The Preston Pirate varsity basketball team took home the runner- up trophy at their annual home tournament - the Preston Invitational - this past Saturday following a 44-36 loss to the Okay Mustangs.
The Preston Pirate varsity basketball team took home the runner- up trophy at their annual home tournament - the Preston Invitational - this past Saturday following a 44-36 loss to the Okay Mustangs.
The Pirates earned a spot in the championship game following a first-round win (45-32) over the Warner Eagles last Thursday and a semifinal victory (51-44) over the Kiefer Trojans this past Friday.
The Preston gentlemen will return to the hardwood Friday with a trip to Oklahoma Union High School and a showdown with the Oklahoma Union Cougars in the Pirates’ final game of the first-half portion of their regular-season schedule.
In last Thursday’s opening- round win over Warner, the Pirates trailed by one, 6-5, after the first eight minutes of action.
The Preston squad went into the halftime break with a 21-15 advantage after outscoring the Eagles 16-9 in the second quarter.
A 19-8 margin in the third period extended the Pirates’ lead to double digits, 40-23.
Warner attempted a comeback in the final frame, but only managed a 9-5 advantage to award the host Preston gentlemen the 45-32, opening-round, win.
The Pirates’ top scorer in the opener was Jervais Goree with a team-high 17 points. Kareffren Bagby was next for Preston with eight, followed by Malachi Ligons and Keyton Smith seven each and Tucker Webb six.
In last Friday’ semifinal battle with Kiefer, the Preston cage squad edged the Trojans 10-9 in the first period, then went into the halftime break ahead by three, 22-19, following a 12-10 advantage in the second quarter.
Kiefer made it a 2-point Preston lead, 34-32, heading into the final frame after taking the third stanza by a 13-12 margin.
The rally attempt was thwarted, however, in the final eight minutes of regulation with the host Pirates outscoring their semifinal foes 17-12 in the final period to advance to the championship game with the 51-44 decision.
Leading the way offensively for Preston in the semifinal win was Jervais Goree, who finished with a team-best 28-point performance.
Malachi Ligons and Keyton Smith just missed double-digit scoring for the Pirates against Kiefer with nine and eight points, respectively.
The other scorers for Preston in the semifinal contest were Kareffren Bagby with five and Tucker Webb with one.
In Saturday’s title contest, the Pirates trailed 13-6 after the first
quarter and 25-15 at the intermission.
Okay escaped the third period with a narrow 12-10 margin to extend its lead to 12 points, 3725, with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
The Preston gentlemen were unable to overcome the double- digit deficit, managing just an 11-7 advantage in the final frame to suffer the 44-36 defeat.
The Pirates were led in scoring by Malachi Ligons and Keyton Smith with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Jervais Goree just missed double-digit scoring for Preston with nine points.
Kareffren Bagby and Tucker Webb rounded out the Pirate scoring with three and one, respectively.
--- Preston Invitational First Round
Preston 45, Warner 32
Warner: 6 - 9 - 8 - 9 (32) Preston: 5 - 16 - 19 - 5 (45) Preston Scoring: Jervais Goree 17, Kareffren Bagby 8, Malachi Ligons 7, Keyton Smith 7, Tucker Webb 6.
--- Semifinals
Preston 51, Kiefer 44
Kiefer: 9 - 10 - 13 - 12 (44) Preston: 10 - 12 - 12 - 17 (51) Preston Scoring: Jervais Goree 28, Malachi Ligons 9, Keyton Smith 8, Kareffren Bagby 5, Tucker Webb 1.
--- Championship
Okay 44, Preston 36
Okay: 13 - 12 - 12 - 7 (44) Preston: 6 - 9 - 10 - 11 (36) Preston Scoring: Malachi Ligons 12, Keyton Smith 11, Jervais Goree 9, Kareffren Bagby 3, Tucker Webb 1.
