The No. 9 Mustang Broncos couldn’t hold off a late push by the No. 7 Deer Creek Antlers in a 65-62 loss on Tuesday night at the Event Center.
The Broncos (10-10) led 33-26 at halftime, entering the break with plenty of momentum after going 13-for-26 from the floor with just three turnovers.
The Antlers (12-7) answered however, going 15-for-26 in the second half with just five giveaways. They handed Mustang its fifth straight loss dating back to the Shawnee Invitational finals against top-ranked Broken Arrow.
Four players scored in double digits for the Broncos, including Roman Miller, who recorded a double-double with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 sophomore went 6-for-15 from the floor and dished out five assists in over 30 minutes.
Jacobe Johnson (Sr.) tallied 16 points with five rebounds and two assists. The Oklahoma football-commit went 5-for-17 overall, including a pair of triples.
Keegan Bass (Sr.) and Cole Clipson (So.) each scored 10 points. Bass went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field while Clipson grabbed four rebounds. Freshman Jaden Johnson added nine points in the absence of Chance Rodgers (So.) and LeBryan Hayes (Jr.).
The Broncos shot well in the second half, recording a 40-percent clip while also drilling four three-pointers. However, coach Scott Hodges’ squad turned it over 12 times after just three in the first half. They also came away with just four steals on the defensive end and forced only nine turnovers.
The Antlers finished with three scorers in double digits and shot over 50-percent from the floor (26-for-51). Hudson Linsenmeyer and Jeremiah Deering led their team with 17 points apiece.
Mustang looks to snap its five-game skid on Friday night in a road matchup at Southmoore (10-8). The Broncos then travel to Moore on Valentine’s Day before closing out the regular season on Feb. 17 at home against Canadian County rival Yukon.
