Frontier Valley Conference Womens' Basketball Standings

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2016-2017 womens' basketball season is under way and the Frontier Valley Conference is as competitive as ever with seven out of ten teams being ranked in their divisions. Three of the FVC girls teams are in the top-ten of 6A and the Lady Sandites are leading the way with an undefeated record. 

The FVC is currently ranked second out of the five 6A conferences in strength of schedule, but with several cross-conference match-ups approaching in the next few weeks, they could slip ahead to first place. 

No. 3 Sand Springs (6-0, 3-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the conference and they're one of only four teams to receive a first-place vote in the 6A rankings. The Lady Sandites have the best offense, best defense, and highest margin of victory in the conference. In addition to winning the Bishop Kelley Tournament, they also defeated Bartlesville 51-34, Bishop Kelley 71-36, and Broken Arrow 66-45. Five different players have led in scoring this season and three are averaging in double digits, led by Sydney Pennington with 13.5 points per game. They return to action after the new year when they compete at the Muskogee Bedouin Shrine Tournament.

No. 9 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) holds the No. 6 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 51-34 to Sand Springs, but beat Owasso 52-39 and Union 42-33. Owasso got payback, however, with a non-conference 39-33 win at the Bixby Tournament. Jena Williams has led in scoring for the last five games and is averaging 12.8 points. The Lady Bruins return to action after the new year when they play No. 18 Mustang (3-2) at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 8 Owasso (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 7 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 52-39 to Bartlesville, but defeated Muskogee 49-39 and Bishop Kelley 48-32. They also got payback on the Lady Bruins with a 39-33 non-conference win at the Bixby Tournament. The Lady Rams have two players averaging in the double digits, with Terryn Milton leading the team with 13.3 points per game. They will return to action on the 28th at the prestigious Tournament of Champions with a first round game against 3A No. 1 Adair (6-0). 

No. 14 Union (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 4 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 42-33 to Bartlesville, but have won their last four games, including a 61-34 victory at Jenks and a 41-36 win over Broken Arrow. The Lady Redskins are led by Taylor Malham with 13.7 points per game. They will return to action after the new year when they take on unranked Putnam City North (3-4) in the first round of the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 15 Sapulpa (2-1, 2-1) holds the No. 2 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Jenks 56-45 and Muskogee 53-51, but fell 51-44 to Bishop Kelley. They are led by freshman Ray Osborn with 12.7 points per game and will return to action at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on No. 12 Midwest City (5-2) in the first round.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (2-2, 2-2) holds the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bishop Kelley 43-37 and Bixby 36-31, but fell 66-45 to Sand Springs and 41-36 to Union. They are led by Jalise Smallwood with 17.8 points per game and will return to action in the first round of the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on undefeated No. 6 Booker T. Washington (6-0).

Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 3 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bixby 51-40, but fell 49-39 to Owasso and 53-51 to Sapulpa. They are led by Trena Mims with 21.4 points per game. They will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic when they take on 3A unranked Okmulgee (2-2).

Jenks (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 5 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 56-45 to Sapulpa, then fell 61-34 to Union before registering a 57-49 win over Bixby. The Lady Trojans are led by Makenley Church with 9.7 points per game and will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic against Ponca City (4-2). 

5A No. 15 Bishop Kelley (3-4, 1-3) holds the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their first two games 43-37 to Broken Arrow and 71-36 to Sand Springs, then won three-straight including a 51-44 victory over Sapulpa before falling 48-32 to Owasso. The Lady Comets are led by Macy Craig with 9.7 points per game and will return to action after the new year when they travel to Union. 

Bixby (2-4, 0-3) holds the No. 8 offense, No. 6 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in the conference. They have yet to secure a conference win this season after falling 36-31 to Broken Arrow, 51-40 to Muskogee, and 57-49 to Jenks. The Lady Spartans are led by Maddie Bittle with 17 points per game.

Conference Strength:

  1. Central Oklahoma (50)
  2. Frontier Valley (45.5)
  3. Big Ten (38.7)
  4. Green Country (26.5)
  5. All-City (9.4)

FVC Leading Scorers (points-per-game)

  1. Trena Mims (Muskogee) 21.4
  2. Jalise Smallwood (Broken Arrow) 17.8
  3. Maddie Bittle (Bixby) 17.0
  4. Taylor Malham (Union) 13.7
  5. Sydney Pennington (Sand Springs) 13.5
  6. Terryn Milton (Owasso) 13.3
  7. Jena Williams (Bartlesville) 12.8
  8. Ray Osborn (Sapulpa) 12.7
  9. Hailey Morrison (Sapulpa) 12.0
  10. Sadie Moyer (Union) 11.0

Editor's Note: We are currently missing individual scoring results for several games. Please forward results to SanditePrideNews@gmail.com

Missing:

  • 12/6 Muskogee vs Owasso
  • 12/8 Muskogee vs NOAH
  • 12/8 Jenks vs Edmond Santa Fe
  • 12/8 Union vs Anadarko
  • 12/9 Union vs Putnam North
  • 12/9 Muskogee vs Tahlequah
  • 12/9 Jenks vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Union vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Jenks vs Putnam North
  • 12/10 Muskogee vs Yukon
  • 12/13 Bixby vs Muskogee

Frontier Valley Conference Mens' Basketball standings

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2016-2017 High School basketball season is well under way, and is shaping up to be a good one for the Frontier Valley Conference. Seven out of ten FVC teams are ranked within their divisions. Union and Muskogee currently lead the pack with each being undefeated both within the conference and overall. 

