By OAKLEE FIELDER
Sports Editor
Point guard Max Alexander hit the game-winning shot in overtime against Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday, ending the game 101 to 99.
In overtime, the Savage Storm responded by making a three-pointer shot. Cameron McDowell blocked the shot, and Logan Phillips grabbed a defensive rebound, passed to McDowell, who got fouled. He made one of two free throws.
With 1:31 to go, the Rangers were down by one-point. Savage Storm hit what could be the game-winning shot and were up by four. After a timeout, Alexander made a 3-pointer, leaving the Rangers down by one point.
Savage Storm turned the ball out of bounds. McDowell passed the ball to Alexander, who hit the buzzer-beater, game-winning shot. With the last regular season home game win against Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the Rangers made the Great American Conference playoffs in Fort Smith, Arkansas, against Ouachita Baptist University on Thursday at 2;15 p.m. The Rangers ended the season 14-14.
In the first half of Saturday’s game, Alexander scored the first Ranger points on a fastbreak layup off his defensive rebound. In the first quarter, Rangers called a timeout. Cameron McDowell was subbed in by Kenyon Holcombe in the first half, and he missed the first free throw but made a second free throw, putting Rangers down by one point.
DaRaun Clark got a steal. Then McDowell hit the good 3-pointer sho, assisted by Kenyon Holcombe.
At 14:45, Clark got another steal and passed the ball to McDowell for a fastbreak layup. The Rangers were playing good defense they were communicating with each other about who they had to guard.
Logan Phillips grabbed a defensive rebound and got a turnover by a Southeastern player who went through a fastbreak and tried to make a layup but got a block by McDowell. Another rebound came from Phillips, who passed the ball to Alexander.
Rangers were able to keep up in the first half. Southeastern Oklahoma State was down by eight points. The savage storm came back in the first half down by eight points and led back, called a timeout they were up by four points. McDowell made a good dunk and made a shot of three-pointer corner.
In the second half, Norris subbed in by Phillips, and Savage Storm got the ball in the second quarter and hit the three-point shot, led up by three at 19:41.
About halfway through the second half, the Rangers were down by 11 points but didn’t give up and still kept fighting to get back into the game. Southeastern Oklahoma State was up by five with 4:28 left, but the Rangers didn’t quit and made a ball movement. Justin Norris hit the 3-pointer shot assist by Logan Phillips. With 15 seconds left, McDowell passed to Dirin Birhiray, who made the three-pointer, sending the game into overtime.