The Wewoka Tigers boys lost a very tough and close game against Latta at Regionals by one point in overtime but still advanced to the Area Playoffs at Checotah.

Wewoka faced Colcord in their first round on Thursday and won a close game with a final score of 53-47. The Tigers then faced Howe in their second round and took care of business and defeated the Howe Lions 67-57 on Friday.

The Wewoka Tigers now played for the Area Championship against the Pocola Indians Saturday night.

The Tigers took the lead with Ladarious Woods scoring 11 points in the frame and Bill Stephens scoring 8 points to help Wewoka go on a 19-14 run in the first.

The Tigers stepped on the offensive gas pedal and dominated the second. Bill Stephens drained his second three-point shot while scoring a total of 18 points as the Tigers held the Indians to 16 points in the quarter.

Wewoka had extended their lead as the Indians found themselves down by 16 points heading into the third quarter.

The battle continued in the second half with the Tigers keeping the Indians fighting an uphill battle in the third. Stephens and Woods continued to light up the scoreboard in the frame.

Pocola found some momentum in the fourth quarter and shot 10 of 13 from the free throw line. Wewoka never let off the gas and continued with the offensive pressure and scored most of their points from the field.

The 21-point rally by the Indians didn’t make a dent in the final outcome of the game. The Wewoka Tigers dominated the game by 19 points and are Area Champions with a final score of 87-68.

Leading the way for the Tigers was Bill Stephens with 46 points two treys and has achieved 1,000 points in his basketball career. He was also 11 of 14 from the free throw line.

Ladarious Woods scored 26 points and was five of seven from the line.

With the win, the Wewoka Tigers are headed to State. The Tigers face Hartshorne on Thursday night at 9 p.m. at the new OG&E Coliseum at the OKC Fairgrounds.