OCA Girls All-State teams announced
The Oklahoma Coaches Association released its girls All-State teams Thursday. The OCA girls games will be played July 25 at the Mabee Center. The small school game starts at 7 p.m. with the large school game at 8:30 p.m.
Large East
Taylor Cooper, Shawnee
U’Knique Gaines, Tulsa East Central
Jodi Glover, Fort Gibson
Devaughn Gray, Tulsa Washington
Lashanda Green McAlester
Kelsee Grovey, Shawnee
Madison Mercado, Sapulpa
Lanesha Middleton, Stillwater
Caitlyn Spurgeon, Vinita
Miranda Taylor, Claremore
Coaches: Carl Treat, Stillwater; Matt Sweeney, Oologah
Large West
Kylie Boggess, Piedmont
Ashley Clark, Midwest City
Alie Decker, Edmond Memorial
Daisha Gonzaque, Edmond Santa Fe
Rasheeda Kabba, Westmoore
Toni Smith, Del City
Kati Sullivan, Anadarko
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe
Antoinet Webster, Western Heights
Te’era Williams, Douglass
Coaches: Jeff Mahoney, Elgin; Dandy Peeler, Edmond Memorial
Small East
Courtney Backward, Salina
Kelsey Barnwell, Kansas
Megan Brown, Howe
Hayley Bryan, Copan
Courtney Cowan, Kansas
Pete Douglas, Oktaha
Charitee Evans, Red Oak
Shanna Harrison, Adair
Kenzie Solberg, Chandler
Brooke Watkins, Prague
Coaches: Brandon Lindly, Wright City; Mike Buntin, Verdigris
Small West
Jamie Brown, Chattanooga
Lexie Brown, Hammon
Casi Cornell, Thomas
Kori Fast, Fairview
Jordan Garner, Amber-Pocasset
Bailey McBride, Chattanooga
Lacey Paulk, Washington
Katelyn Richardson, Calumet
Jordynn Van Pelt, Snyder
Shayla Williams, Northeast
Coaches: Cherie Myers, Okarche; Kirk Harris, Marlow
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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Game preview: Chandler at Star Spencer
Chandler (0-3) at Star Spencer (0-3)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Twidwell Stadium
Last week: Chandler lost to a resurgent Harrah team, 35-12. Star had one of its best showings of the year in a 27-18 loss to Douglass.
Why Chandler could win: The Lions have built a strong tradition in recent years, and they’ve always got talent. This year’s team is looking for answers after the 0-3 start in which it has scored 8.0 points per game, but the fresh start of district play should energize them.
Why Star could win: The Bobcats, too, will be pumped for the new beginning of district play. They seem to be getting things together, especially on the offensive side of the ball, the last couple weeks, so look for more progress there. Carlos Hutson has provided a spark in a variety of ways on offense lately.
Key matchup: Star RBs vs. Chandler defensive front seven. The run game is key to helping take pressure off young QB Darion Bogus, and the Lions have struggled against the run at times so far. If the Bobcats can move it on the ground, they should be able to control the game.
The pick: Star 24, Chandler 20. The ugly start makes it seem like this Star Spencer team had a horrible fall-off from last year. They’re definitely down, but they’re going to be around to challenge for the title in this district.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Baseball: State news and notes…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
While most of my boys were out covering golf Monday for the boys state tournaments, I had a chance to catch up with area baseball coaches heading into this week’s state tournaments.
And then I got interrupted by the severe weather. Hope for the best to all those in the damaged areas, especially in Norman, Choctaw and Tecumseh. It was a rough day for everyone.
***
Here are some news and notes from around baseball (Deer Creek, Norman North, Edmond Santa Fe, Carl Albert, Edmond Memorial and Chandler). The 6A-5A tournaments begin Wednesday with 2A-4A starting Thursday.
Fulmer gives Antlers another arm
Everybody knows about Deer Creek senior pitcher Cale Coshow. The Oklahoma signee has been as good as advertised.
However, if the No. 1-ranked Antlers are going to make a run at the state tournament, they’re going to need more than just Coshow’s arm.
Lately it’s been Michael Fulmer stepping up. After a rocky stretch in the middle of the season, Fulmer has been on target. In a 15-0 regional victory against Noble, Fulmer struck out 14 in a five-inning no-hitter.
“The last couple of times, he’s just thrown the ball really well. The big thing is he wants the ball under those pressure situations,” coach Ron Moore said.
Deer Creek plays Tulsa Washington on Wednesday afternoon at Jenks.
Timberwolves fight back again
The Norman North baseball team wasn’t in an unusual position heading into its regional championship against Yukon, but it wasn’t an envious one.
The Timberwolves had to beat the Millers twice at Yukon to advance and did so. It is the third time in coach Brian Aylor’s tenure that North has advanced to the state tournament from the loser’s bracket.
It may be a sign the team has turned the corner. Before regionals, the Timberwolves had alternated between wins and losses in their previous 10 games. Colin Jones and Matt Southard have played big roles for North.
Norman North plays Owasso on Wednesday afternoon at Claremore.
