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By: Chris Evans
Posted Feb 24, 2009
Top ranked Guthrie BlueJays used a stretch of runs to separate themselves from the 10th ranked El Reno Indians, Monday evening, and Keaton Callins separated the Indians defense for 26 points in a 67-47 win, inside Jenks Simmons Field House.
Guthrie (21-2) concludes the regular season and will host the first and second rounds of regionals beginning Friday and ending Saturday at the GHS gymnasium. The Jays are the overall top seed with Carl Albert the number two seed, Northwest Classen the third seed, and El Reno the fourth seed. Combined the Jays are 5-1 against the host teams.
In perhaps an area preview match-up to get to the state tournament, Guthrie jumped out to a 15-10 first quarter lead, but El Reno then went on a 6-2 run to take their first lead, 17-16, with 5:23 to play before the half. The Jays from that point would go on a run themselves without the services of Donte' Foster.
Foster picked up his third foul three minutes into the second quarter and had to go to the bench, but Callins and the Jays responded with an 11-3 run highlighted by Callins eight points in the final 4:22 of the first half to go into the locker room leading 26-19.
Callins finished the first half with 14 points and was 4 of 7 from behind the arc with one of those misses being a three quarters of the floor final shot at the end second quarter. Callins finished the evening with 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting (60%) and was awarded the A-Always Storage Player of the Game. Callins was perfect from the free throw line (3-3) and added a few highlight assists in an overall tremendous performance by the senior.
As impressive Callins was in the first half, Foster turned it up in the second half and added 15 points (11 in the fourth quarter) to finish with 19 that included a left handed throw down to put the final touches in the 5A showdown.
El Reno (14-9) got a Fayzon Richey 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter and then a Travis Johnson to start the fourth quarter to pull within six, 40-34. In the next 3:00, Guthrie went on a 16-3 run with 14 points coming from either Callins, or Foster to go back up double digits (56-37) and the last run secured the victory.
Guthrie junior forward Devon Hall finished with a double double (14 points, 10 rebounds) and shot 70% from the field (7-10).
Guthrie will hit the floor Friday against the Noble Bears in regional play with an 8:00 p.m. start time and will follow the first game between Southeast and Lawton MacArthur (6:30). The two winners will meet 7:00 Saturday for the regional championship.
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