Class 3A girls’ basketball state tournament qualifiers
Here is the Class 3A girls’ basketball state tournament field.
No. 1 Kansas (23-2): Last year’s runner-up, the Comets seek their fourth-ever state championship.
No. 2 Prague (25-1): Three four-year starters lead the Red Devils, who were a semifinal team in 2011.
No. 3 Sulphur (25-1): Young team returned four starters from last year. Bulldogs seeking first-ever state title.
No. 4 Millwood (21-6): Last year’s Class 2A runner-up suffered first loss since Jan. 21 in area final vs. Sulphur, but rebounded by beating Davis to advance.
No. 5 Salina (21-6): Returned all five starters from last year’s team and are in the state tournament in Tony Rosebrough’s first year as coach.
No. 6 Verdigris (23-5): Mike Buntin leads the Cardinals to the state tourney in his first season as coach.
No. 8 Adair (20-7): Warriors return to the state tournament for the seventh straight season.
No. 10 Chandler (21-7): Senior Kenzie Solberg has the Lions dreaming of their first state championship since 1933.
Class 4A girls’ basketball state tournament qualifiers
Douglass senior Te'era Williams led the Trojans to their first state tournament since 1992. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Here is your Class 4A girls’ basketball state tournament field.
No. 1 Fort Gibson (26-1): Defending state champions’ only loss came on Dec. 30 to 5A No. 2 Tulsa East Central in the Tournament of Champions finals.
No. 2 Anadarko (25-1): Only loss this season is to 5A’s top-ranked team, Shawnee. Warriors have lost to Vinita in the first round of the last three state tournaments.
No. 3 Vinita (24-3): Arkansas Tech signee Caitlyn Spurgeon leads Hornets back to state tournament for fifth straight year.
No. 7 Perkins-Tryon (23-5): Move up in class didn’t stop Perkins-Tryon, a 3A semifinal team in 2011, from earning 4A state berth.
No. 9 Piedmont (21-7): Wildcats’ are led by senior Kylie Boggess and juniors Sarah Parker and Ashley Almond. This is coach Amanda Tims’ first season.
No. 13 Jay (19-9): Lost by two points to No. 1 Fort Gibson in regional final, but bounced back, winning three games in the last three days to earn state berth.
No. 16 Mount St. Mary (20-6): Rockets advance to first-ever state tournament in coach Rory Hamilton’s fifth year.
UR Douglass (16-11): Trojans started their run with an upset at Cushing, then beat the Tigers again Saturday. It is Douglass’ first state tournament appearance since 1992.
Class 5A girls’ basketball state tournament qualifiers
Shawnee, with sisters McKenzie, left, and Taylor Cooper, are unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in Class 5A. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN
After Saturday’s final area games, the field is set for next week’s Class 5A girls’ basketball state tournament in Tulsa.
Here are the qualifiers:
No. 1 Shawnee (26-0): Wolves lost Tulsa signee Caitlyn Ramirez to preseason ACL tear, but fellow D-1 signees Taylor Cooper (ORU) and Kelsee Grovey (Tulsa) have led Shawnee to unbeaten record and clear favorite status in Class 5A.
No. 2 Tulsa East Central (25-3): Cardinals appear to be the top challenger to favorite and top-ranked Shawnee.
No. 4 Carl Albert (21-5): OU commit and junior Gioya Carter headlines the Titans, who enter the state tourney on a five-game winning streak.
No. 5 Del City (18-8): Fresno State signee Toni Smith leads the Eagles, who have labored through injuries and inconsistency but topped No. 3 Deer Creek in area final for state berth.
No. 6 Bishop McGuinness (21-6): 2011 champs started season slow and were upset by Durant in regional final, but bounced back and beat No. 3 Deer Creek on Saturday for chance to defend title.
No. 10 Altus (17-9): Lost close game to No. 5 Del City in regional final but won two straight for state berth one year after going 6-15.
No. 12 McAlester (19-7): Had five-game win streak snapped by Carl Albert in area final, but made state by beating Grove on Saturday.
No. 15 Claremore (14-12): Entered postseason with losing record, but only lost by 1 point to No. 4 Carl Albert in playoffs. Upset Tulsa Kelley on Saturday for berth.
Frontier’s Marrissa Goodman’s peculiar free-throw shot
Frontier sophomore Marrissa Goodman is a very good player. She scored 25 points in her team’s 52-48 win over Kiowa in the Class A quarterfinals Thursday.
But one thing really stood out about Goodman: Her free-throw shot. It would be hard for me to describe, so just watch the video below. (Ignore the first free-throw; I was in bad position to see her motion.)
After the game, I asked Goodman about it. She said that’s just how she’s always shot free throws. Goodman, for the season, is about a 68 percent free-throw shooter.
Frontier plays Copan in the Class A semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at State Fair Arena.
Class A girls state quarterfinals notebook
FREE THROWS MAKE DIFFERENCE FOR OKARCHE
Okarche’s girls made 14 of 19 free throw attempts in Thursday’s 48-36 Class A quarterfinal win over Stonewall.
Stonewall, by comparison, got to the line just four times, making all of them.
