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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2A-2 All-District
District 2A-2 All-District
Most Valuable Player: Michael Lowe, Jones
Offensive Player of the Year: Tylor Seabolt, Jones
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Wilson, Luther
Coach of the Year: Dave Martin, Jones
All-District Team
First team
Offense
Quarterback: Dametric Sanders, Millwood
Running backs: Andy Habib, Christian Heritage; Ben McCoy, Luther
Wide receivers: Andrwe Herzer, Jones; Caleb McGehee, Christian Heritage; TreVoyne Willis, Northeast.
Linemen: Terrance Artrip, Luther; Devin Dobbins, Millwood; Jon Knowles, Christian Heritage; Tyler McCully, Jones; Justin Woody, Northeast
All Purpose: Haskell Browning, Luther
Defense
Linemen: Jordan Bell, Jones; Steven Koonce, Jones; Gonzalo Vasquez, Crooked Oak; Bobby Wilkes, Millwood
Linebackers: Devion Battle, Luther; Chris Humphrey, Jones; Marc Robinson, Millwood
Defensive backs: Chris McGrew, Northeast; Malcolm Scales, Millwood; Ryan Southerland, Christian Heritage
Second team
Offense
Quarterback: Michael Thomas, Northeast
Wide receiver: Phillip Norman, Luther
Linemen: Nick Deyoe, Luther; Harvey Hightower, Millwood; Savaughn King, Jones
Defense
Linemen: Theo Coleman, Northeast; Demarcus Long, Northeast
Linebackers: Adam Curtis, Christian Heritage; Court Hendrickson, Christian Heritage; Savon Peevy, Northeast
Defensive backs: Aron Gaines, Northeast; Caleb Gentry, Christian Heritage
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
All-Private schools football team…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Back again. This time around we’re looking at the private schools in the Oklahoma City area. Plenty of good choices, couple of tough calls.
Here ya go:
All-Private schools
Offense
QB — Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall
RB — Barry J. Sanders, Heritage Hall
RB — LaRone Richardson, Bishop McGuinness
WR — Skyler Sikes, OCS
WR — Jake Peace, Mt. St. Mary’s
WR — Charlie Cho, OCA
OL — Markus Wakefield, Heritage Hall
OL — Connor Morrison, Casady
OL — Bill Johnston, Heritage Hall
OL — Graham Bennett, Casady
OL — David Krenger, Bishop McGuinness
K — Keegan Carter, OCS
P — Kenny Wooldridge, CHA
Defense
DL — Zach Collums, Mt. St. Mary’s
DL — Nick Callaway, Bishop McGuinness
DL — Quintaz Struble, Heritage Hall
DL — Dakota Leftwich, Bishop McGuinness
LB — Garrison Lee, Casady
LB — Josh Blair, CHA
LB — Brandon Nguyen, Bishop McGuinness
LB — Graham Busby, Heritage Hall
DB — Mac Katigan, Casady
DB — Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall
DB — Tyler Konarik, Bishop McGuinness
KR — Jamaal Whitney, Bishop McGuinness
Offensive Player of the Year: LaRone Richardson, Bishop McGuinness
Defensive Player of the Year: Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall
Coach of the Year: Andy Bogert, Heritage Hall
Where to put Sterling Shepard became the biggest question. I had him at WR, KR and DB before deciding DB was where he could help this team the most. Bennett should be a DL, but he can be an OL, too, so we’ll be OK. No doubts on my three awards. If I switched and made Shepard offense, I would have gone with Lee of Casady as the defensive player.
Private schools honor: Camden Tharp, McGuinness…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
That’s the kind of statement you wanted to make if you were McGuinness before the playoffs. The Irish were able to get the passing game going to go with that incredible rushing attack, and it led to a blowout win at Guymon.
Quarterback Camden Tharp hasn’t had the greatest season ever, but the last few weeks have been a step in the right direction. Against Guymon, he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.
If the Irish are balanced on offense, look out, could be a bad sign for the rest of the state. The running game added another 272 yards.
In the best first round matchup of the week, the Irish are at Glenpool on Friday night.
Other contenders
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall: Nothing new to what he’s doing, but his consistency has been incredible. Added another four touchdowns in win vs. Kingfisher.
Josh Bivens, OCA: Oklahoma Christian Academy went out on top as Bivens notched three touchdowns in a 45-0 blowout against Sasakwa.
Colton Lindsey, CHA: Freshman quarterback is coming of age. Lindsey threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another in Crusaders victory over Crooked Oak.
Joseph Reis-Herron, Mt. St. Mary’s: Momentum for next year for Rockets? End year on two-game winning streak as Reis-Herron tallied five rushing touchdowns in cruising to win vs. Walters.
Cooper Cloud, Heritage Hall: Not much said about passing game for Chargers, but Cloud notched three more touchdown passes and didn’t throw a pick.
CHA: Crystal clear scenario…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
For some teams, understanding their district scenarios can cause a real headache. That’s not the case for Christian Heritage Academy.
