Lightning strikes twice

Heading into their matchup with Tulsa Union, the Mustang girls basketball team knew exactly who they were facing.

They had lost to the same team the previous year in the state quarterfinals and Mustang High School was looking to turn the tables on the Redhawks.

Unfortunately, the encounter didn’t go as planned. For the second straight year, Union defeated Mustang 43-34, which ended the Broncos’ season in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

The loss was the first by MHS since Jan. 28. They had reeled off nine straight before meeting up with Union.

However, when the night started, the Lady Broncos immediately had issues with the Redhawks’ defense. They trailed 11-8 with Karley Johnson and Randi Harding scoring all their first-quarter points.

MHS was able to get its offense going a little more in the second quarter. They were even able to take the lead away from the Redhawks a couple of times.

However, Union came back and hit big 3-pointers to hold off any Mustang run. Union led 20-19 at halftime.

While Mustang’s defense was strong, they did have issues stopping Union on the offensive glass. It was especially hard for the Broncos to control. The Redhawks led 37-24 with four minutes. The

The Redhawks led 37-24 with four minutes. The Broncos then went on a 6-1 run and closed the gap to 38-30 with 3:15 on the clock.

It looked like MHS was going to be able to reel Union in the rest of the way.

However, the Redhawks came up with a 3-point play on offense then forced Mustang into a turnover on the other end of the court.

That would be as far as the Broncos would get as Union went on to take the win.

Union went on to lose in the semifinal to Bixby. That set-up a matchup between Bixby and No. 1 Edmond North, which the Huskies won to claim the 6A championship.

Mustang closes out the season with a 22-5 record, a regional, an area championship and two regular-season tournament titles. They also racked up wins over McAlester, who won the Class 5A title.

It was also an end to the prep careers of a group of seniors who have helped bring the Broncos back to a title contender. Those seniors include Talia Pogi, Randi Harding, Kate Niehues, Carley Mosley, Karley Johnson and Hannah Keele.

Edmond North won its first state championship, knocking off Bixby in a 57-55 overtime thriller.