“That was our plan,” said Okarche coach Cherie Myers. “We wanted to attack them; we thought we could have some success doing that in the lane.”
Freshman post Madison Lee, who led all scorers with 17, made eight of her 10 free throw attempts.
CHATTANOOGA’S MCBRIDE HAS KNEE SCARE
Chattanooga senior Bailey McBride tore her meniscus as a freshman, and the left knee has given her occassional problems ever since.
During the third quarter of Thursday’s Class A quarterfinal 33-27 win over Seiling, McBride fell to the floor, clutching the left knee.
McBride left the game, was looked at by the team doctor and returned when it was determined that she had hyperextended it.
“When it happened, I was scared,” said McBride, who finished with 3 points. “But I calmed down a little bit and realized that if I want to win the gold ball, I have to get through it.”
KIOWA’S ARMSTRONG HURTS KNEE, CARRIED OFF COURT
Kiowa junior Jordan Armstrong, who entered the state tournament averaging 7 points and 7 rebounds per game, had to be carried off the court late in the second half of Thursday’s 52-48 loss to Frontier after suffering what coach Wade Daniel said was a hyperextended knee.
Armstrong scored three points and did not return.
CHATTANOOGA’S BROWN FOULS OUT LATE
The top-ranked Chattanooga girls lost their leading scorer to fouls late in Thursday’s 33-27 Class A quarterfinal win over Seiling, but the loss of Jaime Brown actually made little difference.
Even though Chattanooga was clinging to a single-digit lead, Brown, a post player who averages 18.8 points per game, was probably about to come out of the game anyway, coach Marty McBride said.
“At that point, it was gonna be keep away and free throws, so she was about ready to come out anyway,” McBride said. “It really wasn’t an issue.”
Brown finished Thursday’s game with 10 points.
Class A girls state tournament: Seiling gets lucky with buzzer beater, but still loses to Chattanooga
BETHANY — With 0.11 second left on the first-quarter clock and the game tied at 8, Seiling’s Kelsi Nelson caught an inbound pass and launched a 3-pointer, which went in and gave her team an 11-8 lead over Chattanooga.
The exciting shot shouldn’t have counted, though.
According to Mike Whaley, the OSSAA’s director of officials, if there is less than 0.3 second remaining, a player cannot take possession of an inbound pass and take a shot.
A shot with less than 0.3 seconds remaining off an inbound pass can only count if it is the result of a tip-in.
Late in the fourth quarter, Chattanooga was clinging to single-digit leads and it appeared the incorrect call could be a difference if Seiling managed to retake the lead.
A controversy was averted, though, when Chattanooga won by six points, 33-27.
Class A and B boys and girls state tournament first-round pairings
Here are the updated brackets for the Class A and B boys and girls state tournaments, which begin Thursday. All Friday and Saturday games will be at State Fair Arena.
Small-school state tournament brackets
Class A Boys
At State Fair Arena
Thursday
Glencoe vs. Weleetka, 2 p.m.
Merritt vs. Velma-Alma, 3:30 p.m.
Cheyenne vs. Sterling, 7 p.m.
Okarche vs. Wright City, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Cheyenne/Sterling winner vs. Glencoe/Weleetka winner, noon
Okarche/Wright City winner vs. Merritt Velma-Alma winner, 9 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 8:45 p.m.
Class B Boys
Thursday
At Carl Albert
Fargo vs. Arnett, 7 p.m.
Lomega vs. Burlington, 3:30 p.m.
Varnum vs. Kinta, 2 p.m.
Forgan vs. Hammon, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Forgan/Hammon winner vs. Lomega/Burlington winner, 6 p.m.
Fargo/Arnett winner vs. Varnum/Kinta winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 3:15 p.m.
Class A Girls
Thursday
At Southern Nazarene
Okarche vs. Stonewall, 2 p.m.
Chattanooga vs. Seiling, 3:30 p.m.
Frontier vs. Kiowa, 7 p.m.
Turner vs. Copan, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Okarche/Stonewall winner vs. Chattanooga/Seiling winner, 10:30 a.m.
Frontier/Kiowa winner vs. Turner/Copan winner, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 1:30 p.m.
Class B Girls
Thursday
At Choctaw
Red Oak vs. Timberlake, 2 p.m.
Hammon vs. Arnett, 3:30 p.m.
Corn Bible vs. Lomega, 7 p.m.
Balko vs. Deer Creek-Lamont, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
At State Fair Arena
Red Oak/Timberlake winner vs. Hammon/Arnett winner, 9 a.m.
Corn Bible/Lomega winner vs. Balko/Deer Creek-Lamont winner, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 7 p.m.
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.
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.
Boys hoops: Omega Harris powers PC West to a big win, Stephen Clark stays busy, and other notes
Douglass point guard Stephen Clark is averaging 51 points per game in his last three games and 42.4 for the month of January.
Sitting at dinner on Friday night, I still hadn’t decided which basketball game I would be attending. Should I go see the intense rivalry game between Putnam City and Putnam City West, or go see if Douglass PG Stephen Clark would go off again, and drop some ridiculous number on Millwood?