The FVC is currently fourth out of the five 6A conferences in strength of schedule, but the season is still young and they could easily move up a few spots as the season progresses. 

No. 3 Union (3-0, 3-0) holds the best defense in the conference, allowing only 47 points-per-game on average. They have the fourth-best offense and the second-best margin of victory. They started their season with a 50-46 victory over Bartlesville, smoked Jenks 66-40, then topped Broken Arrow 60-56. 6'7" Southern Methodist University committed senior Ethan Chargois leads the Redskins with 15 points per game, including a season-high 23 against Jenks.

No. 11 Muskogee (6-0, 3-0) leads the conference in offense, averaging 69 points per game, and is seventh in defense, allowing 56 for the best margin of victory in the FVC. They edged out Owasso 65-64 in overtime during their season opener, topped Bixby 65-63, and beat Sapulpa 58-50. 6'2" junior Brooks Haddock has led the team in the last five games, averaging 20.3 points. TyReece Berry scored 25 in the season opener but has been out of commission since then. Berry is expected to return after the new year, setting up the Roughers for one of the top offenses in the division.

No. 10 Broken Arrow (5-2, 3-1) holds the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. They edged out Bishop Kelley 44-41, topped Bixby 53-35, and came from behind to beat Sand Springs 55-54. In their last game they narrowly fell 60-56 to the Redskins. 6'2" point guard Caleb Huffman has led the Tigers in six out of seven games this season with an average score of 21. 

No. 13 Sapulpa (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 2 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. They topped Jenks 78-70 in the highest-scoring conference game of the year, then beat Bishop Kelley 60-50 before falling 58-50 to Muskogee. Three Chieftains are averaging in double digits, led by Keenan Ballance with 19 points per game.

No. 17 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) is ninth in offense, fifth in defense, and sixth in margin of victory. They topped Sand Springs 53-39 and Owasso 47-42 before falling 50-46 to Union. Four different players have led the team and two are averaging in the double. AJ Archambo leads the team with 13 points per game.

5A No. 16 Bishop Kelley (4-3, 2-2) is eighth in the conference in offense, fifth in defense, and seventh in margin of victory. They lost their season opener 44-41 to Broken Arrow, defeated Sand Springs 45-42, fell 60-50 to Sapulpa, and edged out Owasso 59-57. Three Comets have led the team in scoring and two are averaging double digits. Ryan Gendron leads the team with 15 points per game.

No. 18 Bixby (3-3, 1-2) is seventh in offense, sixth in defense, and eighth in margin of victory. They defeated Jenks 49-36, but fell 53-35 to Broken Arrow and 65-63 to Muskogee. The Spartans are led by Joey Homan with 16 points per game.

Sand Springs (3-3, 0-3) is third in offense, second in defense, and third in margin of victory. They have yet to secure a conference win, falling 53-39 to Bartlesville, 45-42 to Bishop Kelley, and 55-54 to Broken Arrow. They led the Tigers though the entire fourth before a late turnover gave BA the win. Junior Colt Savage has led his team in five of six games this season and averages 21 points per game.

Owasso (0-3, 0-3) is sixth in offense, eighth in defense, and is still looking for their first win this season. They fell 47-42 to Bartlesville, 65-64 to Muskogee, and 59-57 to Bishop Kelley. They're led by Josh Proctor with 17 points per game, including 27 against Muskogee. 

Jenks (0-7, 0-3) is ninth in offense, tenth in defense, and is still looking for a win. They fell 78-70 to Sapulpa, 66-40 to Union, and 49-36 to Bixby. 

Conference Strength:

  1. Central Oklahoma (51)
  2. Big Ten (49.7)
  3. Green Country (48)
  4. Frontier Valley (40.8)
  5. All-City (32.5)

FVC Leading Scorers (points-per-game):

  1. TyReece Berry (Muskogee) 25.0
  2. Caleb Huffman (Broken Arrow) 21.1
  3. Colt Savage (Sand Springs) 21.0
  4. Brooks Haddock (Muskogee) 20.3
  5. Keenan Ballance (Sapulpa) 19.6
  6. Josh Proctor (Owasso) 17.7
  7. Julian Smith (Sapulpa) 17.0
  8. Joey Homan (Bixby) 16.3
  9. Ryan Gendron (Bishop Kelley) 15.9
  10. Kyle Keener (Sand Springs) 15.5

Editor's Note: We are currently missing individual scoring results for several games. Please forward results to SanditePrideNews@gmail.com.

Missing:

  • 12/6 Jenks vs Sapulpa
  • 12/8 Jenks vs Edmond North
  • 12/9 Jenks vs Edmond Memorial
  • 12/9 Muskogee vs Enid
  • 12/10 Jenks vs Casady
  • 12/10 Bixby vs East Central
  • 12/13 Jenks vs Union
  • 12/16 Bixby vs Jenks

Oklahoma Girls High School Basketball: Week Five Rankings and Predictions

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The fourth week of Oklahoma High School basketball has come to an end, still without a consensus number-one team. Five undefeated schools remain and three picked up first-place votes in the latest OSSAA rankings. Last week we picked fifteen games and were 13-2 with an overall accuracy of 85% for the season.

No. 1 Choctaw (1)

The Yellowjackets (7-0) pulled off one of their most powerful wins of the season Friday when they hosted 5A No. 19 Lawton Eisenhower (1-5) and hammered them 78-18. Six of their seven wins this season have been by 30 points or more and their average margin of victory is the best in 6A at 42 points. They also have the number two offense and number one defense. Their schedule has been light, however, with only three ranked opponents and no ranked 6A teams. They received 22 first-place votes this week.

