MIAMI, OKLA. ? Veritas Christian School’s boys basketball team let an 11-point halftime lead slip away Saturday and suffered a 61-56 loss to Joplin (Mo.) A.C.H.F. in the Oklahoma A&M Tournament championship.

“We didn’t match their intensity in the second half,” Veritas coach Doug Bennett said. “They came out and double- and triple-teamed Kirk (Long) and forced us into some turnovers.”

Long finished with nine points, one day after scoring 39 in a Veritas victory. Sophomore Mark Randtke picked up much of the slack, leading all scorers with 24 points.

Casey Woods added 12 for the Eagles, who dropped to 5-9.

“We battled to the end,” Bennett said. “We’re really pleased to go down and be able to compete toe to toe and end up in the championship.”