GIRLS BASKETBALL: Cold shooting sinks Claremore in season-ending regional semifinal loss to Coweta

GLENPOOL — Claremore players watched in amazement as multiple basketballs somehow wedged themselves through the rim in rapid succession and stuck in the net.

The Harlem Globetrotters-esque trick during pregame shoot-around drew laughter and smiles from the Lady Zebras, and for a brief moment, it felt like an omen of hot shooting to come.

Instead, the rim turned unforgiving when the game tipped off.

Claremore struggled to find the basket Thursday night and saw its season end with a 47-32 loss to Coweta in the Class 5A East Regional 3 semifinals at Glenpool’s G Sports Arena.

The Lady Tigers [14-9] advanced to Saturday’s regional championship game against Glenpool, a 77-17 winner over Nathan Hale.

“It was a lack of execution, missed layups and missed free throws,” coach Lynn Roper said. “We had clean looks and just missed them. And the defensive breakdowns … if you’re not scoring, you gotta at least stop them, and we didn’t do that, either. It’s a bad result.

“It is frustrating because all week, all we did was get a lot of shots up and a lot of free throws up,” he added, noting his team’s 4-of-10 outing at the free-throw line. “That is frustrating, but that is just part of coaching.”

The Lady Zebras created chances early, especially on the glass, but couldn’t capitalize.

Claremore grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, yet those extra possessions often produced more missed shots or turnovers against Coweta’s collapsing defense.

After being out-rebounded 23-13 overall in the first half and 14-6 on the offensive glass, the Lady Tigers flipped the scrip in the second half, complementing the defense’s 19 takeaways.

“Just looking at film, we knew they weren’t a strong rebounding team,” said coach Roper, whose team lost the second-half rebounding battle 16-15, including 6-4 on the offensive end. “We knew we were going to take advantage of that, and we did in the first half. We had three or four shot attempts several times, but it still goes back to you’ve got to put the ball in the hole, and we weren’t doing it. So even if you have three or four shot attempts, that means you’re missing three or four.”

Even so, Claremore showed fight.

The Lady Zebras twice led by 3 points in the opening minutes on an Autumn Roper triple and a Claire Pilkington layup, but the Lady Tigers answered with a 7-0 surge to close the first quarter and never trailed again.

Still, momentum appeared to swing midway through the third.

Another Autumn Roper triple pulled Claremore within 27-25, but that was as close as it would get.

Coweta — which had also struggled to shoot early — suddenly found rhythm, ripping off a decisive 20-3 run highlighted by 3 3-pointers.

The burst turned a tight 2-point game into a 19-point cushion late in the fourth and effectively ended the Lady Zebras' comeback hopes.

Gia Dennis led the Lady Tigers with 16 points, while Lauren Slade added 10 and both Ebony Bell and Nyah Addison scored 8 with 9 and 3 rebounds, respectively, giving Coweta the balanced scoring it lacked early. Bell scored 6 of her 8 points during that decisive run.

Amid the offensive struggles, senior Asia Roper’s determination never wavered.

She reached double-digit rebounds before the midway point of the second quarter — 6 of them offensive — while battling constant defensive pressure from multiple defenders. She finished with a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double.

“I’m just not the type of person to give up,” said Asia Roper, who is uncommitted at this time but plans to play college basketball at the JUCO level. “I’m not going to let anything affect who I am because I know I’m not going to give up. I knew it could’ve been my last game, and even when I knew it was my last game, I still couldn’t let myself give up. I was still trying my best.

“I’m really grateful for the coaches, especially, because I know they all have my back and are all rooting for me.”

Her sister Autumn Roper nearly joined her, posting 9 points and 8 rebounds. Together, the Ropers accounted for 24 of Claremore’s 32 points [75%] and 23 of its 38 rebounds [60.5%] in the final game of their high school careers.

Coach Roper said watching his daughters compete to the final buzzer was a source of pride despite the outcome.

“I’m proud of them,” he said. “This chapter ends, but there’s another chapter. That’s kind of the way I think of it, instead of just focusing so much on there’s an ending here. This is just one more step in their lives, and they’re going to continue to grow and learn from this and take what they learn from this into the next part of life.”

Pilkington added 6 points and 5 rebounds for the Lady Zebras, who finished 13-11 after opening the season 5-0, achieving the program’s first winning campaign since 2019-20.

The 13 victories also surpassed Claremore’s combined total from 2021-24, when the Lady Zebras won just 12 games before the Roper’s arrival for the 2024-25 season.

Although Claremore has not won a playoff game since 2022, the season marked clear progress for a program rebuilding its culture and competitiveness.

“This was a successful season for Claremore,” coach Roper said. “Not just because of where they were before, but because it was a successful season on its own. A lot of teams would love to have the record that we have.”