Clarke vs. Page at halftime
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
Pawnee leads Verdigris 22-17 at the half. Clarke and Page have 13 points each, but both have been scoreless for the last five minutes.
Clarke is 5-10 shooting, but has missed his last three shots. Page is 5-9.
Clarke vs. Page delayed
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
We knew Oklahoma fans would pile in to see Clarke vs. Page Friday in the T o C.
As a result, there have already been two delays here at the T o C, due to the number of people waiting outside to get in to see Clarke vs. Page.
The Pavilion is already 75 percent full, and there is a long line of people watiing outside.
The game is now set to start at 2:30 p.m. (about 14 minutes from now).
Clarke vs. Page: Match up of the year
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
Oklahoma basketball fans have been longing for this match up for four years now. Pawnee point guard Keiton Page versus Verdigris point guard Rotnei Clarke.
Finally, fans are getting their wish.
Page and Pawnee tip off against Clarke and Verdigris at 2p.m. Friday at the Tournament of Champions in Tulsa.
Both are widely regarded as the states best guards. Page, an OSU signee, has led Pawnee to the state tournament in each of the last three years, and helped the Black Bears claim the title in his freshman season. He is closing in on the Tournament of Champions scoring record set by former Victory Christian point guard Keleena Azubuike.
Clarke, an Arkansas signee, is closing in on his own milestone, the Oklahoma small-school career points record. Clarke has led Verdigris to the 3A semi-finals in each of the last three seasons. He was the state’s leading scorer a year ago (38 points per contest) and won the T o C scoring title (121 points through 3 games).
But the reason fans want to see this match up is rooted in something much deeper than stats. Clarke and Page have a history, and an impressive one at that.
The two played together at Yale in middle school, destroying every seventh grade team that stepped on the court with them. They played AAU ball together in the summers before their 6-8 grade years with the Oklahoma Hoosiers. I remember going to Oral Roberts team camp in the summers and watching a middle school AAU team embarass high school teams. Later, I found out it was Clarke and Page doing all of the embarassing. Luckily, my team never had to play them.
When Clarke left Yale after middle school, though, the two never played together again. In fact, they never even played against each other until their AAU teams met last summer in a tournament in Las Vegas (Clarke and Team Texas beat Page and PWP).
The two almost played a year ago after Pawnee upset Victory Christian in the first round of the T o C, but Verdigris fell three points short of shocking eventual 6A champion Midwest City and found itself in the losers bracket.
Tune in tomorrow for thoughts on the game, and check out Ryan Aber’s Blog for his thoughts.
I have been going back and forth on who I think will win and why for about 12 hours now, and I still haven’t reached a conclusion. All I know is that tomorrow (actually about 12 hours from now) the Tulsa Expo Paviion will be packed wall to wall to watch two small school, small town heroes go at it for 32 minutes. It should be a blast!
Big time performances from big time players at the T of C
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
It’s been a wild day here at the Tournament of Champions. Big players have been as advertised.
Stringtown center James Watson, a Washington State signee, scored 27 points in a losing effort earlier today. Tulsa East Central, the top ranked team in 5A, had four players score in double figures.
In the second game, Verdigris guard Rotnei Clarke scored 28, but McGuinness outlasted Verdigris 49-38. Daniel Orton and Jeffrey Merritt were each limited to eight points.
Keiton Page exploded for 40 points in the evening game against Jenks. Paige is now 61 points shy of the Tournament of Champions career scoring record, set by former Victory Christian guard Keleena Azubuike in 2002. Despite Page’s efforts, Pawnee fell to Jenks 71-63. Jenks forward Bryson Pope scored 16.
At the end of the third quarter, Mike Soap has 21 points for Sequoyah-Tahlequah. The senior guard has the Sequoyah leading Bixby 56-30.
More T of C coverage to come later.
Santa Fe escapes, stays unbeaten
By Ray Marin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
I thought Yukon was going to pull off an upset Friday night.
It had undefeated Santa Fe, no. 7 in our preseason poll (likely to be in the top five when our new poll comes out next in a few weeks) down by ten late in the third quarter. Yukon led by five with just under three minutes left in the fourth.
Then Santa Fe guard Nic Combs took over.
Combs scored 11 points in the fourth quarter including five in the final 40-seconds to give the Wolves a 64-61 win.
Combs was impressive, scoring a team high 25 points. Yukon guard Tyler Mitchell, though, was equally impressive. Mitchell was 3-6 from behind the three-point line, a perfect 5-5 on two-point field goals, and 5-6 from the free-throw line. He finished with a game high 27 points.
Yukon dropped to 2-5, but played its best game of the year, hands down. Taking a team like Santa Fe to the wire after scoring 32 points against Moore last week is a vast improvement.
There is no doubt Santa Fe overlooked Yukon. After all, Santa Fe won earlier this season at Putnam North and has perhaps the best backcourt in the state.
Santa Fe faces its toughest test of the season thus far at Putnam City on January 4.
The 43rd Tournament of Champions
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
The 43rd edition of the Tournament of Champions, Oklahoma’s premier boys high school basketball invitational tournament, tips off Thursday at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion.
