TK Pitts' 18-point performance helps Tulsa Union end Tahlequah's long winning streak as Lady Redhawks claim 6A regional title

The Lady Redhawks used a 10-0 third-quarter run to gain separation from Tahlequah.

By Buck Ringgold I Photos by Karen Schwartz

TULSA - Tahlequah entered Tuesday night's 6A East girls regional championship game with a ton of momentum, riding a long winning streak.

Tulsa Union, particularly a determined group of seniors, methodically diffused the Lady Tigers' momentum.

With senior TK Pitts leading the way with 18 points, the Lady Redhawks used a 10-0 third-quarter run to gain separation from Tahlequah. And Union's seniors won for the final time at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center, 48-35, ending Tahlequah's 15-game win streak.

"It starts with those seniors and they bring the energy like that every day, and just proud of them for being able to lead them into something like this," Union coach Joe Redmond said.

"Hat's off to Tahlequah; obviously, they're from a different league (moving up from Class 5A in the offseason) and we don't know a whole lot about them, but watching them Saturday, they looked awful impressive and then you watch them on tape. ... I think it really made our girls focusing in on them and realizing, 'Those guys are good, they can play.' Just having that focus and the opportunity to win one more game at home, one game closer to the state tournament, I think our seniors were able to talk with it and just did a great job."

The Lady Redhawks (17-5) also used size to their advantage in Tuesday's win, with Pitts going 6-foot-1, senior Sydni Smith going 6-2 and senior Makenzie Malham going 5-10.

Another Union player with a size advantage Tuesday was junior Aubrey Hishaw, who was also in double figures. Hishaw stands 6-foot as Tahlequah, in contrast, had only one six-footer on its roster.

"TK and Makenzie and Sydni's length really bother people, and then Desi (Marshall Penny, a 5-3 senior) and Aubrey are just so athletic, and then we've got some younger girls that come off the bench that are just scrappy as well," Redmond said.

"Then you have seniors who are willing and want to guard, it really makes those young girls just have to (follow the seniors' lead)."

Pitts, an SMU signee, hit a 3-point basket and added a three-point play as part of a 10-0 Union run in the third quarter after Tahlequah got within one, 25-24.

"I believe I had a good game, I had a hard game," Pitts said. "I played hard; I play hard every time I step onto the floor."

The Lady Tigers (22-3) made a push late in the third, getting back-to-back 3's from Smalls Goudeau and Jadyn Buttery, to cut Union's lead to five, 35-30. But in the closing seconds of the quarter, Malham made a successful move to the basket for a finish.

Then in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, Pitts got a pass down low from Smith and got the basket while being fouled. Pitts completed the three-point play for a 40-30 Union advantage.

"My teammates kept me going; I got in foul trouble a little bit, two fouls in the second quarter and I got (taken) out about a minute and a half to go," Pitts said. "I wasn't really happy with that but I stayed positive, my teammates kept me going and then I started scoring."

Union's defense then did the rest, not allowing a Tahlequah basket in the fourth quarter until there were 30 seconds remaining.

"We had to shut (the Lady Tigers' offense) down quick, and we couldn't let that keep going on," Hishaw said. "They just had that little quick run (late in the third) and we said, 'No more.'"

Late in the game, Pitts darted to the right corner to swat away a 3-point attempt. Then Pitts deflected a pass, which resulted in a steal by Hishaw, who scored on that possession in the final seconds for a 15-point Lady Redhawk lead, 46-31.

"A team like that which is used to scoring 75 or 80 points, they're talented, they're well-coached, they're not going to get away from what they do," Redmond said of Tahlequah. "You're not going to trick them into doing something they don't normally do, and so we knew they were going to make a run and make some shots at some point.

"And the impressive thing with our girls, to be able to bounce back without having use a time out; they just didn't hang their head, they knew what to expect. They knew (Tahlequah) was capable of those things and just played through it and were able to come back and score a couple of baskets right behind that and stretch the lead back up."

Along with Pitts' 18 points, Hishaw finished with 10 in the win.

"Very proud of my teammates for keeping us in it and staying all together," Hishaw said. "We worked as a team."

Union will turn right around and play on Thursday for a chance to go to next week's 6A state tournament in Norman. The Lady Redhawks will face Bixby in Cleveland for the area round.

It will be the third time Union has faced the Lady Spartans this season, with each team winning on the other's home court. Bixby beat Stillwater in its regional championship game Tuesday, and has now won 18 of 19 ballgames since the Lady Spartans lost at home to Union in December.

"(Bixby coach) Tina Thomas and the Bixby Spartans, they're a machine, they're well-oiled, you don't rattle them, you don't get them off their spots, that kind of thing," Redmond said. "You actually have to show up and beat them, and you've got to do it with 32 minutes of really good basketball." 

Goudeau - a senior point guard - had 12 points to lead the Lady Tigers, who now drop into the area consolation round, needing to win twice to join Union at state.

Tahlequah will play Stillwater Thursday night at Tulsa Rogers, with the winner advancing to play Saturday for the chance to go to the state tourney.