After rallying from an 11-point deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, the Lady Sandites saw their comeback dreams quashed on a late corner three from Peyton Dolan in the Regional Championship game Friday afternoon in Broken Arrow.

Host No. 8 Broken Arrow (18-7) punched its ticket to Area with a 47-44 win over No. 6 Sand Springs (17-8) behind 17 points and 11 rebounds from Nebraska commit McKenzie Mathurin.

The former conference foes from Sand Springs and Broken Arrow met for the first time this season, fresh off dominant wins in the first round of the postseason.

Sakauri Wilson scored the opening bucket off a steal in transition but Macy Marraccini hit back-to-back baskets and the Tigers never trailed again till the middle of the fourth quarter.

After four minutes the game was still tied at 2-2 and Broken Arrow only led 8-5 after the first quarter.

“They did exactly what they wanted to,” said head coach Josh Berry. “They wanted to slow us down so they mix and matched from different zones, different mans, just to try and confuse us.”

Broken Arrow opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run for their first double-digit lead and went up by as much as 11 after a trey from Marraccini at the 4:53 mark.

Sand Springs responded with a late run, including two three-pointers from Taiona Morris and a late bucket from Wilson to make it 24-19 at halftime.

Aaliyah Simone scored off a steal to open the third and Bump drained a three to make it 26-24 but Broken Arrow surged right back to a 33-24 advantage before the Sandites ended on a 4-0 run.

Simone hit a layup early in the fourth after stealing an inbound throw to make it 33-31. ReKiah Bowen broke up the Sandites’ run with a two-point basket, but Simone scored again and Wilson hit a three with 4:05 to play for the Sandites’ first lead since the opening basket.

Mathurin put the Tigers back on top with a pair of free throws, but Bump hit another three to make it 39-37. Mathurin then tied it up from the charity stripe but Tianna Butler also had a pair of free throws for the Sandites’ final lead of the night at 41-39 with 1:46 to play.

After Butler’s free throws, the Tigers outscored the Sandites 8-3. Mathurin and Marracini each made free throws after Dolan’s three, though another three-pointer from Bump cut it as close as 46-44 with five seconds to play.

“It’s going to be a game of runs and they had the last run,” said Berry. “They made a big shot in the corner to get the lead and you know, that’s all you can do is leave it all out there.”

Mathurin hit one last free throw to make it 47-44 and Wilson was fouled on her way downcourt and missed both free throws with a second to play.

The Sandites’ aggressive defense forced 15 turnovers in the game, led by Simone with 3 steals.

“We talk about it all the time and all year long,” said Berry. “As long as we hook up defensively and we don’t take any plays off on that end, we’re going to find a way to get back into the game.”

“Our offense will find a way to put the ball in the hole, but it’s our defense that can’t have any lapses and I think we had about seven or eight plays that we just lapsed on defense and to me, that’s the ball game.”

Bump led the Sandites with 11 points, followed by Morris with 10, all in the first half. Simone scored 9 points and Wilson and Butler had 7 apiece.

“If our defense is there, we’ve got enough people that a play is going to be made,” said Berry. “In every part of the game, somebody made a big play. And that’s the thing, we’ve just got to trust each other on that part.”

Sand Springs will travel to Edmond Memorial in a Regional consolation elimination game against Putnam City (10-14) Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Sandites previously defeated the Pirates 68-51 and 77-53 in district play.

“They’re a tough team, good coach,” said Berry. “It’s always hard to play somebody three times in a row. Especially after you come off a loss like this, an emotional one, and now you’ve got to go on the road.”

“They’re coming off a win and they’ll be ready to go, so it depends on how we respond.”

BAHS 47 CPHS 44

1Q: BAHS 8-5.
2Q: BAHS 16-14.
3Q: Tied 9-9.
4Q: CPHS 16-14.
Free Throws: BAHS 14-of-17, CPHS 6-of-12.
Field Goals: BAHS 15-of-37, CPHS 16-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: BAHS 7, CPHS 6.
Defensive Rebounds: BAHS 19, CPHS 8.
Total Rebounds: BAHS 26, CPHS 14.
Steals: BAHS 4, CPHS 7.
Blocks: BAHS 2, CPHS 1.
Fouls: BAHS 14, CPHS 16.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Bump 11, Morris 10, Simone 9, Ti. Butler 7, Wilson 7.
Offensive Rebounds: Ti. Butler 2, Bump 1, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simone 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Wilson 4, Ti. Butler 2, Bump 1, Morris 1.
Total Rebounds: Wilson 5, Ti. Butler 4, Bump 2, Morris 2, Simone 1.
Steals: Simone 3, Wilson 2, Bump 1, Morris 1.
Assists: Wilson 4, Simone 3, Morris 1.
Blocks: Morris 1.
Fouls: Morris 4, Ti. Butler 4, Bump 3, Wilson 2, Ta. Butler 2, Simone 1.

Broken Arrow Stats

Points: Mathurin 17, Marraccini 12, Bowen 7, Jacobs 4, Scarborough 4, Dolan 3.
Fouls: Scarborough 3, Bowen 3, Marraccini 2, Mathurin 2, McCrary 2, Jacobs 2.