By Mike Kays

Phoenix Sports Editor



Tuesday was a night of redemption and perhaps retrieval for the Muskogee Lady Roughers, who dominated in all phases of a 70-48 victory against the Bixby Lady Spartans at Ron Milam Gymnasium.

The win, while coming after records closed for regional seeding consideration, atoned for a second-half collapse at Bixby in mid-January that led to a 73-58 loss and the start of a mentally draining three-game losing skid.

"Coach gave us an analogy before the game," senior Coco Epps said. "If someone comes to the corner and steals your bike from you, you go get it back.

“Tonight we got our bike back."

Epps had 20 points and seven rebounds and was one of four Lady Roughers in double figures. Kelsey McClure had 17, Chelsie Keys 14 to go with eight rebounds, and Alexus Wilson 10 points.

Muskogee, 14-6, 7-4 and ranked No. 8 in the Okrankings.com Class 6A coaches poll, outshot Bixby, 54 percent (36-of-56) to 24 percent (13-of-54) and enjoyed a  37-24 rebounding edge.

That latter statistic was a critical turnaround from the first meeting, Seventh-ranked Bixby (13-8, 5-6) owned a 25-16 edge in an outcome which would apparently prove pivotal in the regional seedings. But more on that in a second.

In the first game, MHS had two offensive rebounds in the second half, the culprit in a game that was 33-all at the break.

There would be no shortfall in this one, the Lady Roughers' fifth consecutive victory.

"We knew we didn't show what kind of team we were at their place," Rowland said. "And the girls had some salt in their wounds coming from what we're hearing about the regional draw."

Rowland said that bracket, due out according to the OSSAA website on Thursday and based on the coaches rankings, will send Muskogee to Bixby for a four-team regional there.

"That's even though we have the better record," Rowland said. "The Tulsa schools always vote together and we're kind of like the second-class citizens.

"But hey, we wanted to send a message tonight and that was that the two of us will probably meet again in the regional finals and that game may be a different story than it was there the first time."

In losing their fourth contest in five games, Bixby's best shooting quarter was the first, a 3-of-10 effort that saw it trail 16-8.  It was never closer than five the rest of the way, Muskogee overcoming some minor issues with Bixby's press to stretch the lead out to the final outcome.

Guard Christina Devers led Bixby with 17 points. Stevi Parker, a 6-foot-1 guard who had 29 points in the first meeting, was held to 13 points on just 3-of-14 shooting, all from inside the arc.



Boys:

Bixby 53, MHS 36

At least the Roughers (8-11, 2-9) got to tuneup for an even bigger lineup in No. 1 Union on Friday. And it's clear what they have to do to avoid a similar fate to avoid their sixth loss in seven games.

Led by 6-foot-10 senior Sean Young, the No. 6 Spartans (13-7, 7-4) dominated on the boards in the first three quarters, outrebounding MHS 22-5 in building a 39-20 lead that was pushed above 20 for a short time in the final eight minutes.

Young, who has been out due to disciplinary issues and is getting limited attention at this point from a select few Division III level schools, had a modest 10 points to go with eight rebounds.

"It was his best game of the year," Bixby coach Scott Padek about Young, who didn’t play in the 70-51 Spartans win in January. "He showed a hunger from being out."

Rebounding was a team effort as four others had at least four, including Jacob Bittle, a 6-4 guard. The son of former Haskell coach Jay Bittle, now a Bixby assistant, had 13 points to lead the Spartans.

Tramal Ivy, outmanned in the middle, managed 11 points and after three rebounds in three quarters, finished with eight.  He and his team had an extended locker room talk with Lloyd Williams and the coaching staff.

"The talk was about who was playing scared," Ivy said about the extended meeting. "Regardless of who it is, everyone has to step up if we're going to turn things around."

Williams shrugged.

"We can't improvise within the squad, but when you have three coaches that are 6-5 and more experienced as players than what we saw, then you'd think that would be enough of a test and they handle it in practice," he said. "Out here, it's a totally different game we see. That's what we have to address."