Pregame primer: Bishop Kelley at Tahlequah

Tahlequah's Mutlipurpose Activity Center will play host to four eventful basketball games over the next 24 hours. Fort Gibson will be here on Saturday afternoon, but first up is Bishop Kelley tonight in Metro Lakes Conference games.

Here are some projected news & notes for tonight's games:

— The girls game features two top-10 teams in Class 5A. Bishop Kelley is No. 8 with Tahlequah right behind at No. 9.

— Bishop Kelley enters with four dangerous weapons offensively: Chelsea McKenzie, Madi Schulz, Haley Stephens and Seana Stoia. All four average right around nine to 10 points a game. And of the four of them, only McKenzie is a senior; the rest are juniors.

— Tahlequah has a formidable trio of its own in Randee O'Donnell, Casey Beaston and Desiree Phipps. Beaston leads the team in scoring per game at 9.9 points with Phipps at 9.5 and O'Donnell at 9.4.

— Tahlequah beat Bishop Kelley in the first meeting of the season, beating the Lady Comets 67-63 in Tulsa back in December.

— Beaston's career-high scoring mark came against Bishop Kelley in December when the junior forward logged 23 points.

— For Bishop Kelley, Stoia had 22 points in the first meeting.

— The boys game features No. 15 Bishop Kelley and No. 19 Tahlequah.

— Bishop Kelley won the first matchup in December, 60-42.

— Bishop Kelley enters having lost three of its last five games. Tahlequah, though, has won six of its last eight.

— Lain Wright leads Tahlequah in scoring with close to 15 points per game. Bishop Kelley's leading scorer is Alex Maguire with 11.8.

Pregame primer: Northeastern State vs. Pittsburg State

Women's game

Projected starting lineups

No. 15 Pittsburg State (15-1)

Name                    Ht.     PPG     RPG

Drew Roberts         5-6     9.2     2.1

Alexa Bordewick     5-8     7.0     2.9

Brooke Conley        5-11   12.6    4.4

Larissa Richards     6-3     13.3    8.9

Lizzy Jeronimus      5-11   13.4    6.8

No. 8 Northeastern State (14-1)

Name                    Ht.     PPG     RPG

Cristy Nitz              5-11   10.7    4.3

Taylor Lewis          5-7     10.7    2.5

Sarah Green          5-9     8.6      5.7

Megan Fraley         5-5     6.3      2.4

Jasmine Wright      5-9     6.1      3.3

Notes: Northeastern State leads the overall series with Pittsburg  State, 9-8. ... The last meeting (NSU won 60-48) was in Dec. 4, 2001. ... Nitz is approaching the 1,000-point mark in her career. The senior from Dewey currently sits at 950 points in 107 games. ... NSU's lone loss was Emporia State in December. ... Pittsburg State's fisrt loss of the season came last week in a 65-51 setback to No. 17 Washburn.

Men's game

Projected starting lineups

Pittsburg State (10-6)

Name                    Ht.     PPG     RPG

Andra Bailey          6-4     11.3    9.0

JaVon McGee         6-6     12.2    7.2

Eric Ray                 6-2     12.6    2.9

Sam Pugh              6-2     4.4     1.5

Drake Green          6-3      9.4     2.4

Northeastern State (3-14)

Name                    Ht.     PPG     RPG

Jon Miller               6-5    12.6    2.3

John Schneider       6-7    7.6      4.6

Ethan Anderson      6-2    8.2      4.9

Zach Jones             6-6    4.2     4.2

Christian Mack        6-0    4.1     1.5

Notes: This will be the 61st time that NSU and Pittsburg State have met. ... Pittsburg State owns a 41-19 advantage in the series.

What to watch for tonight in area prep hoops

— Can the Tahlequah girls beat Claremore?

By my calculation, the Tahlequah girls basketball team hasn't beaten Claremore since 2001 — going 0-21 in the process. If ever Tahlequah is going to end its skid against Claremore, it's now. The Lady Tigers are off to an 8-3 start, while Claremore is just above .500 at 5-4. Plus, Claremore is playing its first season without Jordan Schultz, the former Claremore forward who is now at Oklahoma State.

— The Tahlequah boys look to continue solid play.

The Tigers (7-4) are off to one of their best starts since 2008-2009, when they were Class 5A state semifinalists. The foursome of Logan Lewis, Lain Wright, Spencer Risenhoover and Courtland Glock has transformed into a solid nucleus for first-year coach Mike Leafgreen. Tahlequah will take on a Claremore team that has struggled during the early going, minus former standouts Alex Miller and Dakota Caudill — who are both at Northeastern State now.

— Keys clubs look to rebound.

After losses to Fort Gibson on Tuesday, both Keys basketball teams look to bounce back against Oktaha tonight. The Keys boys will be going for a season sweep of Oktaha after beating the Tigers 49-36 back on Dec. 2. The Keys girls took Oktaha to overtime early this year but lost by two.

— Sequoyah teams begin back-to-back schedule.

The Sequoyah basketball teams will be on the road tonight at Metro Christian before playing Saturday at home against Stilwell. The Sequoyah boys can't get caught looking ahead — for some revenge on Stilwell after suffering an early-season loss — because Metro Christian could be a team that Sequoyah is competing against for playoff positioning.

