The Central Lady Tigers came up short in the title game of the 2024 Gore Tournament, losing 54-52 to Oktaha in the tournament finals Saturday night at Gore Event Center.

The Lady Tigers reached the title game with a 57-15 Thursday afternoon win over Braggs and a 48-35 Friday night victory over Hulbert.

The Central Tigers won the third-place game Saturday evening, downing Oktaha 49-35 after beating Hulbert 48-38 on Thursday but losing 60-54 to Braggs in Friday’s championship semifinals.

The Vian Wolverines claimed the consolation championship, rallying past Hulbert 49-41 on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines, playing their first games of the season due to the football team playing in the Class 2A, Division II state title game on Dec. 7, lost 78-51 to Stigler on Thursday evening but bounced back with a 53-46 win over the host Gore Pirates.

The Vian Lady Wolverines lost the consolation title game 59-39 to the Chouteau-Mazie Lady Wildcats, coached by former Sallisaw boys coach Chadd Gehrke. The Lady Wolverines lost 67-41 to Oktaha on Thursday morning but bounced back to defeat the host Gore Lady Pirates 41-40 in Friday afternoon’s consolation semifinals.

Both Gore teams claimed seventh place.

The Pirates defeated Chouteau-Mazie 56-47 in Saturday’s seventhplace game after losing Thursday’s opener 51-41 to Oktaha and then falling to Vian.

The Lady Pirates got their first win of the season with a 35-24 seventh-place

over Braggs on Saturday morning. The Lady Pirates lost their opener 51-38 to Stigler before losing to Vian.

In the girls’ championship game, Oktaha’s Brenlee Morgan hit a basket with seven seconds left to break a 52all tie and propel her team to the championship.

In defeat, the Lady Tigers (4-1) put three players into double figures, led by Haley Cheek’s 17 points, followed by Cambree Bair — one of two Lady Tigers to make the all-tournament team — with 15 points and Ayrland Jiles with 12 points. Paris Campbell and Hadlie Woods — the other Lady Tiger to make the all-tournament team — scored three points, while Ryleigh Pierce added two points.

In the girls’ championship semifinals, the Lady Tigers led 13-12 after a quarter, 25-24 at halftime and 36-28 going into the fourth period.

For the game, the Lady Tigers put a trio of players into double figures, led by Woods with 14 points, while Bair and Cheek each added 12 points. Cheyenne Busch scored six points, while Campbell and Jiles scored two points apiece.

In the girls’ openinground game, the Lady Tigers jumped out to an 18-0 lead after a quarter and were never headed.

For the game, Bair scored a game-high 12 points and Jiles added 11 points to lead Central, followed by Campbell with nine points, Alexxus Bolin with seven points, Zoey Lattimore with six points, Cheek with four points and Woods, Busch, Sarah Buchanan and Kimberly Farman with two points apiece.

In the boys’ thirdplace game, the Tigers (3-2) jumped out to an 11-2 lead after a quarter and were never headed.

For the game, the Tigers put a trio of players into double figures, led by Noah Buzzard with 15 points, followed by Josh Brunk, who was named to the all-tournament team, with 13 points and Braxin Goodson with 10 points. Paitton Merrill scored six points, while Aidan Sainer added five points.

In the boys’ championship semifinals, with the game tied at 29-all at halftime, Braggs outscored Central 31-25 in the second half to get the win.

In defeat, Brunk led Central with 13 points, followed by Sainer and Merrill with nine points each, Gavin Randolph and Buzzard each with eight points and Goodson with seven points.

In the boys’ openinground game, the Tigers rallied from a 9-6 opening- period deficit by outscoring Hulbert 15-2 in the second quarter to take a 21-11 halftime lead and were never headed.

For the game, Brunk scored a game-high 29 points to lead Central, followed by Buzzard with seven points, Goodson and Merrill scored four points each and Sainer and Jake Woods with two points apiece.