Baseball state tournament qualifiers
While waiting for the schedule to be released Monday, here are the state tournament qualifers:
6A
Broken Arrow
Edmond Memorial
Edmond Santa Fe
Jenks
Norman North
Owasso
Putnam North
Tulsa Union
5A
Carl Albert
Chickasha
Claremore
Collinsville
Deer Creek
Duncan
Tulsa Kelley
Tulsa Washington
4A
Berryhill
Clinton
Fort Gibson
Hilldale
Lone Grove
Metro Christian
Newcastle
Weatherford
3A
Beggs
Bethel
Chandler
Eufaula
Sperry
Plainview
Purcell
Verdigris
2A
Dale
Latta
Lincoln Christian
Mangum
Oktaha
Pioneer
Silo
Wister
Signing List 2010
It’s still a work in progress. Know a signing we missed? E-mail me at raber@opubco.com and we’ll get it added. We’ll run the signing list several times over the next few weeks:
3A basketball district pairings
Here are the Class 3A district pairings:
Note: Districts 3, 4, 7 and 8 play Friday, Feb. 19. Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 play Saturday, Feb. 20. Girls play at 6:30 p.m., boys play at 8 p.m.
AREA I
Dist. 1: Kingfisher at Alva
Dist. 2: Jones at St. Mary
Dist. 3: Meeker at Prague
Dist. 4: ASTEC Charter at Northeast
Dist. 5: Purcell at Riverside
Dist. 6: Lindsay at Millwood
Dist. 7: Comanche at Marlow
Dist. 8: Bridge Creek at Sulphur
AREA II
Dist. 1: Chandler at Perry
Dist. 2: SeeWorth Aca. at Bethel
Dist. 3: Centennial at Lexington
Dist. 4: Oklahoma Christian at Stroud
Dist. 5: Henryetta at Okemah
Dist. 6: Plainview at Marietta
Dist. 7: Kingston at Tishomingo
Dist. 8: Holdenville at Coalgate
AREA III
Dist. 1: Caney Valley at Pawhuska
Dist. 2: Nowata at Verdigris
Dist. 3: Victory Christian at Salina
Dist. 4: Chelsea at Adair
Dist. 5: Sperry at Cascia Hall
Dist. 6: Haskell at Beggs
Dist. 7: Kellyville at Chouteau
Dist. 8: Morris at Hartshorne
AREA IV
Dist. 1: Vian at Kansas
Dist. 2: Wilburton at Valliant
Dist. 3: Antlers at Hugo
Dist. 4: Stigler at Eufaula
Dist. 5: Colcord at Seq. Tahlequah
Dist. 6: Pocola at Panama
Dist. 7: Spiro at Heavener
Dist. 8: Westville at Keys (Park Hill)
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Know of a player signing?
With signing day coming up Wednesday, The Oklahoman is once again compiling a list of players across the state who have signed to play college athletics at any level.
If you have a signing to report, e-mail it to Ryan Aber at raber@opubco.com ro post it on the comments section here (on the main high school blog at http://blog.newsok.com/highschoolsports )
Thursday night lights: Playoff deciders
There are a handful of games tonight that will go a long way toward determining playoff positioning. Here they are, broken down by class:
Class 6A
Del City at Putnam North
Del City: A win gets Del City into the playoffs for the first time in a long time. A loss doesn’t completely rule out Del City but makes things very difficult.
Putnam North: The Panthers need a win tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. It might not be enough just to win but the Panthers are likely in with a win.
My pick: Del City 28, Putnam North 14. The Eagles win and make things relatively easy to figure out.
Norman North at Lawton
Lawton: It’s pretty simple for Lawton: Win and the Wolverines are in. A loss leaves the Wolverines needing other things to happen, specifically a Del City win. If the Wolverines lose and Putnam North wins tonight, get ready to pull out the calculators and start figuring up district points.
My pick: Lawton 35, Norman North 17. Norman North’s slide continues and Lawton advances to the playoffs.
Class 4A
Piedmont at Douglass
Douglass: A win assures the Trojans of no worse than third place in 4A-1. Douglass could still finish in second with a win and an (unlikely) Elk City upset of McGuinness.
My pick: Douglass 41, Piedmont 12. Douglass wins tonight, McGuinness wins tomorrow and Douglass plays at either Star Spencer or Glenpool to open the playoffs next week.
Class 2A
Chandler at Eufaula
Chandler: Win. That makes things simple for the Lions and makes things simple for me. A Chandler win gives it the district title. A loss brings out the calculators in most cases depending on what happens Friday night.
My pick: Chandler 35, Eufaula 7. Chandler wins and keeps it simple, setting up a home first-round playoff game.
Class A
Savanna at Gore
Savanna and Gore: Easy to combine these two into one. The top two spots in District A-7 are set (Talihina and Central Sallisaw). The winner of this game finishes third while the loser finishes fourth.
My pick: Gore 14, Savanna 7. Gore finishes third, Savanna finishes fourth and the two go on the road to start the playoffs, Savanna to Stround and Gore to either Stratford, Wayne of Wynnewood.
Class B
Cherokee at Pond Creek-Hunter
Cherokee and Pond Creek-Hunter: Another relatively simple one to figure out. The winner is in, likely in the fourth spot. The loser is out. For either of these teams to finish anywhere other than fourth would take 0-9 Merritt upsetting 5-4 Laverne, which isn’t happening.
My pick: Pond Creek-Hunter 34, Cherokee 30. This battle for a playoff berth will go down to the wire but Pond Creek-Hunter, whose offense is just a little better than Cherokee’s, puts PC-H over the top.
Caddo at Macomb
Caddo: Caddo enters in a three-way tie for second in District B-2 with Fox and Alex. All three should win, which would give Fox the second spot, based on district points, Caddo the third spot and Alex the fourth. The teams are all separated by more than 15 district points, which would keep everything in the order they’re in if everyone wins.
My pick: Caddo 46, Macomb 0. Caddo win and keeps the pressure on Fox. Fox, which plays 6-3 Allen, seems the most likely of the three to lose this week. I doubt that will happen, though. If Allen does win, though, Caddo would finish second based on its head-to-head win over Alex.
