Bombers strike Guthrie with first loss of season

The Guthrie boys basketball team sprinted out to a 3-0 start to the season, but were handed their first loss by Class 6A’s Midwest City.

The sixth ranked Bombers used their aggressive man-to-man and trapping defense to keep their distance with an 81-61 first round win to advance to the semi’s of the Del City/Midwest City Holiday Invitational. Guthrie falls to the consolation side of the bracket and will play Bixby, 3:30, at Midwest City High School on Thursday.

Guthrie and Bixby can be heard on Guthrie Sports Page Radio beginning at 3:15.

Guthrie (3-1), who played 12 players in the game, got off to a bumpy ride when Midwest City started the game on an 8-0 run. The Jays managed just one field goal in the quarter and three free throws, but only trailed 13-5.

In the second quarter, Midwest City was leading 25-15 with 4:00 to play when their bench received a technical foul after Kai Callins was fouled on a play. Callins hit three-of-four and drilled two baseline jump shots (7 points) all within 1:53 to pull Guthrie within six points, 28-22.

The BlueJays, ranked 11th in Class 5A, pulled within two, 31-29, on Landon Solorio’s field goal with 45 seconds left in the half. Midwest City responded with back-to-back lay-ups and appeared would go into halftime with a six point lead, but Jerrick Warren drilled a half court shot as the buzzer went off to send the Jays into the locker room only down 35-32.

Midwest City (3-1) built a couple of 12-point leads in the third quarter and the Jays could not get within six points for majority of the quarter. The fourth quarter was not any better as the Bombers kept a double-digit lead.

The Jays defense allowed an unusual 49 points in the second half.

Both teams combined to shoot 52 free throws, including 21 in the fourth quarter alone. The Jays were 19-27 and the Bombers went 17-25.

Warren paced the Jays with 16 points while Callins chipped in with 11. Midwest City sophomore guard Torey Noel finished with a game high 26 points.

Guthrie Scorers: Jerrick Warren 16, Kai Callins 11, Shron Parker 7, Bailey Nichols 7, Codee Gross 7, JT McFadden 4, Justin Irvin 2, Landon Solorio 2, Dakota Leach 1