Class 5A girls basketball: El Reno tops Booker T. Washington for second straight state title
It's hard to win a state championship, but it's even harder to do it twice in a row.
That was the task at hand for El Reno when it tipped off its Class 5A state title game against Booker T. Washington on Saturday. And this time the Indians were without Pauline Black-Harmon and Nazhoni Sleeper, two key contributors who graduated last year.
But El Reno made it look easy. It secured a 68-52 win in a game where it never trailed, cementing itself as back-to-back state champions.
The Indians showed off their championship experience early on. Eryn Roman Nose drew first blood with a baseline floater, and fellow junior Lilly Thomas made it 4-0 a few possessions later by sinking a deep 2-pointer.
But while El Reno showed composure early on, Booker T. Washington didn't.
Senior guard Tierra Owens got called for a foul while diving for a loose ball with about six minutes on the clock. And instead of giving the ball to the referee, she chucked it out of bounds.
Celebrate El Reno's title with HS basketball book on State Fair Arena
That led to a technical foul on Owens and two free throws for Thomas, who cashed in. The sequence came during an 8-0 start by El Reno, and the Indians held a 16-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Booker T. Washington looked scrambled again to start the second quarter. The Hornets lost the ball on their opening possession, but Marcayla Johnson scooped it up and knocked down a 3-pointer.
Johnson wasn't just a calming presence on that play. The Baylor signee did all she could to get things settled for Booker T. Washington, scoring seven of its first nine points.
Even when El Reno claimed a 30-13 lead at halftime, Johnson continued to apply pressure. The senior guard intercepted a pass early in the third quarter, and she raced up the floor for a layup.
That capped off an 8-2 run by the Hornets, who trimmed the deficit to 32-21. And for a brief moment, the defending champs were the flustered ones.
Passes weren't as precise. Turnovers were uncharacteristic. And every mistake fueled an electric Booker T. Washington crowd, which could sense the shift in momentum.
But it didn't last.
El Reno fended off the comeback attempt, and it leaned on someone with experience on the big stage. The Indians turned to senior Reagan Bugaj, who showed composure in the face of adversity.
The 5-foot-2 guard broke full-court presses. She fearlessly attacked the rim and taller defenders. She dropped dimes to her teammates.
Even when Bugaj came up limping after getting fouled with 1:11 left in the game, she walked it off on her way to the free throw line and calmly sank both shots.
Championship stuff.
Bugaj wiped tears from her eyes in the closing seconds of the contest. The emotions of reaching the top of mountain once again were sinking in, but even that wasn't enough to stop the poised point guard from icing the game at the line.
And when the final buzzer sounded, celebration ensued. Bugaj finished with 30 points in the win.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Class 5A girls basketball: El Reno wins second straight state title
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