By Ben Johnson
CNHI
TAHLEQUAH —
Chickasha couldn't beat Guthrie in the regular season. But doing it in the playoffs, no problem.
Class 5A No. 18 Chickasha survived late to prevail 57-51 over No. 13 Guthrie in overtime at the TMAC in Tahlequah on Thursday night.
Chickasha advances to the Class 5A regional tournament finals on Saturday against No. 7 Tahlequah.
Sierra Hamilton led Chickasha with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Alex Stewart and Dominique Golightly chipped in with 13 points apiece for the Lady Chicks (12-11).
Chickasha went ahead for good with 1:47 left in overtime on a pair of Hamilton free throws, which made it 48-47.
Guthrie tried to make it interesting with 28 seconds left in overtime, when Chickasha turned the ball over while leading 51-49. However, Guthrie's Melinda Murillo missed a jumper, and Golightly would rebound the ball before making two foul shots on the other end.
Adding to the final score was a late technical foul on Guthrie coach Pete Papahronis, who did his best to get tossed out of the game with nine seconds left on the clock.
Murillo led Guthrie (11-13) with 21 points.
With 24 seconds left in regulation, Stewart made two free throws to help Chickasha pull even at 41 apiece.
Guthrie followed with a rushed shot by Melinda Murillo as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
Chickasha's big advantage in the game was at the free-throw line. The Lady Chicks finished 28 of 31 at the foul line, while Guthrie was 11 of 21.
The game featured six ties and 16 lead changes.
