With their 60-51 Regional victory over McLoud March 27 Purcell’s girls advanced to the Regional finals.

However, Douglass pinned a 67-41 loss on the Dragons sending them into the consolation bracket of the Area Tournament at Ada today (Thursday) against Tuttle at 1 p.m.

Coach Toney Cooper’s Dragons will need three straight victories in the Area Tournament to advance to State.

Kenna Esparza’s 19 points paced the Dragons’ offense in the Douglass loss. Those 19 points put her over 1,000 for her career as a Dragon.

Purcell had a pair of double digit scorers in the victory over McLoud.

Haven Buchanan led the way with 16. Esparza was right on her heels pumping in 15. Tinley Winters finished with nine points in the win.

“Regionals opened with a ranked McLoud team. They are a solid team with a good record, so our best was definitely needed,” head coach Toney Cooper said.

“We did a great job defensively in the first half holding them below 10 in both quarters. Offensively, we started off great. Our ball movement was good and we got out in transition. We were extremely proud of how our kids handled being on the road for the second straight playoff game facing a ranked opponent,” Cooper confirmed.

“One of our goals when playoff seedings were released was to get to the Douglass game,” Cooper said.

“Douglass being the  No. 2 team in 4A presented all sorts of challenges for us,” the coach said. “We both love transition so I expected an up tempo game and that is exactly what we got. Kenna Esparza found her scoring touch early,” he said. “While we kept the game close, getting within seven early fourth quarter, they just hit some incredible shots to open the game late and we could not recover.

“I was so proud of our kids’ competitiveness in this game. It was a very physical game and our girls did not back down. We can build on this as we move into Area round of playoffs.”

Coach Matt Lohn’s Dragons opened the Regional Tournament at McLoud with a 56-53 victory over McLoud led by Jaime Resendiz’s 14 points.

Seth Bunch and Drew Blair were both in double figures with 12 and 11 respectively.

“My guys locked in and played arguably their most complete game of the season,” Lohn said.

“We were able to establish offense early by being aggressive and converting on the good looks we got,” Lohn said.

“McLoud had a great season and they have a couple of guys who are tough to stop. I thought we did as good of a job as we could all game long.

“Their No. 0 just made some tough, contested jumpers. He is certainly one of the best scorers in the state as we found out first hand down the stretch,” the coach continued.

“McLoud made shots and pressured us into some mistakes. However, we showed great resolve and trust in one another and ultimately got the stop we needed to to survive and advance. It was a big win for these kids. They earned it and I was extremely happy for them to get a playoff win,” he confirmed.

The Dragons got off to a hot start against Chickasha at Douglass.

Purcell came out like their pants were on fire scoring 19 first quarter points but couldn’t close the deal, coming  up on the short end of a 36-32 verdict at the hands of the Chicks and former Dragon head coach Roger Raper.

Drew Blair led the offense with 12 points.

The Dragons cooled off, however, only scoring 13 points the final three quarters.

“We started the game about as well as I could have hoped,” Lohn said. “Our energy was great on both sides of the ball.

“Coach Raper and his kids simply adjusted better than we did the rest of the way. It was not for lack of trying. We got 38 shot attempts to their 20 but their stall ball wore us down,” he said.

“That paired with the big kid they have roaming the paint affected us to the tune of 37 percent shooting.

“I am proud to say my guys never quit or gave up, but it simply wasn’t our day. There are some things we all would love to change but again, we must credit Coach Raper and the Chicks.

“They made us play their game and beat us. It was a microcosm of our season as a whole. I cannot express how proud I am of this group and what they accomplished. We certainly felt we left some things on the table, but they put it all on the line game in and game out.

“There is no place I would rather be than Purcell. I take great pride in not only what we do now, but what has been done in the past. We aim to continue to build upon the excellence that is Purcell basketball. It is clear to me the future is bright. This year’s team has laid a tremendous foundation for Dragon Basketball for many years to come,” Lohn concluded.