In a rivalry game that came down to the final minutes, the Checotah Lady Wildcats held their composure late to defeat the Eufaula Lady Ironheads 53-48 on Tuesday night. The Lady Ironheads led by Johna Bumgarner found themselves down 16-9 to end the first period.

Checotah built momentum early with strong defensive pressure and balanced scoring by Shyanne Madewell, Logan Dowdy and Carly Dismukes, taking a slim advantage into halftime leading 3222. Eufaula responded after the break, pushing the pace and trimming the deficit with aggressive drives by Ayana Seirs, Lauren Gray, Ava Neill and Olivia Hamby and timely perimeter shots by Bumgarner, Seirs and Briley Gragg to keep the contest tight throughout the second half.

The Lady Wildcats made the difference at the freethrow line down the stretch, converting key opportunities while forcing turnovers on the defensive end to preserve the lead. Eufaula continued to battle until the final buzzer, but Checotah’s execution in crunch time proved decisive as Nikia Carr, Addie Britt and Daisy Prince defended the paint.

The win adds another chapter to one of the area’s most competitive rivalries and gives Checotah a confidence boost as district play continues. Eufaula will look to rebound quickly with upcoming conference matchups still ahead.

Shyanne Madewell of Checotah led all scorers with 19 points followed by Nikia Carr 13 and Logan Dowdy and Carly Dismukes each scoring 7 points.

Eufaula senior Johna Bumgarner finished with 13 points, Olivia Hamby 12 points, Ava Neill seven points; Seirs and Gragg each scored six points.