THURSDAY”S SCHEDULE:
Game 1 – Stringtown (class B) vs. Tulsa East Central (class 5A), 2 p.m.
Game 2 –Verdigris (class 3A) vs. McGuinness (class 4A), 3:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Pawnee (class 2A) vs. Jenks (class 6A), 7 p.m.
Game 4 – Sequoyah – Tahlequah (class 3A) vs. Bixby (class 5A), 8:30 p.m.
NOTE:
For the second consecutive year, the tournament is designed for
Verdigris’ Clarke and Pawnee’s Paige to face each other in the second round. Unfortunately for the T of C, and high school basketball fans who have been begging for that match-up since the two played together in seventh grade, Pawnee upset Victory Christian in the opening round. Midwest City edged
Verdigris by three to send the Cardinals to the losers bracket.
A FEW NOTES ON EACH TEAM:
Jenks: The Trojans are looking to become the first team to win three consecutive T of C titles. Jenks knocked off Midwest City last year, and outlasted Obi Muonelo and Santa Fe in double overtime in 2005. Though Jenks is without Nick Sidorakis, it can still get the job done.
Tulsa East Central: The Cardinals lost a thriller to Tahlequah Sequoyah last year. But East Central is much improved with nearly everyone back. Stringtown should be no problem in the opening round, but a rematch with Sequoyah likely awaits in the semi-finals.
Bixby: See my post on Bixby from Tuesday night. A 2-2 record, (1-2 in the Metro Lakes conference) and a home loss to Claremore make the Spartans the weakest and most undeserving team in the tournament. If they escape the Indians, I’ll be surprised.
Tahlequah Sequoyah: Sequoyah’s enormous fan base had made the Indians a shoe-in for the T of C once again. The Indians are notorious for pulling upsets in the T of C. They did it last year against East Central, and in 2003 against Tulsa Union. Beating Bixby would hardly be an upset, but Sequoyah could do some damage after the opening round.
McGuinness: IF Orton is healthy, the Irish are the best team in the tournament in my opinion. If they can keep Clarke at bay in the opening round (which is easier said than done), look for them in the finals.
Verdigris: The Cardinals would assume forget last year’s showing. After losing to eventual 6A champion MWC, Verdigris gave up a 20 point fourth quarter lead to Victory Christian in the second game, and lost to class B Stringtown in the seventh/eighth place game. A surprising loss to Clayton last week makes me doubt the Cardinals a bit. Even if big man Adam Hollon is healthy, he is no match for Orton. But with a shooter like Clarke, anything could happen.
Pawnee: It is an unfortunate draw for Paige and Pawnee to have two-time defending T of C champion Jenks in the opening round. The Black Bears’ chances of an upset are slim. A loss likely puts them against
Verdigris in the second round. Get your tickets early for that game.
Stringtown: The Tigers gave Jenks a run for its money in the opening round a year ago. But even with 6-9 Watson in the lineup, I doubt Stringtown can beat East Central. A consolation championship is not out of the question.
MY PREDICTIONS:
Jenks over East Central in the finals.
Verdigris over Pawnee in the second round losers bracket game.
Star wins thriller at Capitol Hill
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
Star Spencer (4A #2) beat Capitol Hill (5A #3) 52-48 in overtime tonight at Capitol Hill.
Capitol Hill led by two with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, but Star Spencer guard Bryce Kemp picked up loose ball and scored a lay up as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Kemp scored a game high 19 points.
Undeserving Bixby to play in T of C
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
The tournament of champions tips off next week.
And a mediocre Bixby team will undeservingly compete amongst the state’s elite squads (McGuinness, Verdigris, Pawnee, Jenks, Stringtown, Tulsa East Central and Sequoyah-Tahlequah).
The Spartans are currently 1-2, and 0-2 in Metro Lakes Conference play. They are ranked 15 in Class 5A on Okrankings.com, and are unranked in our preseason rankings (which rank the top 16 teams in each class).
And the Spartans have not lost to quality teams. Monday night they lost at home to unranked Claremore, 76-71.
So why was Bixby asked to play in the Tournament of Champions? I’m not sure. I can only think of about 50 other teams that are more deserving.
I do know this: Bixby will make the T of C exciting. Its first round loss to a small school (likely Stringtown or Pawnee) will set up a potential upset in the semi-finals. A small school could play in the championship game for the first time since 2003, when eventual runner-up Sequoyah-Tahlequah upset Union to advance to the finals against Bartlesville.
Giving out The Stooge…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Well, this is only one stooge’s opinion. My other two boys, Zach and Jason, had finals this week, so maybe we can excuse them. Plus, Jason got to see his “ultimate boy” Brett Favre at St. Louis break Dan Marino’s record for passing yards. Without further ado, my thoughts about the 2007 football season and the first (last)-ever Stooge Awards. I tried to pick some interesting choices instead of the usual.
MVP: Kye Staley, Guthrie
Robert’s take: You know, I tried so hard to not give it to the obvious person, but even I have my limits. Every game, Staley was the focal point for the opposing defense, but he never disappointed. Here’s to you, Kye, and good luck at Oklahoma State.