The Crusaders play Crooked Oak this week, and it’s simple. The winner is on the road at Hennessey next week, while the loser is at Watonga for a first-round matchup. CHA and Crooked Oak are battling for third and fourth place in 2A-2.
CHA has been on a roll lately, thanks to a move at quarterback. Former quarterback Bryant Hodge has moved to wide receiver and has allowed him to excel on defense. Freshman Colton Lindsey has taken over as the starting QB.
“He’s done fantastic,” coach John Merrell said. “He doesn’t even look nervous out there as a freshman quarterback.”
Merrell said part of that is because the offensive line has done a great job of protecting Lindsey and making sure he doesn’t have to take big hits. Hodge had a punt return for a touchdown in last week’s win against Luther.
Private schools honor: Jake Peace, Mt. St. Mary’s…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
This was a good battle for the honor this week. In one corner, you had Sterling Shepard and Cooper Cloud leading a comeback win at Bethany.
In the other corner, you had Mt. St. Mary’s wide receiver Jake Peace, who caught the game-winning touchdown to give the Rockets their first victory of the season.
The winner? Peace…by that much. Coach Dal Nichols has raved about Peace all season. He said bluntly he feels if MSM was a better team, more colleges would be taking a look at Peace.
Peace caught the game-winning TD with 26 seconds left. Rockets added an INT return for a score and won 28-20 against Comanche.
Other contenders
Cooper Cloud and Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall, Football: Down at half, the duo connected for both touchdowns in a huge 14-7 road victory at Bethany.
LaRone Richardson, McGuinness, Football: Richardson notched another three touchdowns and turned a sluggish 7-3 halftime lead into a comfortable 27-3 victory against Cache.
Cassius Calhoun, Casady, Football: Look out for the Cyclones in 2011. All those juniors are going to be something special. Calhoun scored both touchdowns in the 35-14 loss to Holland Hall.
Christian Heritage returns: Crusaders had a pair of them. Kenny Wooldridge took an INT back for a touchdown. Bryant Hodge returned a punt for a score.
Irish cross country teams: Solid all season, the girls placed third and the boys finished fourth at the state meet at Mitch Park.
Marie Mason, Rhodes College (Casady), Field Hockey: Rhodes is 15-1 and has clinched the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. Mason was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Game preview: Christian Heritage at Millwood
Christian Heritage (4-2, 1-1) at Millwood (6-0, 2-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Leodies Robinson Field, Millwood
Why the Crusaders could win: Andy Habib and Bryant Hodge are a formidable rushing duo, combining for more than 700 yards and 12 touchdowns. Moving the ball will be key, because no one has been able to stop the Falcons yet. So if you’re going to beat them, you’ll need to score.
Why the Falcons could win: Last week’s comeback win over Jones should have opened the Falcons’ eyes a little to let them know that the district schedule won’t be a cake walk. Going undefeated — no matter the level of competition — isn’t easy and requires a team to maintain focus every week.
Key matchup: Falcon WRs vs. CHA DBs. If you can’t stop Josh Turner, Brandon Swindall and Mike Cole, you can’t beat the Falcons.
The pick: Millwood 45, CHA 21. QB Kevonte Richardson is just playing too well and has too many weapons at his disposal right now.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Private school honor: Bryana Wade, Mt. St. Mary’s…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
There were a lot of heroes in the Mt. St. Mary’s softball team winning its first state softball championship. Morgan McCalmon was phenomenal in the circle. She gave up two runs in three games.
Freshman Sable Hankins came up huge in the championship with a couple of hits and RBIs to lead the Rockets past Washington.
But this team has an unquestioned leader. And the great news for MSM fans is that catcher Bryana Wade will be back for one more season.
Wade was incredible, hitting a home run in the semifinals and the championship. Definitely in the running for Little All-City Player of the Year (no, I haven’t decided that yet).
Other contenders
Sterling Shepard, Heritage Hall, Football: Had more than 330 total yards and scored five touchdowns in a dominating win against Newcastle.
Barry J. Sanders, Heritage Hall, Football: In limited time, rushed for 162 yards and two long touchdown carries in the first half.
Irish offensive line: A statement was made in a rout of Elk City. LaRone Richardson had another big game with the line leading the way to 364 rushing yards.
Mac Katigan, Casady, Football: In a rather surprising loss (to me, anyway), Katigan ran for a score and threw for another against Dallas St. Marks.
Skyler Sikes, OCS, Football: Still operating without Jack Warren, Sikes came up huge with three touchdowns in the win against Perry.
Jake Peace, MSM, Football: Did they break the scoreboard in Lindsay? In a 71-40 loss, Peace scored four touchdowns for the Rockets.
Heritage Hall and CHA volleyball: Both had tremendous seasons. Chargers were ousted in the quarterfinals while CHA was downed by Cache in the championship.
Irish volleyball: Girls are one of the favorites to walk out with the 5A championship this weekend in Shawnee.
Irish cross country: Strong showing by both boys and girls in Edmond. Girls, led by Mary Kate Roy, placed third. Boys, led by Brett Scott, earned the 5A championship.
