McPherson, Kan. – Still without leading scorer and rebounder Chloe Clevenger for the fourth straight game, Central Christian showed grit and toughness on Thursday night, earning a 63–59 overtime victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State in Sooner Athletic Conference play. The win moves the Tigers to 5–7 overall and 1–5 in SAC action, while the Aggies drop to 3–8, 0–6 SAC. The victory also marks the Tigers 1st conference win before Christmas since 2020.
Oklahoma Panhandle State controlled much of the contest and led by as many as 12 points, taking a 33–24 advantage into halftime and pushing the margin to 47–35 late in the third quarter. The Aggies were led by Tryssa Dowd, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Mar’Kia Pratt added 9 points and La’Tommas Johnson-Nash chipped in 8, going 2-of-3 from three.
Central Christian struggled early, shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from three, but the Tigers locked in defensively down the stretch. Central held OPSU to six points in the fourth quarter and six in overtime, using stops and free-throw shooting to claw back into the game.
Offensively, the Tigers were led by Kylee Jones, with 22 points and 7 rebounds, knocking down 9-of-11 free throws. Charmayne Marshall added 10 points and 4 assists, including clutch free throws at the end of regulation and in overtime, while Cristina Laudan provided 9 points and 6 rebounds and hit the go-ahead three in the extra period; notably, she scored 7 points and 5 rebounds in the 4th quarter and overtime. Off the bench, Shamaya Brown and Kenedi Griffin sparked the Tigers with 9 points each, and Griffin delivered the driving layup that put Central ahead for good at 61–59 with 25 seconds left.
The turning point came in the fourth quarter, where Central outscored OPSU 18–6. Trailing 47–35, the Tigers chipped away behind baskets from Brown and Jones, and a late surge from Laudan and Marshall brought Central all the way back. Marshall tied the game at 53–53 with two free throws with six seconds left, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra frame, Laudan buried a top-of-the-key three to give Central a 57–56 lead, and the Tigers sealed the win at the line as Marshall converted four free throws in the final 12 seconds.
Central Christian leaned on depth, defense, and late-game execution to secure its first SAC win of the season. The Tigers return to action on Saturday when they play host to the Flying Queens of Wayland Baptist at 2pm as they look to build momentum heading into the holiday break.
