Bishop McGuinness’ Elyse Hight has big game in return from injury
McGuinness' Elyse Hight returned from a hip injury and scored 23 points Saturday. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Bishop McGuinness senior Elyse Hight, who tore muscles in her hip in practice on Jan. 9, returned to action Saturday in the Irish’s 51-45 win over Tulsa Bishop Kelley and led all scorers with 23 points.
Hight, who missed 10 games with the injury, helped lead the Irish to the Class 5A championship last season as a junior.
This season, she was averaging over 20 points a game before the injury.
She was on crutches for about a week after injuring her hip, and then began an intense rehabilitation regimen.
The McGuinness girls, who are 16-5 and ranked No. 6 in 5A, went 8-2 in Hight’s absense and said they dedicated their performance to her.
“That pushed me to work so much harder to get back into it,” Hight said. “To hear them say they played for me when I was having a hard time was really uplifting.”
McDonald’s All-American nominees announced
The nominees for the 2012 McDonald’s All-American game were announced Wednesday.
The 24 boys and girls selected to participate in the All-American Game will be announced at 4 p.m. Feb. 9 on ESPNU. This year’s games will be held March 28 in Chicago, with the girls game tipping off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys at 8:30.
Only Texas and Iowa had more nominations on the girls side than Oklahoma’s 26.
Boys
Nino Jackson, Ardmore
Terrell Savala, Edmond Memorial
Austin Thrash, Cheyenne
James Woodard, Edmond Memorial
Girls
Kate Andrews, McGuinness
Kelsey Barnwell, Kansas
Ashley Clark, Midwest City
Taylor Cooper, Shawnee
Courtney Cowan, Kansas
Alie Decker, Edmond Memorial
Quira Demery, Millwood
I’Knique Gaines, Tulsa East Central
Mariah Gilliam, Tulsa Washington
Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
LaShanda Green, McAlester
Kelsey Grovey, Shawnee
Elyse Hight, McGuinness
Sydney Hill, Edmond Memorial
Shelley Knight, Wayne
Deena Manning, Wayne
Madison Mercado, Sapulpa
LaNesha Middleton, Stillwater
Bria Pitts, Tulsa East Central
Caitlyn Ramirez, Shawnee
Toni Smith, Del City
Caitlyn Spurgeon, Vinita
Jordynn VanPelt, Snyder
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe
Antoinet Webster, Western Heights
Adriana White, Midwest City
Girls hoops roundup: Elyse Hight injured, but Bishop McGuinness picks up the slack to win fifth straight
Carl Albert's Gioya Carter shoots over Harrah's Sydney Hessman during the Titans' win Tuesday. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Bishop McGuinness was dealt a tough blow Monday in practice.
Senior Elyse Hight, the Irish’s top scorer and rebounder, suffered a hip injury that will keep her sidelined for the indefinite future.
The defending state champion Irish, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, won its fifth straight game 43-36 over Stillwater on Tuesday.
Senior Kate Andrews, who led McGuinness with 16 points, said the team played for Hight.
“I think anytime you’re challenged with adversity, you have to come out and show you can play with just as much passion,” Andrews said. “We played in honor of her tonight. We really used this challenge to us to pick each other up and grow together.”
Andrews said replacing Hight is much more than making up for her points and rebounds.
“So many people just see the tons of boards and tons of points she puts up, but it was the little things,” Andrews said. “The blocks, steals, energy and leadership were missed.
“But where we lacked with her absence, everyone else really picked it up.”
Junior LaNesha Middleton led Stillwater with 17 points.
Jason’s take: I can’t emphasize enough how important it was for Bishop McGuinness to get this win in its first game without Elyse Hight. The Irish had just gotten a lot of their early-season kinks worked out, and losing a player of her caliber might have caused some teams to crumble. But the Irish got going quickly, shooting the ball well on its way to an 18-point first quarter and, ultimately, a fifth straight win. With Hight out for the foreseeable future, it’s encouraging for Irish fans to see the team performing well and beating a solid Stillwater team without her.
CARL ALBERT WINS AT HARRAH
Junior Gioya Carter scored 16 points and Class 5A No. 4 Carl Albert won at Harrah 49-35 on Tuesday.
The Titans (7-3) jumped out to a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and led 28-16 at halftime.
