Claremore advances to 5A title game after major upset
Claremore advances to the 5A state championship game after a huge upset of #1 ranked Carl Albert behind Jeffrey Oxford’s 35 points.
One of the biggest sleepers in the 2017 class Jeffrey Oxford led the Zebras to a phenomenal comeback late in the fourth quarter. Layton Hartloff was huge in throughout the game scoring 22 points but especially in overtime when he hit an and-1 layup and a spot up three to give Claremore their first lead of the game.
This game was a classic because the stars showed up for both teams. Mason Harrell played a terrific game scoring 35 points and consistently hitting shots even though Claremore was gaining momentum. Harrell finished with 35 points and he did everything in his power for the Titans to advance but he came up short.
Trey Hopkins hit two big threes at the end of the first half which made you think Carl Albert was going to go come out in the second half with a 40-29 lead and step on Claremore’s throat so to speak.
One of the underrated shooters in the state Gunner Hall has had a great state tournament for Claremore and he continued that stellar play with a 10 point performance going 3-7 from three.
Oxford found his shooters like Hall and Hartloff but when it was winning time, the senior leader took on the scoring load and scored Claremore’s final four points and 34 total including the game-winning runner to send them to the title game.