Story & Photos
By Michael Kinney
OKLAHOMA CITY– When Midwest City met up with Booker T Washington in the 2024 state championship game, the two squads put on an epic show that came down to the final seconds. In the end, the Bombers took home the 5A title and sent the Hornets packing.
Unfortunately, MWC couldn’t produce the same outcome when the same two teams met up again in the opening round of the 2025 5A State tournament. This time it was the Hornets that prevailed 63-56 to end the Bombers’ season at the Big House.
Yet, Midwest City didn’t give up its crown without a fight.
The Bombers started the night knocking down long threes as they matched the Hornets score for score. But when MWC shots stopped falling, Tulsa Washington kept on running and scoring.
The Hornets pushed their advantage to almost 20 points in the second quarter before Midwest City stopped the bleeding. They trailed 38-26 at halftime.
However, the third quarter belonged to the Bombers. They were on the attack from the inside and out as they outscored Tulsa Washington 14-4. At one point they even took a one-point lead as BTW was reeling.
“We were just being aggressive and just playing our game,” coach Torey Noel said.
The teams went back and forth early in the fourth. But midway through the period, both teams started getting called for numerous offensive fouls that took the flow and intensity out of the game.
Booker T Washington handled the disruption better and made more key plays down the stretch to pull out the victory.
“Some play calls I feel like kind of just drain our guys mentally and couldn’t get to the next play,” Noel said.
Jarvis Nash led the Bombers with 17 points before fouling out in the fourth. Deshawn Denson added 12 points while Chance Davis chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.
BJ Harris paved the way for the Hornets with 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Jamarri Simpson added 14 points.
Even though the season didn’t end like they had hoped, Noel said his Bombers (20-9) still had a solid campaign.
“To be honest, it was a very up and down season,” Noel said. “A lot of adversity on and off. So it was a pretty good season. We won 20 games.”
Instagram: mkinneymedia
X (Twitter): MKinneyMedia
Youtube: Michael Kinney Media
Photos/Prints (SmugMug): Michael Kinney