— Hulbert girls face tough test.

The Hulbert girls will take on a Salliasw Central team that pulled out narrow victories over the Lady Riders last year. Of the matchup with 2A No. 14 Sallisaw Central, Hulbert coach Alicia Zodrow said, "We are really looking forward to playing them this year. It is one of our rivals. Last year, I really don't think we were ready for them, nor had the leadership to beat them. This year is different. ...We owe them one."

Things to watch in prep sports tonight

All four schools have basketball teams in action with Tahlequah also hosting McAlester in wrestling tonight.
Here are some things to look for during tonight’s action:
• Tahlequah hoops trying to avoid “bad” losses. On the eve of Tahlequah’s game at Collinsville, boys basketball coach Mike Leafgreen talked about not letting games get away, which could lead to a lower seed come postseason time. That will be the case for both THS teams tonight, with both taking on teams that are below .500. Also, both Tahlequah teams won two games apiece in the Shrine Classic last week, so both should be riding some momentum heading into the meat of the Metro Lakes Conference schedule.
• Sequoyah boys aiming for first non-tournament win. The Indians (6-4) have dominated in regular-season tournaments so far this season. Regular-season games, not so much. Sequoyah is 0-4 in non-tournament games heading into tonight’s matchup with Class 4A No. 7. The Indians’ slate of games this week — Cascia Hall, 3A No. 13 Metro Christian and 4A No. 9 Stilwell — might be the toughest stretch until the playoffs in February.
The Sequoyah girls (7-3) have it a little easier this week, not facing a single ranked team among the three schools mentioned above.
• Keys girls face tough test in nearby opponent. The Lady Cougars will host 4A No. 1 Fort Gibson — who has been virtually unstoppable this season — tonight at Cougar Fieldhouse. Even if Key doesn’t win, look for the Lady Cougars to draw some positives out of the game, including how they fare on the inside with a resurgent Sydni Rainbolt.
In the boys game, it’ll be the second time the two teams have squared off in the last three days. In the third-place game of the Locust Grove tournament, Fort Gibson beat Keys 62-53 on Saturday.
• Hulbert girls look to rebound after tough losses. The Lady Riders were stomped by Sequoyah in the semifinals of the Shrine Classic last week and lost to Spiro in the third-place game. The game against Spiro could have gone either way, but look to see if Hulbert can build off of both losses. Hulbert plays at Vian tonight before returning home to take on Sallisaw Central on Friday.
• Tahlequah wrestlers looking for first dual win inside state lines. The Tigers recently went 4-4 in duals at the Deep South Bayou Duals in Baton Rouge, La. But Tahlequah is still 0-3 inside the Oklahoma state line. The Tigers host unranked McAlester at 7 p.m. at the TMAC.

Leftovers from Tahlequah-Muskogee wrestling dual

The final score in a wrestling dual can often make the outcome look worse than what really happened. That was the case in Muskogee's 53-23 win over Tahlequah on Tuesday night at the TMAC.

While Muskogee did have superior wrestlers at several weights — 113, 126, 138, 160 and 220, Tahlequah tossed out several guys (Mitch Sellers, Hestin Lamons, Dayne Whitehorn, Colton Wright) that proved they can compete against guys at the 6A level.

The problem, though: three of Tahlequah's four top wrestlers are sophomores with Whitehorn being a junior.

The Tigers are young — extremely young.

But Tahlequah is headed in the right direction. Just ask Muskogee coach Bobby Jefferson, whose been around a long time and has seen plenty of top-notch wrestling programs during his tenure.

"(Tahlequah) has come a long ways," said Jefferson, whose junior varsity squad had no problem knocking off Tahlequah's varsity club two years ago.

"They're getting better all the time. (Tahlequah coach) Brandon (Benson) has them going in the right direction, and it's only a matter of time before they take off. He's a knowledgeable coach and he'll get them to where they need to be at."

Benson couldn't ask for better support; from a guy who was recently inducted into the Oklahoma chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

 "Their coaches have always been real complimentary of us — our wrestlers and staff," Benson said. "They let us know that we're doing things right; that they're in our corner for the whole year except for about two hours when they dual us."

Random note: Tahlequah's varsity wrestling team is 4-7 in duals this year but 0-3 in the state of Oklahoma. The Tigers recently went 4-4 in the Deep South Bayou Duals in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers next chance to win a dual in Oklahoma will be Tuesday at home against McAlester.

3 things to watch: Keys/Cascia Hall football

The unranked Keys Cougars are venturing into uncharted territory — Siegfried II Stadium in Tulsa — tonight to take on Class 3A No. 2 Cascia Hall in the second round of the playoffs. While Keys has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, there are some items to keep on an eye on while the Cougars try to make history.
Here’s what to watch for tonight between Keys (7-4) and Cascia Hall (11-0):




• Cascia Hall’s passing game vs. Keys’ secondary: With the way Keys’ secondary (consisting of Trevor Eubanks, Christian Worthington, Colten Douillard and Cameron Parks) has performed the last two week, Cascia Hall’s passing game could be neutralized by the Cougars. Granted, Cascia Hall doesn’t pass much, but Thomas Rouse (the Commandos’ quarterback) is efficient when he has to pass. Just remember, Parks has four interceptions in his last two games.

