Another basketball season is coming to a close and with it brings some sadness.
Since this is the third year for the Journal and my third year covering LeFlore County athletes, I have watched many athletes’ last dribble or shot.
During these three years, I have watched them grow in stature, along with skills.
I have watched their wins and losses and shared some joy and some of their disappointment.
I always try to be neutral in my stories and do not try the rah-rah approach. But I always pull for the county kids, at least when they are playing teams from out of the county.
Unfortunately, it will be tough for any county team to win state this year as the six teams left in the playoffs are all in the losers’ bracket. Spiro’s girls came through last year so there is always that chance, but it will be tough.
But they are still winners for being out there.
And the memories are plentiful. I remember Jared Brown of Howe as a sophomore hitting a pair of free throws which helped the Lions upset Red Oak, which came against a defending state champion in the finals of the Eastern Tournament.
Also, I remember Wilson Klutts hitting a shot against a good Heavener team as a sophomore, which pretty much clinched a big win. It was from deep in the corner, like many of his baskets.
I also enjoyed watching Ryan Carter of Cameron grow from a small sophomore to one of the better shooters in the county as a senior. He and his senior buddies such as Austin Standridge, Kenny Whitehead, Dylan Poor and Justin Cox helped the Jackets post one of the best records of county teams over the last two seasons.
The same goes for Grant Severe of Pocola. He was always a good player, but turned his game up several notches as a senior, helping the Indians surprise a ranked Gore team in the districts and playing one of the best games I have ever seen from a county player.
The Wister seniors kept getting better and finished third in the county tournament, along with their success in another round ball. Cody Luman developed into one of the better players in the county as a senior.
I only saw Howe’s girls lose twice over the last three years, both in the LeFlore County Tournament finals before the Lady Lions broke through this year to win the tournament. Those girls helped keep the amazing streak of never losing at home in place for the next group.
I felt a little pain for the Heavener seniors like Sadie Watkins and Jordan Kannady, who were part of dominating teams their first two years before the Lady Wolves struggled this season.
For the Poteau senior girls, it has been a long and difficult ride. After a rough sophomore season, they scored a big upset as juniors over Muldrow in the district tournament and had a tough senior season, until they got hot lately, won district again and are competing in the area tournament.
Nobody would have seen that happening a few weeks ago.
The time has run out for many of our seniors and will shortly for the others. But the memories will remain, long after the uniforms have been turned in for the last time.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
County teams gearing up for playoffs
The 2011-12 basketball season is quickly winding down with districts for the smaller schools set for this weekend with the larger schools going at it next weekend.
The seasons seem to fly by and it only seemed like a short time ago that basketball started.
It has once again been a good year for many county teams with several teams having a chance to extend their seasons deep into the playoffs.
Last year, two county teams made it to the state tournament in the Spiro girls and Talihina boys with Talihina winning state.
Another state championship will be difficult as we currently have only one team ranking in the top 10 as the Howe girls are ninth in Class 2A, despite a 23-1 record.
With its record, Howe is obviously our best bet to reach the state tournament. The Lady Lions are in a tough area with second-ranked Oktaha, 14th-ranked Talihina, No. 15 Central and Rattan, the only team to beat Howe this season.
Perennial power Savanna is not ranked, but is also in the region.
Bokoshe’s girls are No. 10 in Class B and could make another run.
Spiro’s girls are not ranked and got a tough draw in the district with a road game at Eufaula, which is 14-4 and ranked 14th. The Lady Bulldogs had a difficult schedule and lost in district play last year before coming back through the losers’ bracket to make state.
For the boys, several teams have the potential to make a run, especially LeFlore and Spiro.
LeFlore is 13th in Class B and with the scoring combo of Dakota Watson and Caleb Smith, along with a good group of players, the Savages could surprise.
Spiro is so explosive and has played a very difficult schedule with games against Poteau, Muldrow, Roland, Stilwell and Oktaha. When the Bulldogs are hot and with their athletes, they could compete with pretty much everybody in Class 3A.
Howe, Pocola and Wister will be tough in 2A while Cameron could challenge in Class A with a solid bunch of starters, which can feature five seniors.