Junior Bailey Mack led Harrah (6-5) with 15 points. It was Harrah’s third straight loss.
Carl Albert plays next at Chickasha on Friday, while Harrah travels to Noble the same day.
Jason’s take: It was important for Carl Albert to win this one on the road after losing two of three games in the Westmoore tournament last weekend. For Harrah, it’s a third straight loss after a three-game winning streak. They should pick up a win over Noble, but then Class 5A No. 1 Shawnee looms on Jan. 17.
MASSEY SCORES 33 AS CHRISTIAN HERITAGE TOPS JONES
Junior Maclayn Massey scored 33 points as Christian Heritage held off Jones to win 66-65 at home on Tuesday.
Christian Heritage took a big lead after outscoring Jones 25-11 in the second quarter. But the Longhorns rallied, scoring 40 second-half points, including 24 in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Teddi Homan led the Longhorns with 22 points.
Jason’s take: An impressive performance by Massey, who was the Crusaders’ only returning starter from last year. Maybe the young Christian Heritage team is starting to gain some momentum with experience, and a win like this can only help the team going forward.
EDWARDS LEADS NORTHEAST PAST MILLWOOD
A run that started late in the third quarter gave Northeast enough cushion to hold off host Millwood 53-41.
Northeast’s T’ona Edwards sparked the run, scoring seven of her game-high 20 points in the third as the Vikings stretched a six-point advantage into a comfortable 20-point lead early in the fourth.
“(On Monday), we had practice without a basketball,” first-year Northeast coach Londaryl Perry said. “We had to have a reminder of who was in charge. I think it really brought us back together as a team instead of a bunch of individuals. I think that showed in how we played tonight.”
Shayla Williams scored 14 points and LaNesha Williams added 10 for Northeast. Millwood was led by Quira Demery with 14 points.
Jason’s take: Big thanks to Scott Wright for coverage of this game. Northeast got back on the right track after losing to Holland Hall in the finals of the Stroud Tournament. The Vikings are looking like they could be an awfully special team; their only other loss this year was a seven-point setback to Class 6A power Midwest City. Millwood lost its second straight after falling in the SNU/Bethany Classic finals to Norman North. The Falcons are still playing without junior starting guards Teanna Reid and Daneisha Threatt, who both have been injured all season.
TIP-INS
Senior Courtney Walker, a Texas A&M signee, scored 22 points and Class 6A No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe rolled past Putnam City West 83-30 at home. Santa Fe (12-0) plays at Yukon on Friday. … Class 5A’s top-ranked team, Shawnee, improved to 11-0 with a 55-24 home win over El Reno. Junior Micaela Yu led the Wolves with 18 points, and senior forward Taylor Cooper, an Oral Roberts signee, added 12. … Junior Kaitlyn Peterson scored 18 points and Edmond North (2-7) upset 6A No. 11 Putnam City North 40-37 on Tuesday. It was the Panthers third straight loss. … Senior Kenzie Solberg led Chandler with 28 points as it won 52-47 in overtime at Seminole.
Jason Kerseyjkersey@opubco.com
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OCA All-State
The Oklahoma Coaches Association announced its All-State football team Monday. The OCA All-State Football Game will be played at 8 p.m. July 27 at a to-be-dtermined site in the Tulsa area.
EAST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Andrew Hearon, Metro Christian
Tony Kiefer, McAlester
Running backs
Dakota Biswell, Stroud
Caleb Muncrief, Madill
Cole Scheulen, Catoosa
Willie Zackery, Woodland
Wide receivers
Levi Copelin, Broken Arrow
Michael Fraley, Adair
Ty Miller, Caddo
Victor Williams, Muskogee
Tight ends
Matt Gallagher, Owasso
Zac Veatch, Broken Arrow
Linemen
John Connor, Tulsa Kelley
Jeremy Iron, Pawhuska
Lance Kloker, Owasso
Talon Miles-Satepauhoodle, Hominy
Montana Poorboy, Catoosa
Sam Sabin, Jenks
Chris Wallace, Sperry
Punter/kicker
Tom Carwile, Tulsa Washington
DEFENSE
Linemen
Hunter Hart, Cascia Hall
Orion Jones, Jenks
Gcory Rahmings, Broken Bow
Travis Sandlin, Vian
Max Simmons, Lincoln Christian
Gary Wilson, Sand Springs
Linebackers
Patrick Bartlett, Woodland
Jevonte Cross, Tulsa East Central
Aaron Dolan, Berryhill
Connor Sherwood, Cascia Hall
Blace Walser, Tulsa Union
Defensive backs
Kent Booze, Spiro
Adam Boyd, McAlester
Kevin Peterson, Wagoner
Dillon Proctor, Caddo
Jermy Reynolds, Wewoka
Jesse Vester, Stillwater
Coaches
Mike Mobra, Catoosa; Eddy Scott, Pawhuska; Kevin Harmon, McAlester; Darren Melton, Lincoln Christian.
