Could they?? No, really??
By Robert Przybylo
Bprzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Hey, apologize for the lack of bloggings (is that a word?) lately. Had my hands full with the paint horse, Got Country Grip. Too bad he was denied that 17th straight win. Remington Park was absolutely deflated after he lost. But what a success with more than 12,000 people showing up.
Anyway, let’s get back to the courts. After watching McGuinness wax the field at the Heritage Hall Tournament of Champions, I was still hesitant to say anything.
I wanted to wait until that showdown with Tulsa Kelley. Well, the “showdown” has come and gone with the Irish dominating the Comets. The two were on the opposite side of the draws for every spot at the Cascia Hall Tournament on Saturday.
The results: Peta Lancaster, McG, def. Andrea Lewis, TK, 7-5, 6-2. No. 2 singles: Katelyn Connelly, McG, def. Abby Lewis, TK, 6-2, 6-1. No. 1 doubles: Ritchie/Lancaster, McG, won 6-2, 6-3. No. 2 doubles: Conrad/Chiaf won 6-0, 6-1.
So now I’m going to say it…could the McGuinness girls team defeat every boys team in the state?? At first, this was pure tomfoolery. I didn’t really believe it.
But now, hmm, I’m not so sure. If I could piece together the ultimate dream team for the boys, I’d give the boys the edge. If I had people like Tulsa Union’s Eric West and Omar Aly of Jenks as my singles players. Add in the Copeland brothers from Shawnee as a doubles tandem, throw in singles stars Duncan Fugitt of Edmond Memorial and Travis Fillmore of Tahlequah and piece them as a doubles team. That’s a pretty formidable crew.
Am I nuts?? Or are the Irish just that good?? I mean, seriously, Whitney Ritchie and Mia Lancaster placed in the top 16 at a national junior tournament last week. Not regional, national. What say you??
Some people never grow up…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
You ever have that dream of going to some big event without tickets and just waiting it out until you did? I have and plenty of times I’ve given up on it before seeing it through.
But not Jeff Tompkins, the new Edmond North boys basketball coach. Tompkins made the trek to San Antonio to watch the Final Four and stayed with it. And did in fact see the games.
“I knew it was going to be a special event – didn’t want to miss it,” Tompkins said.
But Tompkins never turned off his coaching hat, watching each game not as a fan but as a coach.
Tompkins even went as far as to tell me why Memphis blew out UCLA and struggled for a while against Kansas.
Guard play. More specifically, the way the Tigers guards were defensed by the Bruins and Jayhawks.
Against UCLA, Tompkins said, the Bruins were right in the face of Memphis’ Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts. This allowed the two speedsters to smoke UCLA and get to the cup.
The Jayhawks, on the other hand, played back and kept Memphis in front of them. The trio of defenders of Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins did not get beat off the dribble.
Tompkins is not afraid of moving to the big boys club, going from 2A Rush Springs to 6A with the Huskies.
“The same principles apply.”
With Tompkins in the fold and Kevin Korstjens leading the girls program, Edmond North is on the right track.
Round 3 to West
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Didn’t take too long for that third outing between tennis stars Eric West of Tulsa Union and Jenks’ Omar Aly. Not too long at all.
West beat the sophomore for the third time this year, 6-4, 6-1, in the finals of the Ada Tournament on Saturday.
But there is a caveat to that as Aly had to go through Tahlequah’s Travis Fillmore just to get there. Aly won in straights against the Tigers senior, but both sets were 7-6.
As we get closer and closer to the state tournament, the question will be who gets that coveted No. 1 seed? Whoever doesn’t, is going to have to play one heck of a great semifinal just to get to the championship.
For my money right now, I’m going with West at No. 1. The senior has earned it in the past, but this isn’t just a token gift to him. He’s also earned it by going 5-1 against Aly and Fillmore combined this season.
Now if there was only a way for there to be a substantial break between the semis and finals for the singles title? I’m not talking like a couple of hours, it’d be great to see a day break and then let the two best duke it out in a best-of-five battle to the death. Well, how about just battle for the championship?
On the girls side, it’s going to be tough to even touch McGuinness. It’s not just that the singles players are gold, it’s the depth.
However, don’t look now, Heritage Hall is creeping in with Julie Labarthe and Nicole Holsted at the singles spots.
Should make for a fun final few weeks.
Side note: So it wasn’t KU-Xavier in the final. But the fact that the Jayhawks pulled off a comeback for the ages last night and won, The Boneman has a little extra coin, whoo hoo.
