preslee Johnson continued to show off her range. The junior guard scored 12 points in the first half alone on 4-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

That helped Washington claim a 28-20 lead at halftime. And even though Alva fought until the final buzzer, turnovers sealed their fate.

The Ladybugs trailed 50-37 with five minutes left in the game when they threw the ball away while trying to break a full-court press. It eventually ended up in the hands of none other than Johnson, who drilled a corner 3-pointer.

Washington forced 26 turnovers on Friday. It converted them into 24 points.

Johnson finished with a game-high 24 points, while senior Breanna Lindert added 18 points.

—Justin Martinez, Staff writer

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSSAA basketball state tournament Class 3A girls semifinal scores


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