The county 2A teams are a tough draw. Howe has gotten better throughout the year and almost beat Spiro (at Spiro) in the county tournament. Wister has a pair of excellent scorers in Cody Luman and Tyler Gibson, while Pocola is also an explosive team with a 17-4 record.
Like Spiro, Poteau has played a difficult schedule and a tough conference slate. The Pirates are able to compete with anybody as they have played McAlester, Roland, Stilwell and Muldrow tough at home, only to lose late.
The Pirates got a break in the district by avoiding Muldrow and Roland and get to open at home against Hilldale. But Cascia Hall, Muldrow, Roland and Stilwell are all in Poteau’s area and the Pirates will likely have to play Roland on its home court in the district open with a win over Hilldale in the district tournament.
The seasons seem to fly by and it only seemed like a short time ago that basketball started.
It has once again been a good year for many county teams with several teams having a chance to extend their seasons deep into the playoffs.
Last year, two county teams made it to the state tournament in the Spiro girls and Talihina boys with Talihina winning state.
Another state championship will be difficult as we currently have only one team ranking in the top 10 as the Howe girls are ninth in Class 2A, despite a 23-1 record.
With its record, Howe is obviously our best bet to reach the state tournament. The Lady Lions are in a tough area with second-ranked Oktaha, 14th-ranked Talihina, No. 15 Central and Rattan, the only team to beat Howe this season.
Perennial power Savanna is not ranked, but is also in the region.
Bokoshe’s girls are No. 10 in Class B and could make another run.
Spiro’s girls are not ranked and got a tough draw in the district with a road game at Eufaula, which is 14-4 and ranked 14th. The Lady Bulldogs had a difficult schedule and lost in district play last year before coming back through the losers’ bracket to make state.
For the boys, several teams have the potential to make a run, especially LeFlore and Spiro.
LeFlore is 13th in Class B and with the scoring combo of Dakota Watson and Caleb Smith, along with a good group of players, the Savages could surprise.
Spiro is so explosive and has played a very difficult schedule with games against Poteau, Muldrow, Roland, Stilwell and Oktaha. When the Bulldogs are hot and with their athletes, they could compete with pretty much everybody in Class 3A.
Howe, Pocola and Wister will be tough in 2A while Cameron could challenge in Class A with a solid bunch of starters, which can feature five seniors.
The county 2A teams are a tough draw. Howe has gotten better throughout the year and almost beat Spiro (at Spiro) in the county tournament. Wister has a pair of excellent scorers in Cody Luman and Tyler Gibson, while Pocola is also an explosive team with a 17-4 record.
Like Spiro, Poteau has played a difficult schedule and a tough conference slate. The Pirates are able to compete with anybody as they have played McAlester, Roland, Stilwell and Muldrow tough at home, only to lose late.
The Pirates got a break in the district by avoiding Muldrow and Roland and get to open at home against Hilldale. But Cascia Hall, Muldrow, Roland and Stilwell are all in Poteau’s area and the Pirates will likely have to play Roland on its home court in the district open with a win over Hilldale in the district tournament.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Alliance good for area
It is good to see the area working together under the Fort Smith Regional Alliance to make this area a better place to work and live.
A new manufacturing plant recently announced plans to open in Mulberry. Sure, Mulberry won’t have much effect on the citizens of LeFlore County, but it is still good news.
The Alliance is made up of towns within a 50-mile radius of Fort Smith, including six counties in Arkansas (Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian and Scott) along with two in Oklahoma (LeFlore and Sequoyah). There are 14 communities taking part—Alma, Altus, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Fort Smith, Mulberry, Ozark, Paris, Poteau, Roland, Sallisaw and Van Buren.
In case you didn’t notice, Fort Smith is not listed first in that group. While it is named the Fort Smith Regional Alliance, this group seems to be working for the area and not primarily Fort Smith, which is a big reason I hope this group succeeds.
In the past, there have been other groups who tried to do the same thing, but the primary emphasis seemed to be on Fort Smith. For the alliance to succeed, it must be for the area, which seems to be the goal of the alliance.
