“That’s huge,” Grove head coach Richard Bassett said. “We’ve had those games where we’ve missed [free throws] and gotten beat, so having her do that was big. She took care of the ball at the point tonight and did a great job. Oologah is a good team and road wins are tough, especially for us this year. I’m real proud of the way the girls played.”

The Lady Ridgerunners (6-9) started the game on fire, hitting on four of their first six shots and turning the ball over just once in taking a 19-13 lead. Lily Jeffries and Karah Bassett scored six points each in the quarter, with Morris adding five.

But in the second quarter the Lady Mustangs (6-12) clamped down defensively, holding Grove to five points in the quarter. Six different Oologah players got in the scorebook in the second quarter, combining for 13 points in the period as the Lady Mustangs took a 26-24 lead into halftime.

Jeffries had Grove’s only two baskets in the second quarter, including a putback at the buzzer.

“The first half the defense wasn’t as good as it should be,” Bassett said. “They had seven offensive rebounds and we weren’t diving for loose balls. In the second half we did a much better job of getting the loose balls and playing better defense.”

The Lady Mustangs maintained their slim lead for most of the third quarter, taking a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Jeffries tied the game at 35 with a jumper with 6:40 left, and Emilee Iverson tied things at 37 with just under five minutes to play before Morris put the Lady Ridgerunners ahead for good with her big three-point shot.

Morris finished with 16 points to lead Grove, while Jeffries finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds.

“Lily has played really well the last three games,” Bassett said. “She’s shooting the 15-footer and attacking the rim.”

Brinley Evans led Oologah with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Grace Garrison added 13 points and 8 rebounds.

After a pair of one-point losses recently, the Lady Ridgerunners were finally able to pull out a close game. Grove lost toe Claremore on a buzzer-beating putback at the Port City Classic in Catoosa recently and lost on a last-second shot to Stilwell last Saturday.

“Those are two games, if you turn it around, we’re .500 or above, so this one feels good,” Bassett said.

Grove 57, Pryor 35 (Friday)

After a sluggish first quarter, the Grove Lady Ridgerunners roared through the second and third quarters to blow out the Pryor Lady Tigers 57-35 Friday night, completing their weekend sweep.

Grove (7-9) trailed 10-7 at the conclusion of the first period, but outscored Pryor 17-5 in the second quarter to take a 24-15 lead into the break. The Lady Ridgerunners then started the second half with a 10-0 run, eventually pushing their lead over 20 late in the third quarter before resting their starters for much of the final period.

Emilee Iverson led Grove with 16 points, hitting a three with 6:15 left in the second quarter to give the Lady Ridgerunners a 14-12 lead they would never relinquish. Paige Miller added 13 points, all of those coming in the second and third quarters.

Lily Jeffries followed up her 15-point effort at Oologah with another 10 points Friday.

Alyissa Harry led Pryor (0-16) with 11 points. The Lady Tigers committed 31 turnovers.