Video: Tuttle’s Sterling Hawkins discusses the team’s third consecutive dual state title
Choctaw’s Caitlin Bond signs with UCO soccer team
Choctaw soccer player Caitlin Bond, seated center, signs her letter of intent with the University of Central Oklahoma with her mother, Cynthia White, and father, Ron White at her side. Standing on the back row from left are coach Donnie Hughes, Bond's competitive league coach, and Choctaw High School coach Chris Maggart.
Though she received recruiting attention from a wide range of programs all around the country, Choctaw soccer player Caitlin Bond found the best fit close to home, signing with Central Oklahoma.
Bond, who scored 15 goals for Choctaw as a junior last season, signed with the Bronchos as part of a class heavy on top talent from around the metro area, including Cierra Allen of McGuinness, Tyler Barajas of Mustang, Meghann Combs of Yukon and Ciara Mitchell of Carl Albert.
“Caitlin is very dynamic and exciting to watch and should be able to create in several positions for us right away,” UCO coach Mike Cook said.
“We’re really excited about this class of recruits. Their soccer knowledge is very high and it’s a very athletic group. We feel like we addressed some areas of need and definitely have added depth to a lot of positions. This recruiting class along with our returning group of players should make for an exciting 2012 season when we look forward to making an impact in the MIAA.”
The Bronchos went 15-4 last fall in making it to the national playoffs as an independent and will join the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association next year.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Video: Vinita’s full-court alley-oop at the buzzer
Back in December here on the blog, we held a contest for the best play of the football season. Well, we have an early favorite for basketball season already.
If you haven’t seen the video of Vinita’s full-court alley-0op off a made free throw with one second left, it’s definitely worth it to click below and check it out. Garret Maxey throws the inbounds pass, which bounces once, into perfect position to hit Jake Bullard in stride for the slam.
Now, when I initially heard the story, I was told it was also a game-winning dunk, which would have made it the play of the decade. But Vinita actually won the game 54-40. Still, a phenomenal play. And Class 4A folks around the OKC metro area will want to keep an eye on Vinita anyway. After reaching the state semis last year, they returned virtually everyone and will be one of the top contenders to end Douglass’ run of two straight titles.
Douglass point guard Stephen Clark offered scholarship by Oklahoma
Douglass point guard Stephen Clark received a scholarship offer from Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger on Monday.
Add Oklahoma to the list of college basketball programs seeking the services of Douglass point guard Stephen Clark.
Clark was invited to the Sooners’ game against Missouri on Monday night, and head coach Lon Kruger offered the 5-foot-10 junior a scholarship, as first reported by ESPN.
“Coach Kruger told us he wanted Stephen as a Sooner,” said Dorshell Clark, Stephen’s mother. “So maybe we can begin building a relationship with him and the other coaches.”
Oklahoma joins more than a dozen other programs pursuing Clark, along with the likes of Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Connecticut, Missouri, Memphis and Marquette.
Clark is the third in-state player the Sooners have offered a scholarship, along with Edmond Memorial point guard Jordan Woodard and Tulsa Washington shooting guard Juwan Parker.
If you’re looking for some extra reading on Clark, here’s a quick look at his 65-point game in January.
Here’s a story from December about Clark’s transition to point guard.
And here’s Monday’s piece on Clark and the rest of the state’s star-studded 2013 recruiting class.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Douglass guard Stephen Clark selected for USA junior team
Douglass point guard Stephen Clark has been selected to compete for the Junior Olympic team in Germany later this year. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
A good season keeps getting better for Douglass junior Stephen Clark.
The Trojans’ point guard has been shooting the lights out virtually every time he steps on the floor, college scholarship offers are rolling in, and now, he has been selected to play for the USA junior team that will compete in Germany later this year.
The team will compete in Mannheim, Germany, from April 3-14 in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, an event with teams from 15 other countries, including Argentina, Australia, China, Serbia and Spain.
Because of NCAA recruiting rules, the players must pay the cost of the flight to and from Germany on their own.
Recruiting has remained steady for Clark as well. Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger was up to see him at practice and in a game earlier this week, and according to Clark’s mother, Dorshell, a Baylor coach was in attendance on Friday night when he scored 18 points in a win over Capitol Hill.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Edmond Memorial’s Woodard brothers take over; Jordan to visit Memphis on Saturday
Edmond Memorial's James Woodard had 22 points in a win over Del City on Friday.