We wish all the jobs and visitors would come to LeFlore County, but that is never going to happen. But if jobs and money come to the area, it is good for everybody. There are a ton of people from our county who work across the state line.
And unemployment in eastern Oklahoma is not that great. There are eight counties in Oklahoma with unemployment above 8.1. Three of those border Arkansas in southeastern Oklahoma in LeFlore, McCurtain and Sequoyah.
At the end of 2011, LeFlore County ranked eighth in the state in unemployment. Our percentage of unemployed was 8.4 percent, up from 7.6 in November, but down from 9.0 at the end of 2010.
LeFlore County has a labor force of 19,477 with 17,846 currently employed. Latimer County led the state at 10.5. Sequoyah was 8.9 and McCurtain was 9.7.
Here is a link to the unemployment statistics.
Aside from our local representatives and senators, nobody in Oklahoma City gives a flip about what happens in southeastern Oklahoma.
I imagine that is also true for our friends and allies across the state line. Western Arkansas and the Fort Smith area is not a big priority with Little Rock, especially not with the growth in northwestern Arkansas.
But with the Alliance working together, this could be the ticket. We have the development of Fort Chaffee and hopefully a lot more in the pipeline.
We will soon have a four-lane highway from Poteau to Sallisaw and I-40. Hopefully one day there will be a four-lane to Fort Smith from at least Poteau.
LeFlore County also has railroad access, an airport, college and the most beautiful area in the state for visitors to hike, camp, fish and hunt.
A new manufacturing plant recently announced plans to open in Mulberry. Sure, Mulberry won’t have much effect on the citizens of LeFlore County, but it is still good news.
The Alliance is made up of towns within a 50-mile radius of Fort Smith, including six counties in Arkansas (Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian and Scott) along with two in Oklahoma (LeFlore and Sequoyah). There are 14 communities taking part—Alma, Altus, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Fort Smith, Mulberry, Ozark, Paris, Poteau, Roland, Sallisaw and Van Buren.
In case you didn’t notice, Fort Smith is not listed first in that group. While it is named the Fort Smith Regional Alliance, this group seems to be working for the area and not primarily Fort Smith, which is a big reason I hope this group succeeds.
In the past, there have been other groups who tried to do the same thing, but the primary emphasis seemed to be on Fort Smith. For the alliance to succeed, it must be for the area, which seems to be the goal of the alliance.
We wish all the jobs and visitors would come to LeFlore County, but that is never going to happen. But if jobs and money come to the area, it is good for everybody. There are a ton of people from our county who work across the state line.
And unemployment in eastern Oklahoma is not that great. There are eight counties in Oklahoma with unemployment above 8.1. Three of those border Arkansas in southeastern Oklahoma in LeFlore, McCurtain and Sequoyah.
At the end of 2011, LeFlore County ranked eighth in the state in unemployment. Our percentage of unemployed was 8.4 percent, up from 7.6 in November, but down from 9.0 at the end of 2010.
LeFlore County has a labor force of 19,477 with 17,846 currently employed. Latimer County led the state at 10.5. Sequoyah was 8.9 and McCurtain was 9.7.
Here is a link to the unemployment statistics.
Aside from our local representatives and senators, nobody in Oklahoma City gives a flip about what happens in southeastern Oklahoma.
I imagine that is also true for our friends and allies across the state line. Western Arkansas and the Fort Smith area is not a big priority with Little Rock, especially not with the growth in northwestern Arkansas.
But with the Alliance working together, this could be the ticket. We have the development of Fort Chaffee and hopefully a lot more in the pipeline.
We will soon have a four-lane highway from Poteau to Sallisaw and I-40. Hopefully one day there will be a four-lane to Fort Smith from at least Poteau.
LeFlore County also has railroad access, an airport, college and the most beautiful area in the state for visitors to hike, camp, fish and hunt.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
In case you missed it...
In case you missed it…
The following topics will be addressed in this blog:
Some blather about Groundhog Day;
Poteau’s Alyssa Kramer is hitting it big;
And…district basketball!
---
Today is Feb. 2, which means it is once again Groundhog Dog. Punxsutawney Phil will poke his head out to see if he can see his shadow, to determine if we are going to have six more weeks of winter.