Ultimately, I chose what I thought would be the better game over the better individual performance. Here are all the details in Friday night’s roundup:
PC West holds off Putnam City rally
Coming off three frustrating losses, Putnam City West was ready for something positive to happen.
The Patriots’ good fortune almost ran out in the second half, but with some clutch free throw shooting in the fourth quarter, they hung on for a 72-68 win over visiting rival Putnam City Friday night.
Seniors Kevin House and Tavionne Pennon combined to go 12-of-14 at the free throw line down the stretch to close out the victory.
“We fought hard in practice all week, and we came out and got the win,” House said. “This was a big win. We lost three straight, and that wasn’t good.”
Putnam City had a fierce second-half rally that included a 19-5 run, eventually cutting a 21-point deficit to 70-68 with six seconds to play. Junior David Bush sparked the rally, scoring 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.
But PC West was able to get to the line when it counted, and convert the free throws.
“We worked very hard to get this win,” sophomore Omega Harris said. “We work on free throws every day, and we know we can hit those free throws.”
Harris, a 6-foot-2 guard, was key in building the Patriots’ big lead. He made three first-half 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 26 points.
Scott’s take: I remember standing next to Omega Harris at this time a year ago, and he appeared to be about 5-foot-10. I know he was shorter than me, and I’m 6 feet on a good day. Interviewing him after the game on Friday night, I can tell you he’s a legit 6-foot-2 — 6-5 if you count that hair. Only a sophomore, he should keep growing, too.
But his height isn’t what makes him impressive. He has the full range of skills. He can score from anywhere on the court, handles the ball well, incredible vision. I was impressed with him last year as a freshman at Midwest City, and he was hardly asked to score on that team. Now, he’s showing all of his offensive tools.
Add in his athletic ability and strong work ethic, he could be on his way to top 100 stature in the recruiting world. Kansas and Oklahoma are among the programs already showing interest in him.
All that said, it was House and Pennon who locked up the win on Friday. Free throws were huge, and Pennon had some big boards as well, finishing with 10 in all.
Watching the PC3 battle it out this year has been, and will continue to be, tons of fun. To recap, PC beat PC North, PC North beat PC West and PC West beat PC. And there’s still more to come.
Moore bounces back
Three nights after having its six-game win streak snapped by Midwest City, Moore got back in the win column with a 44-38 defeat of Southmoore.
Moore’s Chris Hobgood scored a game-high 17 points and Dorian Gigger added nine for the Lions, who have won seven of their last eight games and moved into the top 20 in the coaches’ rankings this week.
Scott’s take: On my list of biggest surprises so far this season, Moore probably makes the top three. Maybe top two. I think Stillwater currently has the top spot locked up, but the Lions are right there. I knew Gigger was a solid player, but the team performance so far, especially bouncing back from an 0-2 start, has been really good.
Douglass cruises behind Clark’s 37
Douglass guard Stephen Clark continued his red-hot January, scoring 37 points in the Trojans’ 88-66 win over Millwood.
Clark is averaging 51.0 points per game over the last three games, and 42.4 per game for the month.
Scott’s take: Just for fun, our Thunder beat writer Darnell Mayberry took in Clark’s performance on Friday, and based on his Twitter reaction, he was impressed. Douglass plays Northeast on Saturday, then it’s off to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Basketball Classic. There will be some tough competition down there, and Clark will be asked to do a lot of scoring once again. So keep an eye out for more big numbers.
Deer Creek tops Piedmont
Continuing a string of solid performances, Deer Creek defeated Piedmont 49-33 for its fifth win in six games.
The Antlers were led by Garrett Hermanski, who scored a game-high 22 points. Deer Creek’s stout defense allowed only 18 points through the first three quarters.
Scott’s take: These guys are playing well of late, and they seem to be especially good at winning the ugly ones. Piedmont is a talented, athletic team with good size and the ability to put up some points. So holding them to 18 through three quarters is solid work.
Tip-ins
Carlbe Ervin scored 17 points as Carl Albert defeated Chickasha 63-58… Southeast knocked off star Spencer 75-70 in overtime, despite 29 points from Star’s Symon Smith… Jesse Nixon scored 22 points in Washington’s 65-45 win over Purcell… Capitol Hill had three players score at least 17 points in an 80-39 rout of the OKC Knights, with Nicco Meadows leading the way with 22.
Scott’s take: That’s two straight good scoring performances in victories from Ervin, who is very athletic. Carl Albert relies a lot on balanced offense and tough defense, but when Ervin has his offensive game going, he’s fun to watch.
A 41-point win doesn’t tell us much about Capitol Hill, but I think they are going to be a team to watch down the stretch. A young team grew up a lot last year, and by March, they could be ready to take the next step.
In a bit of news that didn’t make the roundup, apparently Edmond Memorial’s James Woodard had a nasty dunk in the Bulldogs’ easy win over Norman North. They’re promising video will be posted online sometime Saturday, and I’ll share it on the blog. I don’t know if any dunk can live up to the Twitter hype this one was getting on Friday night, but still, I can’t wait to see it.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
