Oil Bowl girls basketball: Montgomery's start, Plaster's finish lead East to win

Jae Montgomery was nervous.

Even though she’d been spending an abundance of time in the gym before Friday night’s Oil Bowl girls basketball game, the Olney graduate came from one of the smallest schools on the East roster.

But Montgomery showed off a sweet stroke early, setting the tone in the East’s 60-49 victory at Rider High School with 12 first-half points.

“It was an amazing new energy to play with a new team at a higher level. It was really exciting,” Montgomery said. “Going in, I was just so nervous but once I started playing as a team and taking those shots, it just felt great.”

Montgomery was one of four East players to reach double digits, tying Hirschi’s Patience Murphy for the team lead with 12. Jacksboro’s Leah Plaster helped close out the West with 11 second-half points, while Burkburnett’s Eternity Jackson added 10.

Montgomery’s Lady Cubs didn’t make the playoffs this year, so Friday night offered the Tarleton State enrollee a chance to go out on a winning note.

Playing basketball at the collegiate level is always something Montgomery has wanted to do, so she’s planning on trying to walk onto the Texans’ women’s basketball team in the fall.

“That’s the only school I toured,” Montgomery said. “I went and watched a basketball game and I fell in love with it.”

Murphy scored half of the East’s 16 third-quarter points as coach KraTaura Buckner’s lead swelled to nearly 20 at one point, but the West didn’t go away quietly.

Alyssa Waggoner recorded a game-high 13 points and Electra teammate Alexa Daniel added 12 as those two Lady Tigers accounted for more than half of their team’s scoring.

Whereas Montgomery got the East off to a strong start, Plaster closed it out after the West pulled within 48-43 with 3:35 left. From that moment on, Plaster scored six points as two of her buckets came after grabbing offensive rebounds.  

“I want my teammates to rely on me, and if they shoot one up and miss it, I’m there to put it back,” said Plaster, who also played on the winning team in Thursday's FCA softball game. “Every time I see a ball in the air, it’s mine or my teammates.”

Montgomery wasn’t surprised that Electra’s players nearly orchestrated a comeback with the help of Newcastle’s Arryn Eli (10 points) and Bellevue’s FreeDom Morris (nine points). After all, the Olney guard saw those Lady Tigers taking care of business for years.

But the fast start that included seven points in the first quarter and two 3-pointers made, well it was a pleasant surprise.

“It felt great to play again,” she said. “Getting the win feels amazing. I haven’t felt one of those in a long time.”

OIL BOWL GIRLS

East 60, West 49

East – Olney’s Jae Montgomery 12, Hirschi’s Patience Murphy 12, Jacksboro’s Leah Plaster 11, Burkburnett’s Eternity Jackson 10, Jacksboro’s Jordan Nichols 5, Holliday’s Ambri Harrigal 4, Iowa Park’s Kristina Diaz 2, Iowa Park’s Kaegan Shuck 2, Notre Dame’s Ellen Parkey 2.

West – Electra’s Alyssa Waggoner 13, Electra’s Alexa Daniel 12, Newcastle’s Arryn Eli 10, Bellevue’s FreeDom Morris 9, Windthorst’s Claire Hemmi 2, Quanah’s Jordan Garvin 2, Newcastle’s Nicole Martinez 1.

East       15           17           16           12           -60

West     10           9             15           15           -49

3-pointers – East 6 (Montgomery 2, Jackson 2, Nichols, Murphy); West 4 (Eli 2, Morris, Waggoner).

Free throws – East 6-9; West 11-14.