BETHANY, Okla. - Rogers State avenged two regular season losses to Oklahoma Christian with a 60-55 victory Thursday in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament in Bethany, Okla.
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The Hillcats clung to a slim lead for the entire second half and withstood a late rally by the Lady Eagles to advance to Friday's semifinals. Yoda Woods led a balanced RSU scoring attack with 11 points while Hunter Peterson, Jenny Hardin and Logan Froese tallied nine apiece.
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Holly Birmingham banked in a desperation three to beat the halftime buzzer and gave the Cats a 30-22 advantage at the break. The lead peaked at 10 points on back-to-back buckets by Froese and Woods at the midway point of the second half.
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Senior Kailan DeCamp willed OC back into it with a spectacular second half. The Collinsville, Okla., native poured in 15 second half points and finished with a game-high 21. DeCamp sparked an 11-2 run by the Eagles with five quick points to cut the margin to one with 4:45 remaining.
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Froese knocked in a baseline jumper to push the lead back to three and Autumn Thompson buried a trey from the corner on the next trip. Peterson capped a 7-0 spurt by RSU with a driving layup to make it 54-46 with two minutes left to play.
DeCamp scored two more baskets before the Cats sealed the victory at the free throw line. RSU's struggles at the charity strip continued to start the postseason. Coach Amy Williams' squad shot just 55 percent from the line and missed 10 free throws in the second half alone. However, Birmingham dropped in two free tosses in the closing seconds to put the game one ice.
DeCamp finished 8 for 14 from the floor in the losing effort. Lisa Chenoweth and Brittney Kennedy joined her in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. RSU enjoyed a big advantage on the boards as it outrebounded the Eagles, 40-30.
Rogers State (21-10) will face top-seed Oklahoma Baptist in the semifinals Friday afternoon. The Lady Bison trounced Northwestern, 76-33, in their tournament opener. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Sawyer Center on the Southern Nazarene University campus. The game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
