THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Skiatook High School Athletics

The unranked Skiatook Bulldogs squared off against the Tahlequah Tigers (#15 in 5A, 11-8), hoping to fare a little better than their female counterparts. Tahlequah’s Clint Kelley started out hot, drilling three triples in the first two minutes of the game. Jayden Garner of Skiatook scored a quick 7 of his own, two scores coming on assists from Gavin Jackson. Tahlequah still carried a lead after the first quarter, 22-17, but Reece Neil made an enormous play for the Bulldogs when he stole a wild pass and converted a circus-shot and-one after taking a hard foul. An alley-oop to Shae Garner tied the game at 22 before a Braiden Blackwell triple gave Skiatook a three point lead. The rest of the half was neck-and-neck, with Skiatook heading into the locker room with down 35-33. Neil had 7 and Jayden Garner had 9. Kelley had 10 for the Tigers. At halftime, Kendall Schulte was named homecoming queen and was crowned by senior Shane Ransom, the kissing captain. At the beginning of the third, Tahlequah looked like they were poised to pull away, but Skiatook fought right back and tied the game at 40 when Gavin Jackson hit a three with a defender in his face. Kelley scored four by himself to give Tahlequah the lead, and they kept a narrow lead through the end of the third, up 47-42 at the break. In the fourth quarter, the referees banded together and collectively decided to try to ruin Shae Garner’s homecoming, hitting him with three questionable calls in less than 3 minutes. Garner, with a bloody nose and lip, pleaded his case, yet the pack of zebras refused to administer justice. That being said, Tahlequah only led by 4 with 4 minutes left. Kelley and company, however, ensured that the game stayed out of reach. Tahlequah blew the lead open, going up by 14 in the closing minutes. Tahlequah held on to win 65-54. Jayden Garner and Gavin Jackson were the leading scorers for the Bulldogs, with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Clint Kelley scored 22 points for the Tigers.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Skiatook High School Athletics

SKIATOOK DROPS GAME TO TAHLEQUAH

JESSE HAYNES

Skiatook Journal | 2/6/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Garner