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By: Chris Evans
Posted March 15, 2009
Last season was unexpected, but this season was expected. However, you look at the scenario's, the Guthrie BlueJay basketball team ended both season's with state championships.
Guthrie
secured their sixth state championship in school history by defeating the Tulsa
Edison Eagles, 47-45, inside the Lloyd Noble Center on campus of the University
of Oklahoma. The win marks back-to-back championships for the Jays and head
coach Pete Papahronis.
Guthrie (27-2) becomes the first team to repeat in Class 5A since the Southeast Spartans did it in 2004 and 2005.
Just as they did a season ago, Guthrie got wins over teams from the East side of the state with with wins over Shawnee (55-38), Tahlequah (54-39), and Tulsa Edison (47-45) for the 2009 championship crown.
The BlueJays, who were playing in their 24th state tournament and fourth consecutive, are now 6-0 when they play in state championship games. On the other side, Edison is 0-5 when they play in the title game and last made the title game back in 1986.
Guthrie ends the season with a 10-game winning streak and improves to 24-0 when they hold their opponent to 48 points, or less.
The Jays held Edison to zero field goals in the first quarter and had an 8-1 advantage at the end of the quarter. Edison then return the favor by not allowing Guthrie a field goal in the second quarter. All five points for Guthrie came from senior Donte' Foster at the free throw line.
Foster would prove to be clutch at the line by going 18 of 20 from the charity stripe. As a team, Guthrie finished 24-30 (80%) from the line.
Edison was 0-9 from the field in the opening quarter, but heated up in the second by going 8 of 11 that included a 13-0 run that gave Edison an 18-10 lead. The Eagles exhibited a tough, aggressive zone defense the entire contest that resulted in 16 turnovers for the Jays.
Foster ended the run with three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer with just :03 left before the half, but those points would not be the final points of the half.
Clyde Hill, who hit the game winning shot with 4.3 seconds to upset the Booker T. Washington Hornets the day before, hit a mid court shot as time expired to send the Eagles into the locker room leading 21-13. Edison outscored the Jays 20-5 in the second quarter.
Edison continued their 8-point advantage with 6:00 to play in the third quarter (25-17), but the Jays finished the quarter on a 15-8 run to close out the third, including a 3-pointer from senior guard Keaton Callins to pull the Jays within one, 33-32.
Sophomore Kentrell Brothers, who continued to take defensive charges, started the fourth quarter scoring like he did to begin the game with a bucket and a foul. In both situations, it gave the Jays the lead. The fourth quarter old fashion 3-point play gave the Jays lead for good with 6:30 to play. Edison held the lead for 11:05 that ranged from the second quarter to the fourth quarter.
Callins, who finished with 16 points, nailed a 3-pointer :30 later to give the Jays a 38-33 lead and proved to be the biggest of the night. The 3-point shot also gave the Jays a 13-0 run that lasted 4:55.
Edison responded with a 3-0 spurt to pull within two (38-36). Both teams answered each other for the next 3:00. Eagles guard Desmond Butler's field goal narrowed the Jays lead to one, 41-40, but Foster and Callins knocked down two free throws each in the next :23 to push the lead back to five, 45-40, with 18 seconds to play.
In the next eight seconds, the Eagles hit three of four free throw's to make it a 45-43 game.
Out of the time-out, Guthrie's senior Clayton Smith inbounded the ball to Foster, who was foul immediately, and swished both free throw's to ice the game.
Foster finished with a game high 23 points and played his final game all four years, of his varsity career, in the state tournament.
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