Choctaw will return to action on the 28th at the prestigious Tournament of Champions.

No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (2)

Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) is tied with Choctaw as the winningest team in 6A. Their wins haven't been as massive as the Yellowjackets', but they've arguably played the tougher schedule. Despite going up against five ranked opponents, they've still held on to the fifth-best margin of victory in the division at 21 points. They hold the No. 6 offense and No. 4 defense in the division and most recently topped No. 11 Norman North (3-2) 55-43. They received two first-place votes this week.

The Wolves will return to action on the 28th at the Sapulpa Girls Tournament. 

No. 3 Sand Springs (tied 3)

The Lady Sandites (6-0) are off to their best start in years, pummeling their way through the Bishop Kelley Tournament, and making short work of No. 10 Broken Arrow (2-2). The Lady Tigers trailed by more than 30 points before scoring the final 12 against the Sand Springs bench to make it 66-45. Four Lady Sandites doubled in the affair, led by sophomore Isabella Regalado with 15. They picked up one first-place vote this week.

Sand Springs holds the No. 5 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year at the Bedouin Shrine Tournament in Muskogee.

No. 4 Putnam City West (tied 3)

Putnam West (6-0) is just a point behind Choctaw in margin-of-victory and took down their first ranked opponent this past week, topping 5A No. 15 Bishop McGuinness (2-2) 86-37 on the road. The Lady Patriots are currently in the middle of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas where they will resume action on Monday. On Friday they beat Mullen, Colorado (2-5) 53-31, then beat undefeated Liberty, Nevada (6-1) 64-22 on Saturday. They received two first-place votes this week.

West holds the No. 1 offense in the state at 74 points per game and is tied for the No. 2 defense, holding their opponents to 33. 

No. 5 Deer Creek (5)

Deer Creek (6-1) notched their biggest win of the season this week at No. 16 Edmond North (3-3), hammering the Huskies 64-33. The Lady Antlers hold the No. 8 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they host No. 17 Yukon (4-3). 

No. 6 Booker T. Washington (7)

The undefeated Lady Hornets (5-0) dominated 5A No. 18 Tulsa Memorial (3-6) 73-27 on Tuesday, then spent the weekend in Arkansas, defeating Ft. Smith Northside (4-5) 61-54. Booker T. holds the No. 10 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in 6A. The Hornets will take on 5A unranked McClain (2-0) on Tuesday.

The pick: BTW 65 McClain 42

No. 7 Westmoore (6)

Westmoore (6-1) picked up their first ranked win of the season Friday when they topped in-town rival No. 20 Moore (3-4). The Lady Jags rolled to a 69-38 win on their home turf to close the year with their second win of thirty points or more. Westmoore holds the No. 4 offense, No. 12 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 14 Norman North (3-2). 

No. 8 Owasso (8) 

Owasso (4-2) rebounded from a 52-30 loss to 5A No. 2 Collinsville (6-0) with a 48-32 Friday night win over 5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (3-4). Rylie Booner scored a team high 15, followed by Leiloni Culley with 13 and Terryn Milton with 11. The Lady Rams will return to action on the 28th at the Tournament of Champions.

No. 9 Bartlesville (9)

Bartlesville (3-3) took a bye week after falling 54-49 to No. 4 Deer Creek (6-1). The Lady Bruins won't play again until after the new year at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 10 Edmond Memorial (13)

Edmond Memorial (4-3) played only one game this past week and topped No. 17 Yukon (4-3) 42-28. Taking the rest of 2016 off, the Bulldogs will return to action after the new year when they host unranked Stillwater (1-6). 

No. 11 Norman (12)

Norman (5-1) has won four-straight since a close loss to No. 6 Westmoore (6-1) in week one. The Tigers took a bye week after sweeping the Southern Oklahoma Invitational, but will return to action on the 27th at the Ardmore Tournament. They hold the No. 7 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A.

No. 12 Midwest City (14)

Midwest City (5-2) picked up a pair of wins last week, dominating unranked Putnam North (1-6) 57-32, then coming out on top of 5A No. 15 Bishop McGuinness (2-3) 47-39. The Lady Bombers hold the No. 11 offense in 6A and will competed at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic on the 28th.

No. 13 Norman North (11)

The Timberwolves (3-2) dropped a 55-43 loss to No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) Friday and had their Saturday game against No. 17 Edmond North (3-3) postponed. They will return to action on the 29th at the Enid Holiday Classic. They hold the No. 10 offense and No. 12 margin of victory in 6A.

No. 14 Union (18)

Union (4-2) picked up a pair of notable wins this past week, dominating unranked Jenks (2-4) 61-34 and topping No. 10 Broken Arrow (2-2) 41-36 for their fourth-straight victory. Taylor Malhalm led her team in both games with 37 total points. The Lady Redskins will return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. They hold the No. 9 defense and No. 14 margin of victory in 6A

No. 15 Sapulpa (15)

Sapulpa (2-1) went 1-1 this past week, falling 51-44 to 5A No. 17 Bishop Kelley (3-4), but topping unranked Muskogee (2-4) 53-51. Rayveen Osborn led her team in both games, averaging 15, while Hailey Morrison tied Osborn with 13 points against Muskogee. They will return to action at the Holiday Classic on the 28th.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (2-2) had a tough week with some strong competitors and fell 66-45 to No. 3 Sand Springs (6-0) and 41-36 to No. 18 Union (4-2). Jalise Smallwood was the only Lady Tiger to double in either game and averaged 24 points between the two. They will return to action at the Sapulpa Tournament on the 28th. 

