Class 4A boys basketball: Douglass beats Weatherford in OT to claim second straight title

Steven Alexander views himself as a psychic of sorts.

When he left Heritage Hall to become head coach of Douglass in 2021, Alexander envisioned returning the Trojans to the glory they once basked in during the 2010s. It was the kind of risk that required little convincing.

So far, leaning into his intuition has worked heavily in his favor.

"I usually tend to speak things into fruition," Alexanders said after the second-ranked Trojans defeated first-ranked Weatherford 72-69 in overtime of the Class 4A state championship game.

"We'd been on a mission to win another one since the summer. I manifest and then make sure to wholeheartedly believe in what I manifest. Where would any of us be if we didn't believe in ourselves?'

The rematch of the 2023 4A state championship exceeded the hype that had brewed in the OKC area in the last 24 hours. Nearly all 11,000 seats in State Fair Arena were filled with fans, including another few hundred on the fairground floors.

Deafening chants, unexpected plot twists, hostile trash talk, and a fourth-quarter comeback— the contest contained all the ingredients for an all-time classic.

Amongst the madness, Trojans guard Davon Scott drained a game-tying three pointer with a minute to go that eventually sent the game into overtime.

"That's the craziest game I've ever been a part of — it's not even close," Douglass guard Davon Scott said.

"My coaches instill confidence in me to shoot no matter what. I saw the bucket and had a wide-open look, and I'm going to shoot it every time I feel that I have that kind of space."

Scott stepped up in the absence of Landry Ballard Jr., who fouled out late in the fourth quarter after leading Douglass' comeback with 21 points. Scott scored four points in overtime to lead the Trojans to victory and ended the night with 16 points.

"When we won last year, I didn't even cry," Scott said. "This year, I immediately broke down because I knew how hard I was working. I know how hard Coach Steve pushed us to get right back here and do what he told us we were going to do.

"I'll do anything under the sun for (Alexander). I wouldn't be I wouldn't be who I am today without him."

Alongside Alexander and Scott in his quest for another state title was Trojans forward Jaden Nickens.

The four-star OU football commit moved to Douglass from Millwood in December after winning two consecutive state championships there in basketball. As a wide receiver at Millwood, he also appeared in two 2A title games.

Nickens doesn't see the correlation between him and wins as a coincidence.

"Anywhere I go, I'm going to win," Nickens said after his 22-point performance on Saturday."I feel like I bring a great spark to any team and adapt to any system no matter what they need me to do."

As Alexander faced the Douglass faithful after exiting the locker room on Saturday, spirited chants of "Eastside" began to echo off the walls of the building. It's a war cry he grew familiar with while playing at Midwest City in the early 2000s.

He dreamed of being fully embraced in his new role when he took the job.

"Ever since I showed up on campus, everybody who supported our community has continued to uplift my team," Alexander said. "They show up every single time and show us how much they have our backs, even when we have our backs against the wall."

"But this whole thing is bigger than me. It starts in our community — and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSSAA boys basketball: Douglass tops Weatherford in overtime for title