SAPULPA — Style points don't count for anything, especially with the regional seeding books closed and pairings set to be released today, but Muskogee exhibited downright brilliance Tuesday night.

At times, they looked lost.

Combine it all and the Roughers left here with a 50-44 win over Sapulpa at the Chieftain Center that was both a work of art and a work that was well, less so.

Two 10-0 runs saved Muskogee (14-3, 4-2 Frontier Conference). Both came out of their starting lineup of Jerome Beasley, Breon Powell, Oren Faulk, Eugene Timmons and Adrion Webber. The Roughers led 10-0 before Sapulpa's first basket 4:51 deep into the game.

But then came 10 Rougher turnovers in the second quarter and trying a page out of Broken Arrow's playbook, the Chieftains (7-11, 0-6) hit six 3-pointers to draw even at halftime, 21-21. BA hit 14 in Friday's win over MHS.

Muskogee, No. 5 in this week's Class 6A in the Okrankings.com poll, had another 10-0 run to start the second half in much the same way they composed their first one -- forcing their will in the paint offensively. Powell had six points on 3-of-3 shooting inside as he and Faulk both registered double-doubles. Powell had his first one on the varsity level with 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Faulk had 14 points and 17 rebounds, as well as four blocked shots.

Webber, who had nine first-quarter points, finished with 17 points.

Thus, the inside trio accounted for 46 of Muskogee's points. The guards were a combined 0-for-12.

"People are saying we need to have some more outside shooting but as you could tell tonight, we didn't get much of that," Muskogee coach Terry Scott said. "I'm glad we had the inside presence we did."

But just as in the first half, Sapulpa managed to climb back into the game. The 3 wasn't falling — the Cheiftains were 2-of-10 in the second half — but they found their way through busted coverage for higher percentage shots in the paint, finishing the third quarter on their own 10-0 run to make it a one-point game, 35-34, going into the fourth quarter.

Sapulpa then had five straight possession opportunities to take the lead early in the fourth but couldn't. Trevor Lloyd's basket off a putback drew Powell's second foul of the game with 3:54 to play and with a chance to tie the game at 39, Lloyd missed the free throw and fouled Powell on the rebound.

Moments later, Faulk's free throws made it 41-38 then Webber's three-point play with 2:29 to play made it a 44-40 game and all but iced it.

“We had some chemistry issues on our substitution patterns," Scott said. "I'm not sure why it happens but it's something we've got to overcome or make some adjustments with. No matter who we're playing, we're going to get everybody's best shot."

Powell sensed it while relishing his best night as a Rougher.

"We had some flaws on defense. I think there's a little confusion on our assignments as far as who's guarding who but we should be able to get over that quick," Powell said. "We'd get a timeout to get focused and I think we came back and worked it out."

While the perimeter offense didn't click for Muskogee, the defense had its moments. Jerome Beasley held Kendal Davis, who had 17 in the 51-42 Roughers' win at MHS on Jan. 12, to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.

"That was big," Scott said.

Beasley's defense overcame an 0-for-7 night shooting. Timmons, the other starting guard at the point, was 0-for-5.

Aaron Fowler came off the bench to lead the Chieftains with 10 points.

 

Girls:

Sapulpa 62,

Muskogee 43

Twenty-five turnovers, a rebound edge that disappeared after halftime and an overall defensive effort that simply vanished handed the Rougherettes (9-8, 2-4) their third consecutive loss and sixth in their last eight games.

What started off as a 10-2 advantage evaporated to a mere one-point halftime advantage then went completely south in the third quarter. MHS was outscored 20-7 in that period.

"They put on a fastbreak clinic," MHS coach Doyle Rowland said of the Lady Cheiftains (10-8, 3-3). "Once they got that going it went from bad to worse. We were just porous. We didn't run our offense, we had too many one-on-ones and ended up with too many turnovers."

Muskogee had a 22-7 edge on the boards in the first half but were outrebounded 9-6 in that third-quarter run.

Chelsea Sommer and Kelsey Moreno had six points each in the quarter for Sapulpa, much of that on uncontested layups and transition baskets.

Kelsey McClure had 15 to lead the Rougherettes, who were minus three players for undisclosed reasons, including starter Saleece Davis.

Both MHS teams are at home Friday to play host to Owasso.