By Barry Lewis
State tournaments are scheduled March 7-9. Here’s a Class 5A and 6A preview from Barry Lewis.
Boys basketball update: Take a look at area boys basketball highlights from the past week here.
2019 Mr. Inside/Outing: Voting is now open until 3 p.m. March 1. View candidates and vote here.
To nominate a boys player of the week, e-mail barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com
Teams to watch: Booker T. Washington (6A, 20-2)
After losing the past two years in state title games, the second-ranked Hornets are on a mission to win their first gold ball since 2011. Their only losses are to No. 3 Edmond Santa Fe and No. 4 Sapulpa. They have wins over Sapulpa, 5A No. 1 Memorial and 4A No. 1 Kingfisher. Washington has outstanding outside shooting with Bryce Thompson, Trey Phipps and Michael McHenry, and a strong inside game with Seth Hurd and Jalen Breath. The Hornets’ only weakness is a lack of depth that could could come into play if a game is called tightly or on the third day of the state tournament.
Teams to watch: Sapulpa (6A, 18-4)
The Chieftains are on course for their first state tournament berth since 1999. Camryn Dennis (pictured at center) and Julian Smith are a dynamic guard combination — Dennis helped Broken Arrow reach the state semifinals last year. The only team on their schedule they haven’t defeated is Mississippi power Center Hill, a 78-77 winner on Dec. 28. Sapulpa primarily played reserves in an 80-39 loss Monday at Bartlesville.
Teams to watch: Union (6A, 14-8)
In a rarity, the Redskins enter the postseason somewhat under the radar in a rebuilding year, but they are the East’s No. 4 seed and are hosting a regional. Rudy Garcia (pictured) has coached the Redskins to the state tournament in 20 of his 23 previous seasons as head coach and this team has shown at times that it can play with any opponent.
Teams to watch: Memorial (5A, 19-3)
Coach Bobby Allison’s top-ranked Chargers are trying to win their fifth state title in seven years — a span that also includes being the runner-up in 2016 and losing in the semifinals in 2015. Memorial has no weaknesses and lots of depth. The Chargers are undefeated in 2019 as they carry an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs.
Players to watch: Kalib and Keylan Boone, Memorial
The Oklahoma State signees (pictured seated with their father, Mike) combine to average 35 points per game — almost split evenly. Kalib produces 12.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game and Keylan averages 8.4 rebounds. They also are very efficient, combining to shoot 62 percent from the field.
Players to watch: Hayden Peterson and Seth Pomeroy, Owasso
Players to watch: Cale Savage, Sand Springs
The 6-foot-2 senior averages 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds for the 6A East’s No. 3 seed.
Players to watch: Kaylon Finley, Edison
The Eagles, the 5A East’s No. 3 seed, often soar when Finley is playing well, but can struggle when he has an off-game.
Union swept both regular-season games from its traditional rival, with a 47-43 win on Feb. 1 deciding which team would host a regional. The winner would likely play Booker T. Washington in an area final — and both those teams have interesting postseason histories against the Hornets.
Potential showdowns: Memorial vs. MWC Carl Albert in a 5A area final
These teams have combined for five of the last six 5A state titles. It’s a rarity for them to meet in the playoffs before the state tournament because Carl Albert is usually assigned to the West. Last-second losses to Carl Albert in the 2015 and 2016 (pictured) state tournaments kept Memorial from potentially having six consecutive gold balls.
The Highway 97 rivals split two entertaining regular-season games. They met in a 6A area elimination game in 2017 — before that their last previous playoff meeting was 1996 and they have never faced each other with an area title at stake.
Vote for Mr. Inside and Outside until 3 p.m. March 1
