Coyle High’s basketball teams enjoyed a successful weekend at the 55th annual Mulhall-Orlando Invitational Tournament, each winning two of three games.
The Lady Bluejackets finished second, losing to a hot-shooting Varnum Lady Whippets team Saturday night, 72-49.
Top-seeded Varnum led 49-21 at the half, with six 3-point shots leading to 22 points in the first quarter and 27 in the second. Varnum’s press also led to multiple turnovers by Coyle.
Naliyah McLaurin led the Lady Bluejackets with 18 points; Sierra Young had 16.
Coyle advanced to the championship game with a 56-37 win over Union City. Ryleigh Long was the leading scorer with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. The Lady Bluejackets led 28-25 at the half before pouring in 21 third-quarter points.
In the tournament opener, Coyle beat Carney 71-50 as Gracie Balsiger led the way with 23 points. Young Lilly Ritter and McLaurin each had 11 points.
The Lady Bluejackets have games with Carney, Dover and Oilton over the next week before opening their tournament on Jan. 19 against Southwest Covenant.
Bluejackets beat Varnum for third It’s not often the top two seeds in a tournament are playing on Saturday afternoon for third place, but that is what happened at the Mulhall-Orlando Tournament, when Coyle edged Varnum 54-50 after both had lost in the semifinals.
The game was very physical as the Bluejackets converted 24 Varnum fouls into a 20-for-33 effort at the foul line, while the Whippets were 9-for-14. Miguel Howell led the way with 15 points, including 7-for-8 on free throws. Jace Lemons added 14 points and Alex Jennings chipped in 11.
Coyle trailed 14-5 after the first quarter before clamping down on defense and taking a 21-17 lead to the locker room. It was 32-29 after three quarters and set up a wild fourth quarter that saw multiple ties and lead changes. A critical technical foul call on Varnum’s coach with 26-seconds to play sealed the deal for the Bluejackets.
Coyle opened the tournament with a 55-36 win over Carney, with Howell scoring 20 points and Jennings adding 14.
In the semifinals, Drumright defeated Coyle 69-62 despite Lemons and Howell scoring 22 and 21 points, respectively.
The Bluejackets (9-4) head into the home stretch of the season with their tournament Jan. 19-21. Teams from Okarche, Crescent, Mulhall-Orlando and Southwest Covenant are expected to participate.