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By: Chris Evans and GHS Coaching Staff
The Ardmore Tigers have been a thorn in the side of the Bluejays in years past, but Friday night Guthrie came away smelling like a rose with a 66-58 win over the host team in the Ardmore Holiday Festival Tournament.
Guthrie (3-0) now moves on to play the Del City Eagles in the championship game with a scheduled tip time of 8:20 p.m. Saturday evening. Del City defeated Westmoore 59-52 to reach the finals.
The fourth ranked Jays got a boost from junior guard Keaton Callins with a team high 23 points. Not far behind him was fellow guard and good friend Donte' Foster who chipped in with 21 points.
Foster had to leave the game with an injury, but was able to return to the game. In the first three games of the year, Foster is averaging a cool 22 points a game.
Callins and Foster's combined 44 points was crucial for the Bluejays, but maybe just as impressive was sophomore Devon Hall and freshmen Kentrell Brothers defensive performances on the talented Ardmore guard Trae Jones.
Ardmore jumped out to a 15-10 first quarter advantage and a 29-24 halftime lead, but Guthrie would outscore the Tigers 16-15 in the third quarter and 26-15 in the fourth quarter.
"Excellent win against a good 5A opponent," head coach Pete Papahronis said. "Felt that our discipline and composure won us the game at the end," Papahronis added.
Ardmore head coach Mark Wilson summed up the game in his words to the Ardmore newspaper, The Daily Ardmoreite following the game.
"We got back up five points (in the third quarter), and then we had a really bad lapse on both ends of the floor. Then, at the end of the game, I think they were tougher than we were. I just felt we weren't physical enough, and we just let them take it away from us. We couldn't get a rebound when we needed it. We couldn't get a loose ball when we needed it. They didn't miss many free throws down the stretch, and you have to give them credit for that," Wilson concluded.
Ironically, Guthrie and Del City scrimmaged this past week in Guthrie and will play for keeps and a championship trophy this time around. The Eagles enter the championship game 4-1 and ranked No. 12 in Class 6A while Guthrie looks to remain unbeaten.
Papahronis knows the 6A Eagles will be a challenge and expects an aggressive game.
"We scrimmaged them, they know us, they are in as good of shape and athletic as anyone we will see, and may have more defensive pressure then anyone we will see. So we are thinking its going to be a dog fight.