Bralyn Stallons

Writer

The 2019-20 Marlow High School boys and girls basketball teams both earned their title of Runner-Ups at the 89th annual Stephens County Tournament that ran from Jan. 20-25 at the Comanche High School Gymnasium.

The Lady Outlaws began the tournament for Marlow against the Waurika Lady Eagles on Monday, Jan. 20.

The Lady Outlaws started the game strong, getting five points ahead of the Lady Eagles by the end of the first quarter.

By the end of the first half of the game, the Lady Outlaws retained their lead and were up by nine points.

In the third quarter, the Lady Eagles began to catch up to the Lady Outlaws, but in an exhilarating fourth quarter, the Marlow basketball team remained in the lead and won the game 45-27.

With a big win leading them into the semi-finals, sophomore Lyvia Bateman explained the girls’ preparation behind their success.

“We have prepared for this tournament by watching film,” said Bateman. “We got scouting reports on other teams and saw how they did this season.”

On Jan. 21 the MHS boys’ basketball team began their journey into the Stephens County Tournament in a game against the Central High Broncos.

The Outlaws kept the lead over the Broncos throughout the game and worked hard to get a victory of 75-47.

Having won the first round of the tournament, the Marlow Outlaws proceeded into the semi-finals of the tournament.

Competing against tough opponents, the Lady Outlaws played the Velma-Alma Comets basketball team while the Outlaws played the Comanche Indians.

The Lady Outlaws kept a lead for the whole game, which resulted in them securing a spot in the finals with a score of 44-34.

The semi-finals for the Outlaws consisted of a close, late-night game against the Indians.

Working hard, the Outlaws had a lead of 20-7 by the end of the 1st half; in the third quarter, the Outlaws and the Indians went back and forth, but the Outlaws kept their lead.

By the fourth quarter, the Indians caught up to the Outlaws and tied the game 45-45, but the Outlaws came out with the win after sophomore Jamison Holland made two free throw shots, making the final score 50-48.

The Marlow Outlaws Coach Kirk Harris expressed the different aspects of the team that allowed them to get as far as they have into the tournament.

“I feel like we are getting better defensively every game, and that has to be a constant for us to be successful,” said Harris. “The depth on our team is also a factor in our success. Playing many players is something we have tried to do all year, and I believe it has helped us in this tournament and will help us in the remainder of the season.”

With both of the MHS basketball teams in the finals, the winning-games took place on Saturday, Jan. 25.

In the fully packed Comanche Basketball Gymnasium, the Lady Outlaws were the first of the Marlow teams to kick off the championship against the Comanche Indians.

The Lady Outlaws and the Lady Indians switched the lead throughout the first quarter, but ended with the Indians up by four points with a score of 13-9.

The score was tied in the second quarter, but the Lady Indians gained the lead again in the third quarter and eventually won the game with a score of 59-44.

Once the girls’ game was finished, the Outlaws began their final game in the tournament against the Velma-Alma Comets.

The Comets immediately scored five points over the Outlaws and kept the lead until the end of the fourth quarter when the Outlaws tied the game 41-41, bringing the game into overtime.

The overtime ended with the Comets taking the win, 57-50.

After receiving a Runner-Up award, sophomore Jace Gilbert told how participating in the tournament has challenged the team and how they can further improve.

“As a team, we began playing together better and this gave us the experience of playing in tight games and in tough environments,” said Gilbert. “I think we have come a long way these past few weeks especially, and hopefully we just continue to grow.”

The Stephens County Tournament’s ending results for the boys were: first place, Velma-Alma; second place, Marlow; and third place, Comanche.

The results for the girls were: first place, Comanche; second place, Marlow; and third place, Velma-Alma.

On Friday, Jan. 31, the Outlaws and the Lady Outlaws will have a game against the Lindsay Leopards; this game will also include basketball homecoming for the Marlow Outlaws.