Basketball tournaments around the state tipped off on Thursday, and the Eisenhower teams sprung into action with big performances to advance in the winners' bracket. Here is a roundup of how they did:
Strong second half propels Ike boys Beating a ranked team is never an easy task, especially on the road.
However, the Class 5A No. 4 Eisenhower boys did just that, defeating Edmond North, 66-37, on the Huskies' home court in the Edmond Open Tournament on Thursday afternoon. The Eagles (3-0) face Class 6A No. 3 Edmond Sante Fe, which defeated Muskogee, 70-63, today at 6:30 p.m. in the semifinals.
Ike was locked in a tight contest through the first half, holding a slight 26-22 lead after North drilled a shot at the buzzer to cut the lead to four points. However, the Eagles didn't let that momentum-changing shot swing the game in the Huskies' favor.
Ike's defense shut North down in the second half, holding the Huskies (1-3) to 15 points, including only four in the fourth quarter.
Eagles coach Todd Millwee said his squad's increased aggressiveness allowed it to pull away for the convincing 29-point victory.
"We turned them over a lot, and that kind of set the tone," Millwee said. "We were the ones dictating who was going where. We won the fourth quarter, 20-4, and our starters didn't give up a single point. They came out with about three minutes left in the game, so for five minutes, they didn't give up a free throw or a bucket."
RJ Fisher and Kinyon Parker led the team with 13 points apiece, while Antonio Gordon and Kevin Farmer added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
North's leading scorer, Cooper Peterson, managed only eight points.
Eisenhower girls slash PC North The Eagles are proving to be a formidable team early in the season.
The Eisenhower girls improved to 3-0 on Thursday night, throttling Putnam City North, 70-51, in the first game of a round robin bracket at the Altus Festival. Despite the impressive win over the Panthers, the 5A No. 6 Eagles struggled to find a rhythm early in the contest, turning the ball over at a rate that frustrated coach Daniel Wall.
"We came out sluggish," Wall said. "We weren't ready to play, and PC North was very athletic." However, Ike showed some resiliency and used a strong team effort to pull away from the physical Panthers.
Jaeda Reed carried the scoring load with more than 20 points, while Ginger Reece, Delicia Brown and Jada Laster contributed handsomely as well. The Eagles pushed their lead to 19 points at 52-33 entering the fourth quarter, and Naomi Smith assured no chance of a comeback, getting to the rim on several occasions for some easy points to finish off the win.
Ike returns to action at 6:30 p.m. today against city rival No. 13 MacArthur. The Highlanders (3-0) upended No. 16 Altus, 52-45, on Thursday.