Geronimo girls, Sterling boys claim county titles

Geronimo girls ended 52 years of frustration Saturday by putting on a shooting and pressure clinic in a decisive 42-19 victory over Chattanooga Saturday night to win the Comanche County Tournament title before a large crowd at the Great Plains Coliseum.

In the final game of the busy week of action the Sterling boys claimed that title by turning away Big Pasture, 59-49, in a dandy matchup of two pressing defensive teams.

But the biggest cheers of the night came from the Geronimo fans who had seen their program struggle in this annual festival but last night it was all the Lady Jays. Chatty was able to stay close for a quarter but after that it was all Geronimo.

“I think our defense and pressure were the difference tonight,” Coach Bryce Abbe said. “It was obvious that we were dialed in tonight; this bunch had been looking forward to this. This bunch is the hardest working group I’ve ever been around. I think our shooting shows that these girls spend a lot of time in the gym.”

While playmaker Chrissa Gomez is the ringleader with her ability to handle the ball and shoot from anywhere on the court, on this night there were other keys as well, including the smallest player on the court, tiny sophomore Abbey Huffman. Huffman drilled four treys, including three in the fourth quarter as she ignited the Geronimo fans.

“She is the seventh player we have who has made four or more treys in one game,” Abbe said. “These girls can all shoot the ball and it’s hard to defend all of them. Teams will chase Chrissa and that opens the doors for these others and they can all make them.”

Huffman led the Lady Jays with 14 while Gomez added 13, McKenzie Bolling scored eight and Brooke Bolling added seven.

But in the end it was the pressure that turned the tide for good as the Lady Jays held Chatty scoreless in the fourth quarter to win going away.

Abbe now can turn his attention to the remainder of the season and the fight for playoff seeding.

“We are going to get everyone’s best shot but I think this win will keep us in the top eight and we are hoping to get to host a regional,” he said.

Sterling boys prevail

While the Tigers had to use late-game heroics to win a tense semifinal contest Friday, last night probably seemed like a breeze but they had to handle the Big Pasture press and it came down to just handling the ball.

“We’ve played in nine games where we had a chance to win a game like this but just didn’t find a way to win,” Coach Trent Parrish said. “Tonight we just played with a great deal of confidence. We have guys out there who are all unselfish. They will give up a good shot to get the ball to another open teammate who is open.”

In the final few minutes it was the ball handling of the Hughes brothers, Tate and Tukker, who just blew past the Rangers time after time on the press.

“Those two kids really played well, they broke the press and when they found a seam they’d drive and score. Tukker still has those sophomore moments but he is getting better and better.”

Balance was the key for the Tigers as Tate Hughes scored 13, Tukker Hughes scored 18, Kayden Wilson 12 and Clinton Moore added eight.

“We are now 11-10 but we’ve played a really tough schedule and this type of games is why we’re going to be tougher down the stretch,” Parrish said. “This was a good night for these guys.”

In the first half of the boys game Tukker Hughes hit three treys in the first quarter as Sterling jumped out fast but Big Pasture kept pace thanks to the inside work of Jace Skocelas who had seven in the opening quarter.

Both teams relied on their pressure defense to force some key turnovers that kept both clubs from getting out further in front.

Saturday’s busy schedule started at 11 a.m. with four games, two consolation games and two third-place games.

Big Pasture girls got the first tournament hardware with a tough 33-32 victory over Tipton. The key for the Lady Rangers was Kyleigh Martin who poured in 17 points as they held off several late threats by Tipton. Angie Manriquez led Tipton with 11 points.

The boys fifth-place game was also decided late as Geronimo edged Indiahoma, 48-45, as Mavrik Kriz had a huge game with 22 points. That helped offset the balance of the Warriors who got 17 each from Joesyah Johnson and Jacob McClung.

Sterling girls also won a tight game, beating Walters, 40-37, behind good scoring balance as Ava Alexander led the Tigers with 13 while Shelby Spence and Ashlyn Clift each added 12 each.

There were no late rallies in the boys third-place game as Walters shot lights out to beat Chattanooga, 66-42, as Carter Ray scored 20 and Gunter Sain added 19. Chatty had 21 from Cooper Loftin and Michael Paddyaker added 10.