Other notables: Mark Ginther, Jenks; Justin Blackmon, Plainview; Jameel Owens, Muskogee.
Offensive MVP: Justin Klusak, McAlester
Robert’s take: He never had a bad game. The Buffaloes went through a rough patch when RB Herman Walters was banged up and Klusak just kept coming. Whether it was throwing or running, he came up huge and led the Buffs to the quarterfinals. I know other teams went farther, but Klusak got all he could from his ability – there’s something to be said about that.
Other notables (besides the previous notables): David Oku, Carl Albert; Beau Blankenship, Norman North; Josh Birmingham, Luther; Garrett Valdez, Heritage Hall; Dakota Harris, Prague.
Defensive MVP: Brayden Lockhart, Clinton
Robert’s take: Ooh, this was a close one. I love Bixby’s Beau Bentley, and there’s no doubt he deserves a mention. I’m going with Brayden because he just doesn’t look like he should be an imposing figure, but he is. And winning the 3A title didn’t hurt, either.
Other notables: Duh, Beau Bentley, Bixby; Zach Paty, Edmond North; Daytawion Lowe, Carl Albert; Jakob Gaither, Kingfisher; Joe Stoner, Carl Albert.
Coach of the Year: Shannon Watford, Hennessey
Robert’s take: The lasting image isn’t great with the loss to Prague, but it was the Eagles’ best season in 52 years – not bad. In his first year at Hennessey, the Eagles beat eventual-A champion Okeene, won at Alva and were victorious in two playoff games. Not to mention the turmoil the team had to endure throughout the year.
Other notables: Kenny Speer III, Henryetta; Kenny Young, McGuinness; Rafe Watkins, Guthrie; Jeremy Dombek, Edmond North.
Game of the Year: Clinton 21, Kingfisher 16 – 3A Final
Robert’s take: No, did not have the honor of being there but watched it on KSBI. Kingfisher’s Kyle Jech deserved the MVP in the game. In those conditions, the way he played was phenomenal. Anyone who didn’t know who Clinton’s Torrance McBrayer was before the catch, certainly does now. That one-handed grab is the stuff of legends. And um, not bad from a sophomore QB Ryan Stringer.
Other notables: Union-Jenks I, Clinton-Kingfisher I, Heritage Hall-Henryetta, Edmond Memorial-Midwest City.
Surprise of the Year: Emergence of Western Heights
Robert’s take: Even though this was my first official year covering the entire state instead of the Shawnee area, I knew about the woeful Jets. Um, not so much anymore. Jo Jo Durham was a lightning rod for the team, helping ‘em to an 8-3 record. It’s too bad their first-round date was at Carl Albert.
Other notables: Edmond North making the playoffs, Muskogee’s crazy late TD against Norman North in the playoffs, Justin Blackmon giving Jameel Owens a run for his money as best WR.
“My boy” of the Year: Bo White, Durant
Robert’s take: Hearing White’s story from coach Byron Cordell had me pumped about Bo the entire season. Bo misses huge chunks of the last two seasons and turns in a phenomenal senior campaign. Him and his brother, Max, were a fun duo to keep tabs on during the year.
Other notables: Seminole’s Antonio Depp, Heritage Hall’s Garrett Valdez, Henryetta coach Kenny Speer III.
Wish I was there: McAlester vs. Durant
Robert’s take: A fun shootout for all involved unless you love defense. Big plays galore, huge kick returns, just exciting stuff before McAlester finally pulls it out, 49-35 (if I remember right).
Other notables: Carl Albert vs. Bixby (Spartans upset champs), Lawton Mac vs. Lawton Ike (Colton Rainey’s game-winner for Highlanders), Bethany vs. Alva (Bethany’s last-second FG to win in second round), Union-Jenks I (Union’s incredible comeback).
Agree, disagree?? Let me know. I’m sure I forgot some biggies (not on purpose).
That closes out a phenomenal football season. Time to move on with basketball and my personal fave, wrestling.
Clarke, Verdigris upset by…who?
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
I assumed the Tournament of Champions is where Verdigris would be dealt its first, and perhaps only loss of the season.
I was wrong.
The Cardinals fell 71-66 to Class A Clayton Friday night in the Eastern State College tournament, despite a season high 45 points from Rotnei Clarke.
Clayton is ranked 13 in class A in our preseason rankings, and 20 on Coachesaid.com. They were 13-12 last season.
Verdigris was without big man Adam Hollon (6-7). Hollon has been injured since the preseason. He played Thursday in the Cardinals 102-19 win, but had only four points.
Even with Hollon out, its a huge upset for Clayton. The biggest of the year so far in high school hoops.
It is obvious that Clarke can’t do it alone. And if he doesn’t find some help, the Cardinals may be in trouble when March rolls around. I don’t think you’ll find Sequoyah or John Marshall losing to teams like Clayton, regardless of whether they have a big man or not.
Rumor has it, Verdigris could face McGuinness in the opening round of the Tournament of Champions, which tips off Dec. 27 in Tulsa.
I hope, for Verdigris’ sake, that all of its kinks are worked out by then.
