Spiro sweeps Poteau

By CRAIG HALL
POTEAU—Poteau’s boys have a good record overall this season, but it would be a lot better if the Pirates had not played Spiro.

Poteau is 14-6 but of the losses, three have come to Spiro. The last one was Friday at home, 51-42, the Pirates’ first home loss of the season.

Because it was homecoming, the boys played first with the girls playing second. Spiro also took that game, 42-40, to complete a sweep of the two games.

In the first game, Spiro dominated the second quarter, 19-5, to take a 28-15 lead at halftime.

The Pirates came back and took the lead, 40-39, on a jump shot by Britt Brown with 3:44 left to cap a 13-4 run, but Spiro went on an 8-2 run to take the lead only to see Poteau come back to tie the game with 28 seconds left on a three-point basket by Brown.

Spiro’s Tyree Williams answered with a deep three with 12 seconds left to put the Bulldogs ahead for good. The Pirates missed the front end of a one-and-one and Alonzo Releford clinched the win for Spiro with four seconds left by hitting the first of two free throws.

After Poteau took its lead in the fourth quarter, the first time the Pirates had led since early in the second quarter, Williams made the go-ahead basket on a layup. He also scored with 1:31 left on a jump shot to put Spiro ahead, 45-42.

After Williams’ basket, Elliot Hawkins hit two free throws to up the lead to five before Blake Roley scored for Poteau to cut the lead to three. That set up Browns’ three to tie the game.

Williams led the Bulldogs with 14 points while Mike White added 12. Brown paced the Pirates with 14 points while Josh Ross was held to 11 points after scoring 36 in a win over Heavener earlier in the week.

Wilson Klutts gave the Pirates a boost in the fourth quarter, scoring all eight of his points.

In the girls’ game, a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter put Spiro ahead for good. Trailing 33-30 after a basket by Poteau’s Jodi Meier, freshman Braylin Grey hit a basket, was fouled and made the free throw to tie the game.

After the Lady Pirates’ leading scorer Courtney Allison fouled out with 4:47 remaining, Meochea McKesson hit two free throws to give Spiro the lead with 3:37 left and added a layup to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead by four.

Meier hit a three with 25 seconds left to pull Poteau to within one, but Michayla Franklin made a layup with 13 seconds left to put the lead back to three.

Briley Benson made one free throw for Poteau to make the score 42-40. Spiro missed a free throw but a last-second shot by Poteau missed, giving the Lady Bulldogs the win.

McKesson led Spiro with 12 points and Gray had 11. Allison again led Poteau with 16 points before fouling out while Meier had 10.

Poteau travels to Sallisaw on Tuesday. Spiro hosts Pocola on Tuesday.