CHOCTAW — A banner bearing a No. 4 Choctaw Central jersey hangs from the rafters of the Warriors gymnasium. The Warriors commemorated James Denson’s decorated career with the banner.

Denson’s daughter, Kaedre, now dons the No. 4 jersey. 

The sophomore center etched her own piece of history Thursday night with a team-high, 20-point effort to go along with four blocks as Choctaw Central (24-3, 9-1) defeated Forest 70-53 to clinch its fourth consecutive regional title.

After falling to Forest earlier in the season, the Warriors needed not only to win, but also needed an 11-point victory to clinch the district. 

The stakes didn’t faze Denson or her teammates.

“We came out ready to play, and that’s the reason why we got this win,” Denson said. “But usually, Coach tells us that we need to come out ready to play, and with that, we have good flowing games. Everything comes together when we’re ready to play.

Kyannah Grant kickstarted Choctaw Central’s night with a layup just five seconds into the opening quarter. The Lady Warriors built an 11-5 lead with 3:05 left in the quarter. Forest surged to close the first quarter and trailed 13-14 going into the second.

Forest’s JaMarial Jones gave the Lady Bearcats their first lead of the night, 16-14, after a 3-pointer with 7:02 remaining in the quarter. Denson tied the score at 16 with a basket down low. After Forest tied the score at 24, Choctaw Central’s Darien Tubby pushed the Lady Warriors out to a 26-24 lead following two free throws with 1:21 remaining in the first half. Choctaw Central led 31-26 at the half.

“Our plan was to beat them because it was a surprise when they beat us,” Tubby said. “So we wanted revenge really badly, and we came out and played really well.”

Kyarrah and Kyannah Grant combined to score eight third-quarter points, while Tubby  and Denson pitched in four apiece to help give Choctaw Central a 50-41 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Denson owned the final period as she rattled off 10 points, scoring Choctaw Central’s first and final basket of the period, as the Lady Warriors outscored the Lady Bearcats 20-12 to earn the win.

“We knew going in that we had to win by more than 10,” Lady Warriors coach Bill Smith said. “When (Kaedre) makes up her mind, she’s pretty good. Tonight, she was ready to play.”