No. 17 Edmond North (16)

The Huskies (3-3) suffered a 64-33 loss at the hands of No. 5 Deer Creek (6-1) Friday and had their Saturday game against No. 13 Norman North (3-2) postponed. They will return to action at the Duncan Holiday Shootout.

No. 18 Mustang (19)

Mustang (3-2) took a bye week after sweeping the Plainview Tournament and won't return to action till the new year at the Skiatook Tournament. 

No. 19 Yukon (17)

The Millerettes (4-3) split last week's games, trumping unranked Southmoore (1-5) 51-40, but falling 42-28 to No. 13 Edmond Memorial (4-3). Yukon holds the No. 11 defense in 6A and will return to action after the new year when they travel to No. 5 Deer Creek (6-1).

No. 20 Moore (20)

Moore (3-4) lost their lone game last week, 69-38 to No. 6 Westmoore (6-1). The Lionesses are done for the year and will resume the season at the Weatherford Tournament. 

Conference Strength

  1. Central Oklahoma (50)
  2. Frontier Valley (45.5)
  3. Big Ten (38.7)
  4. Green Country (26.5)
  5. All-City (9.4)

Oklahoma Boys High School Basketball: Week Four Rankings and Predictions

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The third week of Oklahoma High School basketball left five boys teams undefeated in Class 6A and the rankings are beginning to tighten up at the top with only Edmond North remaining as a clear favorite. Last week we picked twelve games and were 10-2 with 79% accuracy this season.

No. 1 Edmond North (Previously No. 2)

The Huskies (5-0) picked up 22 first-place votes this week after sweeping the Edmond Open and knocking off previous No. 1 Midwest City (4-1) 80-75 in the tournament finals. Edmond North dominated unranked Moore (3-3) 75-56 on Tuesday, then smothered No. 13 Jenks (0-4) 74-48 in the tournament quarterfinals. In the semis they brought down formerly undefeated 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) 76-56 before earning their spot over the Bombers. 

The Huskies hold the No. 8 offense, No. 14 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in class 6A. They will look to strengthen their resume this week with another top-five matchup. After playing No. 18 Deer Creek (3-3) on Friday, they'll take on No. 5 Norman North (2-1) Saturday on the road.

The picks:
EDN 61 DC 52.
EDN 71 NN 66.

No. 2 Midwest City (1)

Midwest City (4-1) lost their number one ranking after going 2-1 at the Edmond  Open, falling 80-75 to No. 2 Edmond North (5-0), but prevailing 86-75 over No. 4 Putnam City North (5-1) and 99-65 over Casady. Despite their loss, they still retained two first-place votes. 

The Bombers hold the No. 1 offense and No. 1 margin of victory in the State and will give Putnam North a rematch Tuesday on the Panthers' home turf, then will travel to 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-2) on Thursday. 

The picks: 
MWC 73 PCN 69
MWC 81 McG 60

No. 3 Union (3)

The Redskins (1-0) have only played one game this season, defeating No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 50-46, but it was enough to earn three first-place votes in this week's rankings. The Redskins shared the workload with three players scoring in double digits. Union will return to action Tuesday against unranked Jenks (0-4), then will play No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1) on Thursday. 

The picks:
Union 69 Jenks 53
Union 55 BA 54

No. 4 Putnam City North (4)

The Panthers (5-1) are off to a great start this season, losing only one game to No. 1 Midwest City (4-1). They topped unranked Enid (1-4) 59-49 last Tuesday, then defeated No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) 78-72 in the first round of the Edmond Open. They fell 86-75 to the Bombers, but rebounded with a 74-66 victory over 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2). 

Putnam North has the No. 2 offense and No. 11 margin of victory in 6A and will get a rematch Tuesday when they host Midwest City. They will play this weekend in the Score Board Shootout at Webb City, Missouri. 

No. 5 Norman North (6)

The Timberwolves (2-1) picked up a pair of wins last week, 89-53 over unranked Stillwater (1-5), and 110-96 over Springfield Glendale. They hold the No. 2 offense and No. 6 margin of victory in the state and will travel to No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) Friday before hosting No. 1 Edmond North (5-0) on Saturday.

The pick: NN 71 ESF 66.

No. 6 Putnam City West (5)

The Patriots (4-1) picked up a ranked win last week, topping No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 61-54, and will return to action at 5A No. 11 Bishop McGuinness (0-3). They received one first-place vote.

The pick: PCW 71 McG 60.

No. 7 Westmoore (8)

The Jaguars (6-0) have emerged as the winningest team in the division thus far after topping Deer Creek (3-3) 66-45 and going undefeated at the Durant Tournament. They hammered the hosting school's JV team 89-25, then beat 3A No. 13 Hugo (4-1) 67-52 and No. 19 Yukon (3-2) 63-58. Thirteen Jags got on the board against the JV team and Kody Gilliand, Trey Palmer, and Kenny Springs averaged double digits over the tournament.

Westmoore has the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in 6A. They look to continue their streak Friday when they host unranked Moore (3-3).

The pick: Westmoore 68 Moore 53.

No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe (7)

Edmond Santa Fe (5-1) started last week with a 53-36 win over unranked Southmoore (0-4), lost the first round of the Edmond Open to No. 4 Putnam North (5-1), then closed out the tournament with a pair of close wins. After falling 78-72 to the Panthers, they defeated Casady 56-49 and No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3) 57-52. 

The Wolves hold the No. 6 defense and No. 7 margin of victory in 6A and will return to action Friday when they host No. 5 Norman North (2-1). 

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (9)

The Hornets (4-1) took on some out-of-state competitors this past week and topped Ozark, Missouri 65-60 and Columbia Rock Bridge 69-62. Booker T will take on their toughest foe of the season Tuesday when they visit 5A No. 2 Tulsa Memorial (5-0). 