Edmond Memorial senior James Woodard knows that as the season goes on, he’s going to be asked to play inside at times, and help to power the team’s rebounding efforts. As one of the tallest players on the team at 6-foot-3, he draws the job almost by default.
His athleticism and long arms help the cause, too. But more than any of those things, it was his pure effort that made the difference on Friday night. He was going to the boards hard on both ends of the floor, and his offensive game was on point, as well.
He and little brother Jordan Woodard put on quite a show, especially in the second half, when they accounted for all but four of the Bulldogs’ points to put Del City away.
Here’s what I wrote about the game for Saturday’s newspaper:
With their team in a tight ballgame against the only team to beat them this year, second-ranked Edmond Memorial’s brother duo of James and Jordan Woodard took control.
The brothers combined for 25 of the Bulldogs’ 29 points in the second half Friday night on the way to a 60-48 win over Class 5A’s No. 1 team, Del City.
“It’s almost tournament time, so coach (Shane Cowherd) preaches to us every day that everybody’s got to elevate our game right now,” said Jordan Woodard, who had 18 points. “We’re just trying to click every game from now on, until the championship game.”
Del City defeated the Bulldogs in December, and Memorial didn’t want to experience that again. James Woodard had 22 points and worked hard going after rebounds.
“When we lost to them, rebounding hurt us,” he said. “We knew we had to play harder than them and hustle harder than them to get rebounds, because that’s how we win.”
Sophomore Brett Cannon led Del City with 15 points.
After the game, Jordan Woodard was scheduled to leave for an unofficial visit at the University of Memphis. The Tigers, along with Oklahoma and San Francisco, have offered the junior a scholarship.
Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger has been out to see Jordan play multiple times, keeping a close eye on one of his prime in-state targets, and Kansas coach Bill Self continues to show strong interest.
Other than the eight-hour car ride in the middle of the night, Jordan was looking forward to the opportunity to check out Memphis, which hosts Xavier on Saturday.
“We’ve been planning this trip for a long time, but the season has been hectic,” he said. “This is the perfect opportunity for me to get out there. It’s gonna feel good going out there after a win. I’m pretty excited.”
Self was in town to see Woodard score 29 points in a win over Edmond Santa Fe two weeks ago. Though Kansas hasn’t offered a scholarship yet, Self told Woodard that he would continue to keep in touch with him, and he wants Woodard to schedule a trip to the campus as well.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Bethany’s Garrett McGrady commits to Arkansas State
Bethany's Garrett McGrady (82) has accepted an offer to grayshirt at Arkansas State.
The recruiting process got a little hectic at the end, but Bethany tight end/defensive end Garrett McGrady ultimately landed a Division I opportunity.
McGrady accepted an offer to join the Arkansas State football program as a grayshirt, he told The Oklahoman on Friday night. That means he will enroll as a full-time student at the school in January 2013.
Sidelined much of the 2011 season because of injury, McGrady caught three touchdown passes and had three quarterback sacks, despite playing in only four games.
He visited the Arkansas State campus in late January, but didn’t receive an offer as the coaching staff waited to see what transpired with some of their prospects on signing day. The grayshirt offer came and McGrady committed on Thursday morning.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound McGrady is a three-sport star at Bethany, also excelling in basketball and as a thrower on the track team.
He was recruited to Arkansas State by defensive coordinator Keith Patterson, and is being projected as a defensive end when he gets on campus next year. However, first-year coach Gus Malzahn has told him he could end up in a variety of spots, either on the defensive line, at tight end or offensive tackle.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Boys hoops: Edmond Memorial grinds out a win, Aaron Anderson beats the buzzer and Douglass gets an unexpected lift
Austin Garner and Centennial came up with a big win at John Marshall on Tuesday night.
I can’t remember a night during the regular season with so many great boys basketball games. Someone on Twitter told me I should have been at Edmond Santa Fe vs. Putnam City North, and he was right. And I should have been at Centennial vs. John Marshall, which turned out to be less of a game than I expected. And I should have been at Douglass-Southeast, which turned out to be more of a game than I expected. And I could have seen Deer Creek, Carl Albert, Del City, Northwest Classen, Westmoore and a few other teams pull out valuable victories as playoff seeding draws near.
