ANADARKO — The new year always produces some exciting high school basketball action in holiday tournaments, and several area teams began play in the Warrior Classic at Anadarko High School on Thursday, and the host teams were among those taking victories and advancing into the semifinals.
Cyril boys also left a big mark on opening day, routing Class 5A MacArthur, 67-44. That sets up a 4:40 p.m. semifinal battle against rival Fort Cobb-Broxton which advanced with a tough 64-57 over Blanchard.
Anadarko boys earned a 64-49 victory over Capitol Hill and will now face powerful El Reno, which whipped Oklahoma City North, a team of home-schooled athletes in the first round.
On the girls side, the host Warriors routed El Reno JV, 81-12, and will face Blanchard today at 3:20.
Here is a brief look at the key games from Thursday's first round:
Hot shooting lifts Cyril boys The Pirates wasted little time taking control of its first-round matchup with MacArthur, jumping out to a quick lead behind some stellar shooting on the way to a 67-44 win at Warrior Fieldhouse.
Cason McLemore led the way for the No. 4 team in Class A, finishing with 22 points. Dayken Rackley was just behind him with a 19-point performance, and Albert Suarez added 11 points.
McLemore and Suarez combined for four of the team's six 3-pointers.
"We shot the ball OK, but we usually shoot the ball well, so we expected that," Pirates coach Shane McLemore said. "I thought we were a little sloppy on defense and turned the ball over too much, but MacArthur has good athletes — they're fast — and they caused a little bit of that."
The Highlanders, No. 10 in 5A, cut their deficit to 10 points halfway through the third quarter, but Cyril mustered a 10-2 run to end the frame, putting the game out of reach for good.
Mac (5-3) struggled making shots early on, but perhaps the most damaging was its free throw efficiency.
The Highlanders finished only 3-of-17 from the line.
"We just missed shots," Mac coach Marco Gagliardi said. "We came out of the locker room and missed two free throws that could've cut it to eight. Every practice, we have a 15-minute session just shooting free throws, we just have to make them."
Danquez Dawsey led Mac with 16 points, and Nasir Kemper scored in double figures as well with 10 points.
The Pirates return to action against the No. 1 team in their class, Fort Cobb (11-2) on Friday at 4:40 p.m, and the Highlanders are set to face Blanchard at 2 p.m.
'Darko boys cruise past Capitol Hill If Anadarko's goal was to slowly (but steadily) pull away from Capitol Hill, it executed the game plan to perfection.
The Warriors let the Redwolves stick around for most of the first half, holding a slim five-point lead at the intermission. However, 'Darko added to the advantage in the remaining quarters, eventually outlasting the Oklahoma City school, 64-49.
"I thought we were really aggressive and did a lot better job than we've been doing at running our offense, being aggressive and trying to score," Warriors coach Doug Schumpert said. "We've been pretty hesitant on offense and haven't played very well because of it. I thought tonight we were a lot more aggressive when looking to score."
'Darko was indeed assertive and energetic. Three players scored in double figures, led by Cash Novotmy, who finished with 14 points. Christina Braveheart and Jaiden Tselee each added 11 points in the win.
Gage Moser and Burke Smith also contributed well, piling in nine and eight points, respectively.
The defense performed vigorously also, forcing 10 turnovers while holding Capitol Hill to only seven points in the third quarter and 20 in the entire second half – nine fewer than the Redwolves' first half total.
"Our defense got a lot better in the second half, and I thought we kind of settled down and guarded them a little bit better," Schumpert said. "Overall, I think we had a little more enthusiasm, a little bit more effort and a little bit more aggressive play."
The Warriors (5-2) now face 5A No. 7 El Reno on Friday at 7:20 p.m. The Indians defeated OKC Storm North, 100-62, in Thursday's first round.
Turnovers drown Fort Cobb girls Defeating the No. 4 team in 4A wasn't going to be an easy task to begin with, but Fort Cobb didn't give itself much of a chance.
The might of Ardmore was too much to handle, as the Mustangs committed 35 turnovers in a 66-23 loss. Twelve of those came in the first quarter alone, allowing the Tigers to speed to an early 19-point lead.
"Ardmore puts five players out there who are athletic," Fort Cobb coach Blake Clift said. "They can run, jump and get hands on passes. Our guards were in the position we wanted them in to break the press, we just didn't make the greatest passes here and there. We wait too long and then throw a pass at the wrong time."
Ardmore's Sierra Gordon proved to be dangerous from beyond the arc, hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with 16 points. She missed only one shot all night.
Tieronay Banks was the beneficiary of the many fast breaks the Tigers experienced, scoring 15 points. Amaya Gordon had similar success, adding 14 points.
To put it in perspective, Ardmore made 26 baskets, while the Mustangs managed only eight. Jillian Stinson led Fort Cobb with six points, while Kelby Edge and Mariah Gonzalez pitched in five apiece.
Although the Mustangs didn't get the result they desired, Clift said he is proud of the way his team has battled through adversity this season. Fort Cobb has now lost three straight after starting 10-1.
"We're still trying to jell," Clift said. "I feel like we played hard and this wasn't because of an effort standard. We got a little lazy here and there, but we played hard against a team we are outmatched by."
The Mustangs are tasked with competing against Del City on Friday at 12:40 p.m. in the losers' bracket. The Eagles (2-6) lost to El Reno in the first round.