In the boys’ consolation championship, the Wolverines (2-1) trailed 36-35 after three quarters but outscored the Riders 14-5 in the final quarter to get the comefrom-

For the game, the Wolverines put three players into double figures, led by a game-high 19 points by Cash Trammel, followed by Jacob Brannick, a member of the all-tournament team, with 14 points and Masyn Wright with 12 points. Trace Sanders and Ethan Pollock each added two points apiece.

In the consolation semifinals, with the game tied at 28-all at the half, the Wolverines outscored the Pirates 25-18 to get the win, their first on the season.

For the game, Sanders scored 16 points and Trammel added 10 points to lead Vian, followed by Wright, Brannick and Ethan Bullock with six points each, Michael Polecat with four points, Rylan Lane with three points and Dante Glass with two points.

In defeat, Cain Cooper, an all-tournament team member scored a game-high 26 points to lead Gore, followed by Eli Munson with 13 points, Duane Hunt with three points and Tate Brooksher and Keeton Rowe with two points.

In the opening-round game, Stigler jumped out to an 18-10 lead after a period, which became a 42-20 halftime advantage and a 60-3 lead after three quarters.

In defeat, Vian put a trio of players into double figures, led by Brannick’s 15 points, followed by Polecat’s 12 points and Wright’s 10 points. Trammel and Sanders each scored five points, while Glass added four points.

In the girls consolation championship game, the Lady Wolverines trailed 17-14 after a period, 34-24 at halftime and 45-32 after three quarters.

In defeat, Avery Wright led the Lady Wolverines (1-2) with nine points, followed by Halli Russell with eight points, all-tournament team member Rebel Simon with six points, Jaiden Soap with four points, Kala Gibbins, Kalli Kennedy and Rayleigh Terrill with three points each and Shelbie Glass with a free throw.

In the consolation semifinals, the Lady Wolverines rallied from a 28-25 halftime deficit by outscoring the Lady Pirates 16-12 in the second half.

For the game, Lakota Cheater led Vian with nine points, followed by Simon with seven points, Soap with six points, Wright, Kennedy and Terrill with four points each and Gibbins, Russell, Glass and Kiah Richardson with two points apiece.

In defeat, Rayleigh Moore scored a gamehigh 13 points to lead Gore, followed by Emily Daily with nine points and all-tournament team member Kennedy Williams, Ricki Huckbay and River Shoemake with six points apiece.

In the opening-round game, trailing 24-16 after a quarter, Oktaha outscored the Lady Wolverines 51-17 over the final three quarters.

In defeat, Russell scored 12 points and Wright added 11 points to lead Vian, followed by Simon with seven points, Richardson with four points, Soap with three points and Glass and Aliyah Tucker with two points apiece.

In the boys’ seventhplace game, the Pirates (2-2) jumped out to a 20-9 lead after a quarter and kept the lead throughout.

For the game, the Pirates put a trio of players into double figures, led by all-tournament team member Cooper’s game-high 19 points, while Brooksher and Munson each added 12 points. Hunt scored seven points, while Ayden Cox and Rowe scored two points apiece.

In the opening-round game, Oktaha rallied from a 16-15 halftime deficit by outscoring the Pirates 36-25 in the second half.

In defeat, Munson scored 12 points, while Brooksher and Cooper each added 11 points to lead Gore, followed by Hunt with six points and Rowe with a free throw.

In the girls’ seventhplace game, the Lady Pirates (1-3) got their first win of the season, thanks to jumping out to a 15-4 lead after a period.

For the game, Williams led Gore with 10 points, followed by Moore with nine points, Daily with five points, Huckbay and Coco Carter with four points each, Sophie O’Connor with two points and Shoemake with a free throw.

In the opening-round game, Stigler led Gore 10-9 after a period, 2420 at the half and 36-34 after three quarters, but the Lady Panthers used a 15-4 final period to win going away.

In defeat, Williams shared game-high honors with 13 points and Daily added 12 points to lead Gore, followed by Huckbay with six points, Shoemake with four points and Moore with three points.