Liberty Academy Lady Eagles head coach Teresa Fowler is ecstatic, and for good reason. Against all odds Saturday, the Lady Eagles knocked off No. 1-seeded Community Christian School, 53-29, to snag the Liberty Academy girls’ 10th Oklahoma Christian Schools Athletic Association state title.
“It was a David-and-Goliath story, because they’re huge and we’re small,” Fowler said after Saturday’s victory. “I’m in shock.”
The Lady Eagles, who end their season with a record of 29-4, were the No. 2 seed going into the final game. Fowler said her crew was “out-sized and out-manned,” but used defensive pressure to take control.
“Our defense completely shut them down,” she said. “I am just so tickled with them. It was a big win for them.”
The Lady Eagles marched ahead to a monstrous 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and allowed the Lady Royals only five total points in the first half. Liberty Academy led 33-5 at the break.
Sophomore Charity Fowler, en route to a 5-of-8 performance from three-point range, drained four or her five treys in the first quarter. Charity was the game’s high-scorer and ultimately came away in double-double figures with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
The Lady Royals scored 13 third-quarter points to the Lady Eagles’ eight, and added 11 points to Liberty Academy’s 12 in the fourth.
The Lady Eagles were 44 percent from the field, and were 8-of-12 from the free throw line. The Lady Royals were 3-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Charity and Community Christian School’s Monica Paris were the game’s only double-digit scorers. Paris hit 10 for the Lady Royals, and was followed by Whitney Gray and Sierra Price with six apiece.
Liberty Academy’s Blair Johnson contributed nine points, including one trey, and recorded six assists.
Community Christian School, of Norman, finished their season with a 21-10 record. The championship game was played at 1:30 p.m. at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany.
Liberty Academy is part of the OCSAA Small West division. Fowler said this year’s state final was organized differently, and was a combination of the West and East divisions’ large and small schools.
In Saturday’s OCSAA semi-final game at Del City’s Destiny Christian School, the Lady Eagles upended Tulsa’s Wright Christian Academy, 70-36. Charity posted the game-high 29 points, while Johnson contributed 19 and Myka Phillips contributed 18.
Wright Christian’s Megan Reed and Kim Tillock scored 10 points apiece in the semi-final match-up.
The Lady Eagles led the Lady Wildcats 19-8 after one quarter, and were up 38-22 at the break. The Lady Eagles held Wright Christian to single digit scores in the third and fourth quarters.
Fowler doted on her team’s defensive performance in that game as well.
“The girls did a great job defensively, and they pushed the ball well up the court,” she said.
The Lady Eagles will graduate three seniors from the 2008-09 state champion team: Phillips, Rebekah Byland and Amanda Silvy.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
