Lomega learns its lesson, qualifies for state
Nobody has a better appreciation for his school's sports history than Lomega girls basketball coach Kevin Lewallen. After all, he's a Lomega grad, his father was a longtime coach at the school and his two sisters were part of a hoops state-title hording era in the late '80s.
So, after his No. 1-ranked and defending state champion team was stunned in an area final Friday night, he went with a history lesson. His team proved to be good students. Lomega toppled New Lima 52-40 Saturday in an area elimination game at St. Gregory's University to earn its spot in the Class B state tournament, which begins Thursday at State Fair Arena.
"Coach showed us a banner on the wall at the gym,” said Lomega star Rachel Wilczek. "It was from the 1988 state championship team. Their record was 30-1. He told us that only loss was in the area final. Then they came back and won the state championship.”
The Raiders (26-3) now will try to do the same thing. Five starters return from last season's title-winning squad, with three of those coming up big against New Lima. Hillary Winter led the way with 17 points, while Kylie Castonguay had 15 and Wilczek 13. It was the second time in seven days that Lomega defeated New Lima (23-6).
•Putnam City wins late: Putnam City's regional title came harder than expected as the Pirates had to score 20 points in the fourth to beat Lawton 49-47. Kendra Suttles scored a game-high 24 points for Lawton. Porsche Young paced PC with 13 points.
•Another regional crown for Norman: For the fifth straight year and 14th time in the past 17 seasons, Norman will head into a Class 6A area tournament as a regional champion. The Tigers beat Choctaw 58-41 as Lacy Ramon scored 23 points, Ashley Bruner 17 and Sasha King 14.
•Del City too much for Ike: Lawton Eisenhower was no match for No. 4 Del City. The Eagles moved to 21-3 with a 53-40 win. Toni Young scored 15 points, and Desiree Jeffries added
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