• Special teams: That’s a pretty broad spectrum, but all of it will be important. Keys punter Jacky Walker is an above-average punter for the high school ranks, and could help Keys play the field-position game with Cascia Hall tonight. The Commandos counter with Erik Testa, who is regarded as one of the better kickers in the Tulsa area. Keys, though, has JJ Ozturk, who might be one the most underrated kickers in Green Country. Given the opportunity, Ozturk can go kick for kick with most kickers.

• The second and third quarters: In Cascia Hall’s 11 games this season, opponents have combined to score 14 points in the quarters around halftime. Keys last week posted 32 points in the second and third periods against a physical Valliant team.

My prediction: Cascia Hall 28, Keys 21.
If you’re going to the game, enjoy. If you’re staying in Cherokee County, listen to the game on KEOK, FM-102.1.

Also, here are my stories on tonight's game between Keys and Cascia Hall:
— Keys hoping to translate basketball success to the football field
— Cougars riding high right now (Keys football notebook)

High school football picks: Week 5

Had my best week of picks in Week 4. Three of my four incorrect picks came on local and area games. Tahlequah, Keys and Sequoyah let me down and proved their not as good as I thought each one was.

My picks this year

Week 1: 14-5

Week 2: 15-5

Week 3: 16-5

Week 4: 19-4

Overall: 54-19

Local and area games

— Tahlequah at Pryor: Tahlequah got the best of Pryor in 2010, but Pryor has Austen Brooner running strong this season. It'll be tough for Tahlequah to make the playoffs if the Tigers fall to 0-2 in District 5A-4. My pick: Pryor 27, Tahlequah 13.

— Claremore-Sequoyah vs. Tahlequah-Sequoyah (at NSU): Tahlequah-Sequoyah has been efforting for a while to get a game moved to Doc Wadley Stadium. Now, can they perform on a little bigger stage? My pick: Tahlequah-Sequoyah 32, Claremore-Sequoyah 23.

— Keys at Bethel: Keys has had a rough go through its first four games. Maybe a long road trip helps the Cougars come together as a team with five district games remaining after this week. My pick: Keys 34, Bethel 20.

— Porter at Hulbert: The hottest team in Cherokee County right now is ...... Hulbert, of course! The Riders have strung together two solid games against Drumright and Oklahoma Union. Homecoming should be a happy celebration at Rider Stadium this week. My pick: Hulbert 33, Porter 13.

— Broken Arrow at Muskogee: Good thing Muskogee got its first win last week at Southmoore. This week and next (Jenks) will be extremely difficult. My pick: Broken Arrow 44, Muskogee 13.

— Hilldale at Broken Bow: Kind of lost some confidence in Broken Bow after a loss to Metro Christian a couple of weeks ago. I like the Savages against Hilldale, though, in a key 4A-4 clash. My pick: Broken Bow 24, Hilldale 17.

— Fort Gibson at Stilwell: Fort Gibson is on the right track now. And Stilwell can't score. My pick: Fort Gibson 20, Stilwell 10.

— Wagoner at Miami: The District 4A-3 champion will be decided when Wagoner plays Catoosa. Until then, Wagoner continues to cruise. My pick: Wagoner 47, Miami 7.

— Victory Christian at Checotah: The winner stays unbeaten in 3A-7. My pick: Checotah 29, VC 20.

— Seminole at Stigler: This one is tough to call because both teams look good this year. My pick: Seminole 30, Stigler 24.

Other top games around the state

— East Central at Coweta: If Coweta doesn't beat East Central, the Cardinals will likely roll until 5A semifinals. My pick: East Central 31, Coweta 13.

— Southmoore at Sapulpa: Sapulpa should rally from its first setback last week at Norman. Like Devin Swift left, right and up the middle. My pick: Sapulpa 33, Southmoore 30.

— Stillwater at Bixby: Can anyone explain how Bixby is this bad? My pick: Stillwater 42, Bixby 20.

— Edmond Santa Fe at Lawton: Lawton has the better defense. My pick: Lawton 32, Santa Fe 14.

— Union at Sand Springs: Union's playing a district game? No contest. My pick: Union 44, Sand Springs 12.

— Claremore at Edison: Edison might go winless in 5A-4. My pick: Claremore 35, Edison 6.

— Grove at Tulsa Central: Grove couldn't stop Brooner and Pryor last week. Not good with Tyron Garth on tap. My pick: Central 23, Grove 20.

— McAlester at Skiatook: Not much talk about his game, but should be a good one in 5A-3. My pick: McAlester 30, Skiatook 20.

— Heritage Hall at NOAH: There will be athletes everywhere at my old intermediate high school (Broken Arrow South Intermediate). My pick: Heritage Hall 47, NOAH 16.

— Afton at Foyil: Could be for the A-8 crown. Afton is strong this year. My pick: Afton 46, Foyil 22.