The pick: Memorial 73 BTW 64

No. 10 Broken Arrow (10)

Broken Arrow (4-1) has been posting some impressive numbers lately, topping unranked Bixby (2-2) 53-35, Deer Creek (3-3) 56-49, and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 73-42. They dropped one game 62-59 at the Bixby Tournament to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Caleb Huffman has averaged 21 points per game over the last week, including a 30-point performance against Putnam City. 

The Tigers have the No. 2 defense and No. 8 margin of victory in the division. They will take on unranked Sand Springs (0-2) Tuesday before traveling to No. 3 Union (1-0) on Friday. 

The pick: BA 55 SS 44.

No. 11 Muskogee (18)

Muskogee (4-0) are off to a great start after edging out a 65-64 overtime win over No. 16 Owasso (0-2) in their season-opener. At the Tahlequah Tournament this past weekend they beat Tulsa NOAH 89-61, blew out unranked Enid (1-4) 73-35, and topped 3A No. 4 Sequoyah (4-1) 63-62. Junior Brooks Haddock is averaging 20 points per game this season and Keondre Davis adds another 14.

The Roughers hold the No. 5 offense and No. 3 margin of victory in 6A. They will return to action Tuesday against No. 19 Bixby (2-2) and will travel to No. 14 Sapulpa (3-1) on Friday.

The picks: 
Muskogee 62 Bixby 51
Muskogee 71 Sapulpa 65

No. 12 Yukon (19)

Yukon (3-2) jumped in the rankings after going 2-1 at the Durant Tournament, falling only 63-58 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and defeating Hugo JV 74-43 and 5A No. 20 Durant (3-2) 89-64. They also topped No. 12 Norman (4-2) 66-63 earlier in the week. Cameron Martin averaged 26 points per game and three other Millers also scored double digits in at least one game. 

The Millers hold the No. 9 offense and No. 10 margin of victory in 6A. They will take on unranked Southmoore (0-4) on Tuesday and No. 16 Edmond Memorial (2-4) Friday. 

The picks:
Yukon 67 Southmoore 55.
Yukon 61 EDM 54.

No. 13 Norman (12)

Norman (4-2) fell 66-63 to No. 19 Yukon (3-2) to start last week, but went undefeated at the Duncan Tournament with an average score of 76-45. They beat 5A unranked Woodward (3-2) 67-35, 5A No. 17 MacArthur (4-2) 89-60, and unranked Moore (3-3) 72-40. 

The Tigers are eleventh in both offense and defense with the No. 5 margin of victory in 6A. They will take the next few weeks off before returning to action at the Bishop McGuinness Tournament after the new year.

No. 14 Sapulpa (17)

Sapulpa (3-1) started the season off hot, rolling to a 78-70 victory over No. 13 Jenks (0-4), then went 2-1 at the Bishop Kelley Tournament. They beat 4A No. 14 Daniel Webster (1-6) 66-61, fell 77-66 to 5A No. 6 Claremore (5-0), and smothered 5A No. 7 Edison (1-3) 84-67. 

The Chieftains have the No. 4 offense in the state and will return to action Tuesday at 5A No. 19 Bishop Kelley (2-1) before hosting No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) on Friday.

The pick: Sapulpa 60 BK 58

No. 15 Lawton (unranked)

Lawton (2-0) hasn't gotten to test themselves yet this season, playing only unranked teams, but rolled to a 72-55 victory over U.S. Grant (1-3) and 56-51 over Choctaw (3-3). Their low strength of schedule has given them the No. 9 margin of victory in 6A and they will return to action against 5A No. 15 Del City (1-2) on Tuesday. Their first big test will be Thursday against in-town rival 5A No. 13 MacArthur (4-2).

The picks:
Lawton 66 DC 53
Lawton 60 MacArthur 59

No. 16 Edmond Memorial (15)

Edmond Memorial (2-4) has had a tough schedule to start the season, playing four top-ten teams and losing to each of them. They defeated No. 14 Mustang (2-3) 48-40 to start the last week, then went 1-2 at the Edmond Open. They fell 76-60 to 5A No. 3 Eisenhower (3-2) and 57-52 to No. 7 Edmond Santa Fe (5-1), but defeated unranked Jenks (0-4) 61-46. The Bulldogs will return to action Friday when they host No. 12 Yukon (3-2).

No. 17 Bartlesville (11)

Bartlesville (3-3) had the appearance of a top-ten team after topping No. 14 Sand Springs (0-2) and No. 13 Owasso (0-2) in the first week and closely competing with No. 3 Union (1-0) and 5A No.5 East Central (5-1). After their 50-46 loss to the Redskins and their 59-46 loss to the Cardinals, they were defeated again--this time by an unranked team. Deer Creek (3-3) topped the Bruins 57-49 and Bartlesville needed overtime for a 52-48 win over 5A No. 13 Coweta (1-4). They're done for 2016 and will look to make adjustments before competing at the Arvest Invitational after the new year. 

No. 18 Deer Creek (unranked)

Deer Creek (3-3) made the jump into the rankings after going 2-2 last week. They lost a pair of top ten matchups, 66-45 to No. 8 Westmoore (6-0) and 56-49 to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), but topped No. 11 Bartlesville (3-3) 57-49 and unranked Stillwater (1-5) 43-40. The Antlers will have their biggest test of the season Friday when they take on No. 1 Edmond North (5-0).

