Purcell took Anadarko to overtime in the second round of the Bertha Teague Basketball Tournament at Ada last Friday but eventually fell 39-36.

Senior Haven Buchanan led all scorers with 22 points.

The contest was knotted at 34 all at the end of regulation but the Warriors out-scored the Dragons 5-2 in the overtime period.

“Given how we played the previous day, I fully expected our kids to come back better and they did just that. Our defense was much better holding them to 13 in the first half. Haven Buchanan carried us offensively with 22 for the game,” head coach Toney Cooper said.

“Our kids played so hard,” the coach continued. “It was an exciting game to be a part of.”

The Dragons came out of the gate slow in the prestigious tournament on the campus of East Central University coming up short in a 63-39 loss to Dale.

Kenna Esparza, on three from down town, and Hannah Whitaker led the Dragons with nine points each.

“Their roster is filled with very good basketball players from starters to reserves,” Cooper said.

“In the first half we played extremely well. Our girls were solid defensively and we were able to find some easy scoring opportunities. In the second half we came out very flat and never got going.”

Purcell gave up 24 points in the final period and couldn’t recover.

In the final game of the tournament Saturday, Haven Buchanan again was the game’s top scorer with 11 points.

Caddo jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first period but Purcell hung tough and ended the period only down two, 12-10.

Another rough fourth quarter spelled defeat to the tune of 35-44.

“We were not as sharp as I would have liked for us to be defensively and it showed as we put them on the line early and often,” Cooper said.

“They dominated us on the boards, allowing for extra possessions. Turnovers were a problem for us in this contest.”

Dragon notes:

Head coach Toney Cooper said it was a great honor to be invited to the Bertha Teague to face some of the best teams in the state.

“This tournament concluded the first half of our season and it has been tough,” Cooper said. “We have faced some of the best teams in our state over this part of our schedule. While our record is far from where we would like, these experiences are going to pay dividends for us down the road. Our best days are ahead of us,” he concluded.