WEST
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Corben Jones, Yukon
Garrett Lorah, Elgin
Running backs
Casey Curtis, Putnam City
James Flanders, Midwest City
Josh Way, Wayne
Sheldon Wilson, Anadarko
Wide receivers
Gage Diffee, Bethany
Javis Flynn, Watonga
Tre Kelley, Edmond Santa Fe
Tylor Seabolt, Jones
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall
Linemen
Blake Belcher, Guthrie
Daniel Burton, Putnam North
Brandon Dewitt, Lawton
Devin Dobbins, Millwood
Carrie Farmer, Minco
Adam Kelley, Wynnewood
Cole Parsons, Edmond North
DEFENSE
Linemen
Josh Crouch, Edmond Santa Fe
Patrick Diaz, Lawton
Kyle Factor, Westmoore
Markus Wakefield, Heritage Hall
Braylon Freeman, Lawton MacArthur
Ricky Rodriguez, Clinton
Linebackers
Landry Chappell, Guthrie
Zeke Lewis, Midwest City
Payton Marsh, Thomas
Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness
Wes Satoe, Anadarko
Jas’Sen Stoner, Douglass
Defensive backs
Rashaad Copeland, El Reno
Jared Griffin, Duncan
Rico Hogan, Norman
Aaron Holden, Temple
Aaron McCandless, Shattuck
Ivan Moreno, Hennessey
Michael Thomas, Lawton MacArthur
Coaches
Bob Ward, Thomas; Curtis Lorah, Elgin; Tracy Scott, Blanchard; Jeremy Dombek, Edmond North.
Final Rankings: 4A
Class 4A
1. Wagoner (3)#13-1
2. Clinton (2)#12-2
3. Catoosa (1)#12-1
4. McGuinness (4)10-3
5. Sallisaw (5)#9-3
6. Hilldale (6)#9-3
7. Glenpool (7)#7-5
8. Harrah (8)#8-3
9. Woodward (9)#6-6
10. Douglass (10)#8-3
Not much here at the top that needs explaining as the top 4 are pretty clear. Sallisaw was clearly the best team not to make the semifinals. Hilldale pushed Wagoner early in the season although Sallisaw and Clinton beat them comfortably. Glenpool came back from an 0-3 start to finish second in its district and is at No. 7. Harrah, the only first-round loser in the top eight, pushed McGuinness in the first round before falling 14-7. Their other losses came to Glenpool and defending champion Douglass. Woodward upset Douglass in the first round on a wild finish but their resume, with losses to Weatherford and Piedmont made it hard to put the Boomers in the top eight. Douglass looked championship-caliber at times this season but also had inexplicable losses to Cushing and Woodward. So even with wins over Glenpool and Harrah, Douglass is at No. 10.
4A-1 All-District team
District 4A-1 All-District Team
Most Valuable Player: Jalee Rainge, Clinton
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Collin Bricker, Piedmont
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Camden Tharp, McGuinness
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Nguyen, McGuinness
Co-Offensive Back of the Year: Cassius Calhoun, Piedmont
Co-Offensive Back of the Year: Alam Williams, Guymon
All-Purpose Player of the Year: Keegan Metcalf, Elk City
Quarterback of the Year: Garrett Lorah, Elgin
Co-Receiver of the Year: Ben Perez, Clinton
Co-Receiver of the Year: Jake Reynolds, Clinton
Co-Lineman of the Year: Charlie Evenson, McGuinness
Co-Lineman of the Year: Caleb Webb, Clinton
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Lane Denwalt, Piedmont
Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year: Ricky Rodriguez, Clinton
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Hunter Winkle, Piedmont
Co-Defensive End of the Year: Dalton Russell, Woodward
Co-Defensive End of the Year: Tommy Weldon, Elk City
Co-Linebacker of the Year: Hayden Appleby, Woodward
Co-Linebacker of the Year: Greg Castorena, Clinton
Outside Linebacker of the Year: Drevon Kaywaykla, Elgin
Secondary Player of the Year: Garrett Roach, Woodward
Special Teams Player of the Year: Josh Brown, Piedmont
All-District
Cache: Tanner Bartlett, Chris Cody, Alfred Fraser, John Valdez.