No. 19 Bixby (unranked)

Bixby (2-2) started their season last week with a 53-35 loss to No. 10 Broken Arrow (4-1), then went 2-1 at their own tournament. They topped unranked Stillwater (1-5) 62-54 and No. 20 Putnam City (1-4) 47-44, but fell 57-45 to 5A No. 5 East Central (5-1). Joey Homan has been hammering the competition with 18 points per game. The Spartans hold the No. 9 defense in 6A and will return to action Tuesday at No. 11 Muskogee (4-0) before traveling to unranked Jenks (0-4) Friday. 

The pick: Bixby 61 Jenks 53.

No. 20 Mustang (18)

Mustang (2-3) started last week with a 48-40 loss to No. 15 Edmond Memorial (1-3), then went 2-1 at the Panther Classic. They beat 2A No. 12 Northeast Academy (2-3) 45-39, but fell 40-37 to 4A No. 3 Harrah (4-1) and 80-75 to 3A No. 8 Star-Spencer (4-1) in overtime. The Broncos return to action after the new year at the Putnam City Invitational. 

Week three rankings and predictions: Lady Sandites move up to fifth

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The second week of Oklahoma High School basketball came to a close this past weekend with several upsets and significant shuffling of the rankings. Last week we picked 19 games and were 15-4 for 79% accuracy.

No. 1 Choctaw (Last week No. 1)

The favorites for this season's State Championship decimated their last week's opponents and solidified their place at the top with 22 first-place votes. The Yellowjackets (2-0) doubled 5A No. 8 Del City (1-2) 83-41 and trounced unranked Enid (0-2) 68-24. University of Oklahoma signee Ana Llanusa led the scoring against Del City with 21 points, trailed by sister Aliyah with 18 and Bailey Golden with 17. The elder Llanusa added another 25 in the win over Enid. The Jackets will taken on unranked Lawton (1-0) Tuesday before traveling to the Harrah Tournament this weekend. Lawton started their season against the fifth-worst defense in the Class and steamrolled U.S. Grant (0-3) 69-8 in their opener.

The pick: Choctaw 70 Lawton 45

No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (2)

The Lady Wolves (2-0) retained their number-two ranking with a pair of solid wins over ranked opponents, but retained only two of their four first-place votes. They defeated No. 12 Edmond Memorial (0-2) 43-32 and No. 16 Moore (0-2) 56-46. The Wolves will take on Southmoore before competing at the Edmond Open this weekend.

The pick: ESF 54 Southmoore 35

No. 3 Putnam City West (5)

The Patriots (2-0) picked up a second first-place vote after brutalizing their first two opponents, one of whom was ranked. Putnam West took down unranked Enid (0-2) 86-34 and No. 20 Putnam North (0-2) 79-22. 

The pick: Putnam West 76 Putnam City 36

No. 4 Deer Creek (3)

The Antlers (2-0) handily won their first two games of the season, but not significantly enough to hold on to their number three ranking, though they did still pull two first-place votes. They put away No. 15 Mustang (0-1) 60-42, then traveled to unranked Stillwater (0-2) for a 57-38 victory. 

The pick: Deer Creek 50 Westmoore 49

No. 5 Sand Springs (8)

The Charles Page Lady Sandites (1-0) dominated No. 7 Bartlesville (1-1) 51-34 and they barely even scratched the surface of their deep and talented bench. Both the Sandites' freshman and sophomore classes were undefeated Frontier Valley Conference Champions as eighth graders. They also picked up a talented senior transfer from Union. Sydney Pennington scored 21, Gloria Mutiri added 13, and newcomer Kierra McGee hit 11.  The Sandites picked up one first-place vote. After a conference matchup against 5A No. 14 Bishop Kelley (0-1) on Tuesday, they will return to Kelley over the weekend for the BK Tournament.

The pick: Sand Springs 60 Bishop Kelley 43

No. 6 Westmoore (6)

The Lady Jaguars (2-0) picked up a pair of wins over unranked opponents to start the season, topping Southmoore (0-3) 61-42 and Norman (1-1) 53-44. Jessi Murcer led her team with an incredible 35 points against Southmoore. After a marquee matchup with Deer Creek, the Jags will travel to Durant for the Lion Classic this weekend.

No. 7 Midwest City (10)

The defending State Champions (2-0) put away unranked Putnam City (0-1) 64-51 and 5A No. 8 Del City (1-2) 50-40 and picked up one first-place vote to improve a few spots in the rankings. The Bombers will compete at the Edmond Open this weekend.

No. 8 Bartlesville (7)

The Lady Bruins (1-1) were defeated 51-34 in their home opener against No. 8 Sand Springs, but snapped back with a 52-39 victory over No. 3 Owasso (0-1). Jenna Williams scored 14 against Owasso and 4 against Sand Springs, Lauren Richter scored 10 against the Rams and 6 against Sand Springs. None of the Bruins doubled against the Sandites. They will take on No. 20 Union (0-0) on the road Tuesday, then will travel to the Bixby Tournament this weekend.

The pick: Bartlesville 50 Union 33.

No. 9 Booker T. Washington (11)

The Hornets (3-0) got off to a good start in their mostly 5A conference, dropping unranked Edison (0-1) 49-42, then scoring major credit in a 63-55 victory over 5A No. 1 East Central (2-1) before absolutely devastating unranked Nathan Hale (0-3) 81-9. They will take a bye week before returning to action with No. 18 Memorial (1-3) next Tuesday.

No. 10 Owasso (3)

The Lady Rams (0-1) didn't get off to the start they were looking for against No. 7 Bartlesville, falling 52-39 on the road, but will have a good shot at getting in the win column Tuesday against No. 17 Muskogee (0-0). Terryn Milton scored 16 against the Lady Bruins and Sierra Williams added 11.

