By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
EDMOND – For 16 minutes Yukon did what it needed to do to pull off an upset of the No. 2 team in the state.
The second 16 minutes, though, didn’t go how the Millerettes wanted.
Edmond Deer Creek put together a second half scoring surge to run past the Millerettes 64-48 in a Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference game Tuesday night at Deer Creek.
The Millerettes trailed only by one at halftime after Deer Creek hit a shot at the buzzer, then couldn’t keep up with the taller Lady Antlers in the third quarter.
“We started turning the ball over and gave up offensive rebounds in that third quarter and that was the difference,” Millerette head coach Roy Wyckoff said. “We did a good job in the first two and the fourth of not doing that, but it put us in a big hole in the third. You can’t let that happen.
“For us, there is less room for error, because they have really good bigs and can score around the basket,” he said. “When we score with our size, it is lower percentage shots and kick out threes, which we like that. But, they were getting the easy buckets and we were not.
“I thought we moved the ball well in the first two quarters and created good shots. I was pleased with how we battled and fought. We did some really good things on offense and defense, but that is a really good team. They are a gold ball contender and are the No. 1 seed on the west side of the state for a reason.
The Millerettes stunned Deer Creek early, getting off to a 6-0 start after Amunique Holmes hit a trey and a pair of free throws. Deer Creek did come back to take a 10-9 lead, but a Sydney Brown trey with 53 seconds remaining gave the Millerettes a 12-10 lead.
Skylar Vann hit a shot to tie the game and a steal from Jenna Marshall gave Deer Creek a 14-12 lead with 10 seconds remaining.
A trey by Holmes gave the Millerettes back the lead 15-14, treys from Brown and Jaylee Watson extended the lead to 21-16. Vann hit three field goals in a row to regain the lead 22-21, but the Millerettes used a Brown field goal and two Ruby Barker free throws to take a 25-23 lead. Brenna Burk’s shot at the buzzer gave Deer Creek a 26-25 halftime lead.
Deer Creek went on a 5-0 run to start the second half and took a 30-25 lead. The Lady Antlers opened a 36-25 lead before Holmes’ hit the first shot of the second half to make it 36-28.
The Millerettes did cut the lead down to seven, 42-35, but Deer Creek ended the quarter on a 5-0 run and a 47-35 lead.
“We were telegraphing passes in that third quarter and threw soft lob passes, got timid and not attacking them and it resulted in turnovers,” Wyckoff said. “They have great length and athleticism, so give credit to them they did a good job of forcing turnover and we didn’t do a good job of holding onto the ball.
“I am happy with the girls overall,” he said. ‘I feel we are coming together the right way. They are not pointing the finger at anyone or blaming each other. They are picking each other up and doing the things that you don’t see in the stands and that will help us come together at the right moment.”
Readel led the YHS scoring with 16, Holmes added 12, Brown 10 and Barker and Watson had four. Vann had 23 for Deer Creek.
“We are going in the right direction, we just haven’t gotten over the hump yet,” Wyckoff said. “Hopefully we can do that by Feb. 27 in the first round of the playoffs.”
