LCT madness starts today

For many people in LeFlore County, this is the best week of the year.

The annual LeFlore County Tournament starts today and runs through Saturday.

It is also the busiest and the longest. There will be games starting today at 4 p.m. with the finals set to tip off Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

We will once again try to keep you up to date on all the scores on our Facebook page and by our Twitter updates. To keep all the scores posted, we will need your help. If you are at a game, please send texts to (918) 649-4712 and we will post the scores.

With games being played at three different locations, it is almost impossible to keep track of all the games without a lot of help.

At the end of each night, we will have a story on the day’s action, pictures and update the bracket.

That means a lot of late nights and early mornings, but it is worth it.

I posted my picks yesterday for who I think will win each game.

There are some teams the seeded teams need to keep an eye on. For the boys, the unseeded teams which could cause some problems are Cameron, Howe, LeFlore and Pocola.

Cameron lost a pair of games to county opponents Pocola and Howe late in the week, but the Jackets are a well-coached team and have one of the better players in the county in Ryan Carter.

Howe has improved throughout the season. The Lions are back at full strength and in Jared Brown, possess another of the better players in the county.

LeFlore has a scoring machine in Caleb Smith, who along with Dakota Watson and a solid group of starters could be a thorn. The Savages open with defending champion Talihina, which is coming on strong after a slow start, with Poteau lined up to face the winner of the LeFlore/Talihina game on Tuesday.

The one team which could cause the most problems is Pocola. The Indians lost at Talihina last week and were blown out earlier in the year against Wister, but the Indians also have blitzed Heavener badly at home and took both games from Cameron.

Pocola is small, but have some of the better outside shooters in the county with Grant Severe and his teammates.

Probably the best opening-round games feature Howe playing Panama, along with LeFlore taking on Talihina.

For the girls, the unseeded team which could pull off a big upset or scare a seeded team is Arkoma. The Lady Mustangs have downed Bokoshe twice and are 9-3 with several players off the 2011 junior high tournament champions.

Another team which could surprise is Poteau. The Lady Pirates have not won a game, but have played a difficult schedule. Poteau had leads against county foes Spiro and Poteau, but could not hold on.

Poteau opens with Whitesboro, with the winner taking on Spiro. If the Lady Pirates pick up that first win on Monday, don’t be surprised if Poteau causes some problems for Spiro in the quarterfinals.

Fourth-seeded Bokoshe lost one of its better players when Jamie Carberry moved to Duncan. The Lady Tigers should defeat Cameron in the first round and then will likely take on Heavener Tuesday in a rematch from a semifinal game last year.

The best opening-round games should be Panama and Pocola along with Arkoma and Wister.