The pick: Owasso 49 Muskogee 42.

No. 11 Broken Arrow (9)

Last year's State Semi-Finalists (1-0) picked up a 43-37 win over 5A No. 12 Bishop Kelley to start the season, but it wasn't decisive enough to maintain their top-ten ranking. The Tigers retained only one starter from the last season, and have a new head coach in Tiffany Jones. Angelica Cuellar led the girls with 15 points and was the lone Lady Tiger to double. They return to action Tuesday against unranked Bixby (0-0).

The pick: Broken Arrow 43 Bixby 40.

No. 12 Edmond North (17)

The Lady Huskies (1-0) picked up a solid 50-37 victory to start the season against in-town rival No. 12 Edmond Memorial (0-2). They return to action at unranked Moore (0-2), then will compete at the Edmond Open this weekend.

The pick: Edmond 50, Moore 40.

No. 13 Norman North (14)

The Timberwolves (0-0) dipped a spot due to their late start for the season, but will begin the year Tuesday when they host unranked Stillwater (0-2).

The pick: Norman 59, Stillwater 37.

No. 14 Sapulpa (13)

The Chieftains have yet to play their first game of the year, but will travel to unranked Jenks (0-0) this Tuesday.

The pick: Sapulpa 65, Jenks 49. 

No. 15 Yukon (unranked)

The Millers (1-0) made a statement in their 45-39 defeat of No. 16 Moore (0-2) and will look to build momentum at No. 18 Norman (1-1) before this weekend's Tahlequah Tournament. 

No. 16 Edmond Memorial (12)

The Lady Bulldogs (0-2) started the season off with tough competition and dropped back-to-back games against in-town rivals No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (2-0) and No. 17 Edmond North (1-0). Santa Fe prevailed 43-32 and North won 50-37 in the first rounds of the Edlam series. They return to action with No. 19 Mustang (0-1). 

The pick: Memorial 45, Mustang 40.

No. 17 Muskogee (15)

The Lady Roughers (0-0) dipped a few spots due to a late start for the season, and will have their work cut out for them against No. 10 Owasso (0-1). 

No. 18 Norman (unranked)

The Lady Tigers (1-1) dominated 61-36 their opener against unranked Stillwater (0-2), but fell 53-44 to No. 6 Westmoore (2-0). Turner Mattingly, Jandra Levi, and Skye Watts all doubled against Stillwater while Bethany Franks had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. 

The pick: Norman 46, Yukon 45.

No. 19 Mustang (15)

The Broncos (0-1) have a tough start to the season and fell 60-42 to No. 4 Deer Creek (2-0) in their opener. Abby Neaves led in scoring with 17 points while Mia Brown added 10. They will have another tough opponent Tuesday when they take on Edmond Memorial, then will travel to the Plainview Tournament this weekend.

No. 20 Union (19)

Union (0-0)'s season will begin Tuesday against No. 8 Bartlesville (1-1). They have a tough opponent to start with, but they also have strong bones, returning four of their top five scorers from last season. 

Week 2 Women's Basketball Rankings and Predictions

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The week two basketball rankings have been released by the OSSAA and several teams have shuffled around in the order, despite zero games having actually been played.

No. 1 Choctaw (Last week No. 1)

The overwhelming favorite to take State this year is the Choctaw Yellowjackets (0-0) with sixteen first-place votes. Choctaw finished last season 23-3, dropping two games to Midwest City and the State Quarterfinal to Owasso. They graduated a whole mess of starters last season, but retained their top two in University of Oklahoma signee Ana Llanusa and junior Bailey Golden. The Yellowjackets will kick off the season on the 29th against 5A No. 10 Del City.

The picks:
Choctaw 66, Del City 54.
Choctaw 73, Enid 32.
Choctaw 75, Lawton 34.

No. 2 Edmond Santa Fe (Last week No. 2)

The Lady Wolves (0-0) picked up four first-place votes. They went 22-6 last year, falling 58-46 to Muskogee in the State Tournament. All six of their losses were to top-ten teams and only one was by double-digits. They return a highly experienced team after graduating only two seniors and keeping four of their top five scorers. They start the season with Edlam against No. 12 Edmond Memorial.

The picks:
ESF 47 EDM 44
ESF 52, Moore 36
ESF 70, Southmoore 65

No. 3 Owasso (Last week No. 5)

The Lady Rams (0-0) finished last year 22-8 as State Runners-Up, falling 45-40 to Midwest City. Their only losses were to ranked opponents and four of those were to top-five teams. They graduated several starters, including ORU freshman Rachel Skalnik. They held on to their top three scorers, however, all juniors, led by Arkansas-commit Mya Bhinhar. Bhinhar is recovering from off-season knee surgery, but is expected to make it back by their first game against No. 7 Bartlesville on December 2nd. They brought in three first-place votes.

The picks:
Owasso 40, Bartlesville 35.
Owasso 61, Muskogee 56.

No. 4 Deer Creek (Last week No. 3)

Deer Creek (0-0) went 20-8 last season with a 54-43 first round loss to Broken Arrow at State. They picked up two first-place votes and return a solid lineup behind senior East Central University signee Maddie Rehl. They will take on No. 15 Mustang on the 29th. 

The picks:
DC 62, Mustang 54.
DC 55, Stillwater 33.
Westmoore 45, DC 40.

No. 5 Putnam City West (Last week No. 4)

Putnam West (0-0) is coming off a a 19-7 season that saw losses only to ranked teams, six of which were top-ten. They graduated a few seniors, but retained top-scoring junior Ce'Nera Skanes to anchor a young and talented team. They will start the season off on the 29th against unranked Enid and received one first-place vote.