And if I had been at any of those games, I would have missed No. 2 Edmond Memorial pull out a narrow win at No. 5 Midwest City.
Simply put, it was a phenomenal night of basketball in the city and around the state. Here’s a look at some of the best action in the OKC metro area from Tuesday night, with some additional analysis.
Edmond Memorial holds on at MWC
In an intense, if not artistic, battle between top-five teams, second-ranked Edmond Memorial came away with a hard-fought 48-46 win at No. 5 Midwest City Tuesday night.
After a first half highlighted by a flurry of 3-pointers from both teams, grinding, defensive basketball won out in the second half as Memorial rallied from seven points down late in the third quarter to win its 10th straight game.
“We’ve got to take these games and apply it in the future, like for the state tournament, because it’s gonna get tougher from here on out,” said Bulldog senior James Woodard, who had a game-high 12 points. “We didn’t play very well, but we gutted it out and got the win.”
Midwest City made seven 3-pointers — three by junior Daryck Jones — in the first half to take a 33-29 lead, but Memorial’s balanced scoring was too much in the second half.
Terrell Savala and Jordan Thomas combined for 11 of the Bulldogs’ 18 second-half points.
Jones and Torey Noel led Midwest City with 11 points apiece.
Scott’s take: As I tweeted during the game, I thought there was some questionable officiating. I think both teams had some legit gripes about calls throughout the game, including a couple late calls that could have had an impact on the end of the game.
That is not to be taken as a vague commentary on the non-call on Midwest City’s shot in the final seconds. From my spot on the scorer’s table, I was partially blocked from the play, so I couldn’t tell you with any kind of certainty if there was enough contact to warrant a foul call or not. In general, I’m a fan of officials letting the game play out, unless there is an obvious foul.
Midwest City has grown up a lot in the last 4-6 weeks, and they’ve got the talent to be right back at the Mabee Center for the state tournament once again.
Memorial’s balance is more impressive every time I see them. Reggie Sloan and Aaron Young made two 3-pointers apiece in the first half, and as I wrote, Thomas and Savala each came through with big buckets in the second half.
This was two totally different games. The teams were up and down the floor in the first half and combined for 12 3-pointers between them. But the second half was defense and more defense. Intense and fun to the end.
Anderson’s layup lifts Santa Fe
Edmond Santa Fe guard Aaron Anderson raced the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer to lift the fourth-ranked Wolves to a 59-57 overtime win at No. 11 Putnam City North.
Shaquille Morris led the Wolves with 23 points. Anderson, a Fresno State signee, finished with seven points.
Ryley Claborn, Corben Jones and Tyler Bush make college choices
A trio of high school football players on the west side of the metro have made their college decisions this week.
Bethany quarterback Ryley Claborn verbally committed to Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford. Yukon quarterback Corben Jones will sign with Emporia (Kan.) State, and Yukon offensive lineman Tyler Bush has committed to Southeastern State in Durant.
Claborn quarterbacked the Bronchos to the state semifinals and quarterfinals in his final two seasons. As a senior, he threw for 1,883 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, completing 122 of 207 passes (58.9 percent).
As a three-year starter for the Millers, Jones guided the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, snapping a decade-long postseason drought. In his senior year, 1,999 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight picks with a completion percentage of 59.6 (140 of 235). He also rushed for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bush anchored the line of an offense that has averaged 32.2 points per game the last two seasons.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
Overcoming injury as a senior, Putnam City’s Desmond Tilly commits to Langston
Putnam City's Desmond Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next season.
I was standing on the sideline in the final minutes of Putnam City’s preseason scrimmage against Southmoore when PC running back/linebacker Desmond Tilly tore his ACL.
Saw him writhing in pain on the field. Saw the look on his face when they helped him off.
It was a crushing blow. In one quick moment, Tilly went from a kid who appeared to be on the verge of a breakout year to a spectator. That moment, and a similar one involving Northwest Classen’s Terry Arnold, inspired the story I wrote about the two injured seniors in November.
On Saturday, Tilly verbally committed to play football at Langston next year, a much-deserved opportunity for a hard-working kid.
Langston sees Tilly as a safety/outside linebacker hybrid, which seems like a perfect fit for the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder.
Earlier in the week, PC running back Casey Curtis committed to NEO, and other Pirates like Elie Rushing could be getting some college opportunities as well.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