Clinton: Aaron Lantz, Trey McKinney, Austin Rennels, Payne Veazey.
Elgin: Kevin Brown, Keith Jones, Jared Owens.
Elk City: Aaron Cromer, Kyle Luke, Chris Mancuso, Marcus Wiseman
Guymon: Dakota Harris, McCully Kirby.
McGuinness: Austin Augustus, Duncan Branum, Chip Daniel, William Jewell, Chris Johnson, Tyler Konarik, Drew Neuberger, Jeffery Pozo, Sam Shadid.
Piedmont: Dylan Broyles, James Green, Jacob Harris, Hunter Kirton, Blake Robinson, Jared Slaveus.
Woodward: Nolan Kline, Colbey McEwann, Connor McEwann, Daniel Nelson, Ulises Polacio, Jace Snider, Alex Stewart.
Honorable mentions
Cache: Charles Baker, Camero Fenner, Jonathan Thode
Elgin: Carlos Dominguez, Mason Hulbert, Garrett Thomas, Jon Ware
Guymon: Genaro Barrera
Piedmont: Bubba Bailey, Austin Ray, Zach Tucker.
Woodward: Austin Cook, Corbin Kline
Picks: Second round of the playoffs
Ryan kept the three-game lead over Jason as both went 8-2 last week. Scott dropped two games, due to picking Yukon over Edmond Memorial and Ada over Duncan.
Last week:
Ryan: 8-2, 1-0
Jason: 8-2, 1-0
Scott: 6-4, 1-0
Overall:
Ryan: 80-31, 10-1
Jason: 77, 32, 8-3
Scott: 73-36, 9-2
Ryan
Jenks 28, Edmond Santa Fe 21
Midwest City 21, Owasso 17
Guthrie 34, Tulsa East Central 30
Lawton MacArthur 35, Tulsa Kelley 28
Sallisaw 28, McGuinness 26
Anadarko 35, Kingfisher 20
Seminole 28, Verdigris 7
Davis 26, Millwood 20
Woodland 21, Wynnewood 19
Timberlake 35, Temple 32
Lock of the week: Lawton MacArthur over Tulsa Kelley. Kelley’s defense is good but they haven’t faced an offense near as potent as Lawton MacArthur yet this season. Darius Graham and company pass the test to advance to the semifinals yet again.
Jason
Edmond Santa Fe 31, Jenks 23
Midwest City 31, Owasso 28
Guthrie 27, Tulsa East Central 17
Lawton MacArthur 38, Tulsa Kelley 24
McGuinness 28, Sallisaw 27
Anadarko 28, Kingfisher 21
Seminole 37, Verdigris 24
Davis 24, Millwood 14
Woodland 38, Wynnewood 34
Temple 35, Timberlake 31
Lock of the week: Anadarko over Kingfisher. This will be Anadarko’s first real test of the season, and I think they pass it. Sheldon Wilson won’t be able to run wild like he has all year, but he’ll still be too much for the Yellowjackets.
Scott
Edmond Santa Fe 28, Jenks 24
Midwest City 37, Owasso 31
Guthrie 28, Tulsa East Central 21
Lawton MacArthur 35, Tulsa Kelley 21
McGuinness 17, Sallisaw 14
Kingfisher 24, Anadarko 21
Seminole 30, Verdigris 20
Davis 31, Millwood 28
Woodland 28, Wynnewood 22
Timberlake 38, Temple 34
Lock of the week: Midwest City over Owasso. The Bombers are on a crash course with the title game, and their secondary is better than any Owasso has seen this year.
