With the state basketball tournaments just two days away, three Tri-County squads are hopeful of making championship runs.
Entering last weekend’s area tournaments, seven Tri-County squads were still in the hunt for state tourney status – Shawnee’s 6A girls, Bethel’s 3A boys and girls, Dale’s 2A boys and girls, Prague’s 3A girls and Stroud’s 3A girls.
The weekend survivors were both Dale squads and Prague.
All three squads will launch their state championship aspirations Thursday at three sites.
Dale’s girls, No. 1 in the last OKRankings.com, came through the area losers bracket after dropping a game to defending state champion Pawnee. The Lady Pirates (24-4) of coach Benny Burnett, seeking their first state title since 1991, will oppose fourth-seeded Newkirk (22-4) in a 3:30 p.m. first-round game at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. Dale wasn’t among the top four seeds.
Burnett will be making his 14th overall state tourney appearance and his fourth in eight years at the Lady Pirate helmm.
Dale’s boys, under Jeff Edmonson, earned their state berth last Friday night with a 64-54 area winners braceket verdict over Chisholm.
Edmonson’s squad, 10th in the final rankings, will carry a No. 3 seed and 22-6 record into its 8:30 p.m. test Thursday against Hulbert (25-3) at Norman High School. Hulbert, unseeded, was tied for eighth in the final rankings.
Dale’s boys will be making their first state tourney appearance since 1996.
Coach Jay Depanion and his Prague girls fell into the area tournament losers bracket last Friday with a 73-56 setback to Millwood.
Prague shook off that loss and defeated Sulphur, 55-52, Saturday night to keep its campaign alive. Ninth in the final rankings but unseeded at state, Prague (24-3) will challenge fourth-seeded Tishomingo (24-2) at 2 p.m. Thursday at Choctaw High School. Tishomingo was ranked fourth.
All three Tri-County hopefuls — should they prevail Thursday — would play their semifinal games at State Fair Arena.
Note: For a look at the state tournament schedule involving Dale and Prague, see the Scoreboard.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
