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By: Chris Evans
For the first time in 23 athletic games this school year, the Guthrie Bluejays left a game venue with a loss. The fifth ranked Harrah Panthers gave the second ranked Bluejays their first loss of the season 65-55 in a game that lived up to the hype as the biggest game in the state.
With a 14 and 0 state championship football season in their back pocket and an 8-0 start to the basketball season many of the players on head coach's Pete Papahronis basketball team had not tasted defeat, but a talented Panther team ended the streak of wins.
The contest would come down to the final minute of the game, however, Harrah's hot shooting night was to much to over come for Guthrie in a very hostile environment inside Harrah High School gymnasium. The 10 point margin of victory does not show how close the game was until the final :47 seconds of the contest.
The Panthers finished the night shooting 50% from the field on 24 of 48 shooting including five of ten three pointers and shot 80% from the free throw line on 12 of 15 shooting. The Jays were not shabby themselves by shooting 45% (24-53). Guthrie got to the charity stripe eight times and connected on just three free throws.
Junior guard Keaton Callins gave the Jays a 5-4 lead with a trey, but in the next 2:34 Harrah would go on a 7-0 run to make it a 11-5 game and Papahronis was forced to call a time-out due to the hot shooting and the excitement of the crowd.
Out of the time-out, Guthrie would finish the quarter on a run themselves, 9-2, to take a 14-13 lead into the second quarter. In that quarter, neither team would be able to pull away from each other.
In fact, in the quarter alone there would be six lead changes, but Harrah would outscore Guthrie 16-12 and would take a three point advantage into the half, 29-26. The biggest margin both teams could gain, in the quarter, was a three point advantage to show just how close the game was.
Guthrie would cut the deficit to one, 42-41, at the end of the third quarter by outscoring the Panthers, 15-13, thanks in part to senior Kent McDonald's eight third quarter points. Guthrie would go on a 7-0 run in 2:56, but Harrah would score the quarters final five points.
In the first :50 seconds of the final period, Guthrie would go on a 4-0 run to take a lead 45-42 with buckets from junior guard Donte' Foster and McDonald. The next :57 seconds would belong to Harrah with a Kylie Walker field goal and an Austin Jack old fashion three point play to give Harrah a 47-45 lead.
Callins would hit one of his three trey's, on the night, to give the lead back to Guthrie 48-47 with 4:00 to play. However, Harrah would connect on two three pointers in the next :24 seconds to take a 53-48 advantage.
Panther forward Cory Nicholson's bucket increased the Harrah lead 55-48, but Foster would respond with a bucket of his own to pull Guthrie back within five. But Harrah would finish the game on a 10-5 run to remain unbeaten at 12-0 on the year.
Foster led his Bluejay squad with 19 points, McDonald added 14, and Callins finished with 13 to round out double digit scorers for Guthrie. All five Guthrie starters scored (Washington 6, Hamilton 3), but the Jays got zero points off the bench after the bench chipped in with 31 points, at El Reno, on Tuesday night.
The Jays drop to 8-1, on the season, and will hit the hard wood next when they travel to Edmond to take on the Deer Creek Antlers in a North Division game.
Both Guthrie and Harrah can face each other a second time if both teams remain on top of their divisions. The North winner and South winner in the Suburban Conference will play on Super Saturday, in February, at Western Heights High School.
To hear Coach Papahronis and the radio crews thoughts on the game please visit Guthrie Sports Page podacast page.
Guthrie/Deer Creek can be heard on Triple Play Sports 105.1 FM.