Picks: First round of the playoffs
Ryan stayed in first place with another strong week despite missing on Tulsa Central, Ada and Bridge Creek. Jason was the only one to miss on his lock, losing out on Westmoore-Lawton.
Last week:
Ryan: 7-3, 1-0
Scott: 7-3, 1-0
Jason: 6-4, 0-1
Overall:
Ryan: 72-29, 9-1
Jason: 69-32, 7-3
Scott: 67-34, 8-2
Ryan
Midwest City 35, Westmoore 21
Owasso 21, Norman 17
Edmond North 21, Yukon 19
Tulsa East Central 32, Tulsa Washington 20
Tulsa Kelley 28, Coweta 14
Duncan 14, Ada 7
Glenpool 35, Piedmont 27
Harrah 21, McGuinness 20
Sequoyah Tahlequah 28, Berryhill 27
Lawton 21, Norman North 14
Lock of the week: Tulsa East Central over Tulsa Washington. East Central won the regular-season matchup at they’ll win again here as their defense slows down the Hornets while their offense continues to roll.
Jason
Midwest City 31, Westmoore 24
Owasso 21, Norman 14
Edmond North 27, Yukon 14
Tulsa East Central 23, Tulsa Washington 14
Coweta 27, Tulsa Kelley 21
Duncan 24, Ada 14
Glenpool 31, Piedmont 17
McGuinness 17, Harrah 13
Sequoyah Tahlequah 35, Berryhill 24
Lawton 31, Norman North 17
Lock of the week: Edmond North over Yukon. Yes, Yukon is fired up because of the way last year’s game ended. But that won’t be enough to make up for the Huskies’ talent. Edmond North wins and moves to a showdown at Tulsa Union.
Scott
Midwest City 35, Westmoore 21
Owasso 28, Norman 17
Yukon 21, Edmond North 20
Tulsa East Central 35, Tulsa Washington 24
Tulsa Kelley 28, Coweta 24
Ada 28, Duncan 24
Glenpool 33, Piedmont 27
Harrah 21, McGuinness 17
Sequoyah Tahlequah 38, Berryhill 28
Lawton 28, Norman North 21
Lock of the Week: Owasso over Norman. Norman RB Donovan Roberts is a game-changer. If he’s able to play, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be at full speed after the ankle injury he suffered last week. And the Tigers need him to be effective to keep the offense balanced. Without that X-factor, Owasso should put this one away.
Fall signing day coming Wednesday
This might be the opening week of high school football playoffs, but it also includes signing day Wednesday for sports other than football. Know of an athlete signing? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com or leave it as a comment here. Please include as much information as possible.
All-State volleyball announced
The Oklahoma Coaches Association released its All-State volleyball roster on Thursday. The All-State game will be played Tuesday, July 24 at a venue to be determined. The small school game will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the large school game at 7:30 p.m. The coaches will be announced at a later date.
Large East
Sadie Schaffner, Bartlesville
Inky Ajanaku, Tulsa Kelley
Cat Roth, Tulsa Kelley
Sydney Eggers, Bixby
Cailyn Burd, Owasso
Aubrey Marsellis, Owasso
Alexa Knox, Tulsa Union
Kylie Johnson, Tulsa Union
Large West
Maddie Reddick, McGuinness
Skylar Conner, Edmond Memorial
Kristen Nashert, Edmond North
Heather Watson, Edmond North
Hannah Holkum, Edmond Santa Fe
Barbara Jackson, Edmond Santa Fe
Lexie Matthews, Norman North
Tori Thomas, Norman North
Small East
Kara Gleason, Lincoln Christian
Evette Allen, Lincoln Christian
Sunny Smarty, Oklahoma Union
Hayley Bryan, Copan
Aryn Dixon, Cascia Hall
Allie Murphy, Cascia Hall
Carolina Arnould, Victory Christian
Mayci Sparkman, Shawnee
Hannah McKenzie, Tulsa Wahsington
Morgan Allison, Catoosa
Small West
Dawnshate Blakes, Chickasha
Taylor Crismas, Oklahoma Bible
Bree Fritschow, Duncan
Danielle McGill, Big Pasture
Sydney Miles, Heritage Hall
Jessica Penner, Corn Bible
Jenny Pratt, Christian Heritage
Lindsey Smith, Big Pasture
Talie Stanley, Cache
Madison Ward, Cache
