TULSA — Bethany won the Consolation Championship of the Lincoln Christian Winter Classic Monday (Jan. 13) with a 44-38 win over 5A Collinsville.

After a tight ballgame with several lead changes, 4A seventh-ranked Bethany led 39-38 with :43 seconds left. The Lady Bronchos got free throws from sophomore Ali Linn, senior Kayten Donley and junior Maddison McNutt to close out the win.

“Proud of our team, they found a way!!!” Bethany coach Eric Sailer said via text. “Once again we were without Cam (Regier) and Reese (Harris). Other girls had to step up and did!”

Harris and Regier were in Florida for a college soccer showcase.

Donley scored a game-high 17 points, including five points on free throws in the fourth quarter. The Oral Roberts signee had eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four steals. Donley was named to the All-Tournament team.

“To say I am proud of Kayten is an understatement!” Sailer said. “She shows up, she leads, she is all in, she is the ultimate warrior (WWF reference)!!! She does it all, I am so glad she is on our team!!!”

Sailer praised both Linn and McNutt, who played a role in Bethany pulling away for the win.

“Ali is learning the importance of taking care of the ball, she has improved lately on her decision making,” Sailer said of Linn who finished with six points.

McNutt added seven points including two 3-pointers in the third quarter. She also had a steal.

“Maddison McNutt has been out since July with an injury. She was released last week and already has made an impact on this team, by hitting some huge shots and helping to facilitate the ball,” Sailer said.

Freshman Kamryn Donley finished with eight points, including two 3-pointers, and four rebounds.

“Kamryn has started to shoot the ball well for us, that takes a lot of pressure off of Kayten not to have to produce as much!” Sailer said.

Junior McKenna Calderon hit two free throws to help Bethany expand the lead in the fourth.

Sailer also praised senior Lauren Koonce, who finished with a bucket.

“(Lauren) continues to help be the glue,” Sailer said. “She does the little things right to help us end up on the high side of these games.”

“As a team we had to value every possession,” Sailer said. “It showed that we were efficient at times, going 17-of-22 from the free throw line.”

The Lady Bronchos held Collinsville to 26 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers in the win.

UP NEXT

Bethany (8-3) stays on the road, playing at ninth-ranked Tuttle (6-2) Tuesday (Jan. 14) in a Western Athletic Conference game. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m.

The Lady Tigers beat Mannford, 58-41 in the Verdigris Invitational Saturday.

	1	2	3	4	F
Bethany (8-3)	14	6	12	12	44
Collinsville (5-6)	9	8	10	11	38