The picks:
PCW 66, Enid 40.
PCW 69, PCN 55.
PCW 63, PC 52.

No. 6 Westmoore (Last week No. 7)

The Lady Jags (0-0) ended last year 24-3, starting 9-0, and finishing 10-0 before their State Tournament first round loss to Midwest City. They were hit hard by graduation, losing three of their top five scorers, but retain a deep bench of talented youngsters. They start the season on the 29th against unranked Southmoore. 

The picks:
West 75, South 40.
West 70, Norman 50.

No. 7 Bartlesville (Last week No. 6)

Bartlesville (0-0) finished last season 10-14 but is a historically good program. They lose only one of their top five scorers and return a young team with several talented sophomores who saw action last year and will anchor the team for years to come. The Bruins will start the season on the 29th with No. 8 Sand Springs.

The picks:
Bartlesville 50, Sand Springs 54.
Bartlesville 50, Union 45.

No. 8 Sand Springs (Last week No. 10)

The Lady Sandites (0-0) are set up for their best shot at a State Tournament appearance in years after finishing 17-9 last season and only losing one senior. At one point they ran with an eight-game winning streak. Their season came to a close with a 58-42 loss to Owasso at Area. Led by Oklahoma State softball-commit Sydney Pennington and Ohio State volleyball-commit Gloria Mutiri, they run a deep bench with their second-straight freshman class of undefeated Conference Champions from the eighth-grade level. 

The pick: SS 65, Bishop Kelley 50

No. 9 Broken Arrow (Last week No. 8)

The State Semi-Finalists from Broken Arrow (0-0) finished last season 24-4 and picked up one first-place vote. Their only losses were to State Champ Midwest City, State Runner-Up Owasso, No. 2 (at the time) Sapulpa, and No. 2 (at the time) Muskogee. They took heavy losses, graduating their top three scorers, and the next three scorers are seniors this year. The Lady Tigers will kick things off on December 2nd at 5A No. 12 Bishop Kelley. 

The picks:
BA 50, BK 30.
BA 60, Bixby 40.

No. 10 Midwest City (Last week No. 9)

The defending State Champions (0-0) graduated four of their top-five scorers, including University of Texas freshman Chinna Fair after their 25-4 season. The new class of ballers will be lead by senior Coriauna Burkhalter. Their season begins on the 29th against unranked Putnam City. 

The picks:
MWC 65, Putnam 60.
MWC 71, Del City 54.

No. 11 Booker T. Washington (Last week No. 13)

Booker T. (0-0) finished last season 16-10 after a three-point loss to Sand Springs at Area. They only lost to ranked opponents and six of those losses were to top-five teams. They will kick off the season on the 29th at unranked 5A Edison.

The pick:
BTW 70, Edison 30.
East Central 59, BTW 50.
BTW 70, Nathan Hale 30.

No. 12 Edmond Memorial (Last week No. 11)

The Lady Dogs (0-0) finished last year 16-10 after a 60-50 loss to Putnam City at Area. All of their losses were to ranked opponents. They took heavy losses this season, but retain Sophomore Taylor Norman and junior Kendra Levings, both of whom have been known to do damage. 

The picks: 
EDM 65, EDN 60.
EDM 60, Mustang 52.

No. 13 Sapulpa (Last week No. 14)

The Lady Chieftains (0-0) finished last season 22-5, falling to Midwest City at Area. They're in for a rebuilding year after graduating their top three scorers, including two Division One athletes. Their season starts December 6th at Jenks.

The pick: Sapulpa 60, Jenks 42.

No. 14 Norman North (Last week No. 12)

Norman North (0-0) finished last season 12-14 and ending the season with a 64-60 loss to Putnam West at Area. They graduated a pair of starters, but return solid bones to build on. They will kick off the season on the 29th against No. 19 Edmond North.

The pick:
NN 55 EDN 45
NN 50, Stillwater 25.

No. 15 Mustang (Last week No. 16)

Mustang (0-0) returns from a 13-11 season with a 59-50 Regional loss to Edmond Memorial after graduating two of their top six scorers. Seniors Logan Haller and Abby Niehus will anchor a young, but talented team that only lost to ranked opponents last season and went on an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season. 

No. 16 Moore (Last week No. 15)

Moore (0-0) ended last year 11-13 with four losses to unranked teams. They will start the season on the 29th against unranked Yukon. 

The picks:
Yukon 60, Moore 55.
Moore 50, EDN 40.

No. 17 (tied) Edmond North (Last week No. 19)

Edmond North (0-0) ended last season 13-11, dropping off toward the end of the year and losing five of their last six games. They return a solid but young team. 

No. 17 (tied) Muskogee (Previously unranked)

Muskogee (0-0) ended last season 24-3, falling in overtime to Midwest City in the State Semi-Finals. All three of their losses were to top-ten teams. They graduated two D-1 starters, but return senior North Texas commit Trena Mims who averaged 12 points per game last season.

No. 19 Union (Previously No. 17)

Union returns four of their top five scorers after a 8-16 season came to an end at the hands of Sand Springs at Regionals. Of their sixteen losses, only three were to unranked opponents. Their season begins on December 6th against Bartlesville. 

No. 20 Putnam City North (Previously No. 18)

Putnam North finished last season 15-11, falling to Midwest City at Area and return only one of their top-five scorers. They kick off the year on the 29th against 5A No. 20 Bishop McGuinness. 

The picks:
PCN 45, BM 40.
PCN 50, Enid 42.