Purcell bowed out of the State Playoffs with a 41-39 loss to Tuttle in the Area Tournament on a Tuttle buzzer beater.

The Dragons, led by Tinley Winters’ 11 points, built a 10-point halftime lead but were out-scored 28-16 in the second half to end their season.

“Anytime you are one of the teams still competing in March, you feel good about it,” head coach Toney Cooper said. “Our team felt confident going into this game.”

Both teams came out sluggish to start the game.

“We began to settle in and got on a nice run mid first quarter that carried into the second. Tinley Winters started off strong offensively, scoring all of our points in the first quarter. As we progressed to the second others started to find their shots and we were able to really get on a nice run which allowed us to take a lead into halftime,” Cooper said.

“Coming out of the half, we needed to continue to push the pace and build on our lead. Tuttle did a good job of adjusting and really slowing us down offensively,” he said.

Tuttle out-scored the Dragons 15-7 in the third period and were back in the game.

“This definitely was not the way we envisioned our season ending. Tuttle’s Marissa Sandlin hit an incredible shot, but to lose at buzzer like that was definitely hard to accept,” the coach said.

Cooper said his team played a “very challenging schedule” this season.

“We played against several of the top ranked teams in our state. Our girls competed and represented our school and city extremely well. I can not put into words how proud I am of our team,” Cooper said.

“The growth of our seniors over the past three years has been incredible to witness. One of the challenges I laid out to them this season was to leave a legacy that others can pick up and continue.

“No doubt, they did just that. While they all lead differently, they no doubt are leaders. They will be missed, but thankful for all they have done to help our basketball program. I saw such growth in our juniors and sophomores, and such promise with our freshmen. I fully expect us to continue to compete at a high level, while we continue to pursue that opportunity for a state championship,” he concluded.