Six more weeks? We haven’t even had winter. Duh.
-----
Alyssa Kramer, the 14-year-old Poteau girl continues to amaze with her ability to say any word backwards. She appeared on the Today Show yesterday and her YouTube video has been viewed 2,041,448 times as of this morning.
Seriously. I did notice she didn’t say Bob Laval backwards, which is about the limit on my ability to say words backwards.
Her original YouTube video and her appearance on the Today Show can be seen by clicking HERE.
----
The class A and B basketball directs were announced a couple of weeks ago while the 2A, 3A and 4A will be released today at 4 p.m.
In Class A, our two county class A teams (Arkoma and Cameron) will be in a district at Cameron. Clayton is the third team in the district. Arkoma’s girls and Cameron’s boys have a bye.
The Class B schools have three different districts. Whitesboro is hosting a district (Eagletown and Moyers) in Area IV, while Bokoshe and LeFlore are in Area III.
Whitesboro’s girls and the Moyers boys have a bye in the first round.
Bokoshe will compete in a district at Kinta with Midway the third team. Bokoshe’s girls and Kinta’s boys have a bye.
LeFlore is hosting a district and will face McCurtain.
All the district games are scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 according to the OSSAA.
It will be interesting to see how the districts for the larger county schools are set. We have five county schools in 2A with the districts set for three teams. Throw in Central Sallisaw and that would be six schools close by. You would think Howe and Talihina would be separated because of the strength of the girls, but you also wouldn’t expect the OSSAA to place Howe, Pocola and Wister in the same district because of the boys’ records.
We could easily see a pretty good team eliminated in the district tournament.
In 3A, Heavener and Spiro are the only schools competing. Also, Hartshorne, Stigler and Wilburton could be placed in a district. Don’t be surprised if Heavener and Spiro are paired together.
Look for Poteau to once again be placed in a district with either Muldrow or Roland. Sallisaw will likely be the other team competing against either Muldrow or Roland.
The following topics will be addressed in this blog:
Some blather about Groundhog Day;
Poteau’s Alyssa Kramer is hitting it big;
And…district basketball!
---
Today is Feb. 2, which means it is once again Groundhog Dog. Punxsutawney Phil will poke his head out to see if he can see his shadow, to determine if we are going to have six more weeks of winter.
Six more weeks? We haven’t even had winter. Duh.
-----
Alyssa Kramer, the 14-year-old Poteau girl continues to amaze with her ability to say any word backwards. She appeared on the Today Show yesterday and her YouTube video has been viewed 2,041,448 times as of this morning.
Seriously. I did notice she didn’t say Bob Laval backwards, which is about the limit on my ability to say words backwards.
Her original YouTube video and her appearance on the Today Show can be seen by clicking HERE.
----
The class A and B basketball directs were announced a couple of weeks ago while the 2A, 3A and 4A will be released today at 4 p.m.
In Class A, our two county class A teams (Arkoma and Cameron) will be in a district at Cameron. Clayton is the third team in the district. Arkoma’s girls and Cameron’s boys have a bye.
The Class B schools have three different districts. Whitesboro is hosting a district (Eagletown and Moyers) in Area IV, while Bokoshe and LeFlore are in Area III.
Whitesboro’s girls and the Moyers boys have a bye in the first round.
Bokoshe will compete in a district at Kinta with Midway the third team. Bokoshe’s girls and Kinta’s boys have a bye.
LeFlore is hosting a district and will face McCurtain.
All the district games are scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 according to the OSSAA.
It will be interesting to see how the districts for the larger county schools are set. We have five county schools in 2A with the districts set for three teams. Throw in Central Sallisaw and that would be six schools close by. You would think Howe and Talihina would be separated because of the strength of the girls, but you also wouldn’t expect the OSSAA to place Howe, Pocola and Wister in the same district because of the boys’ records.
We could easily see a pretty good team eliminated in the district tournament.
In 3A, Heavener and Spiro are the only schools competing. Also, Hartshorne, Stigler and Wilburton could be placed in a district. Don’t be surprised if Heavener and Spiro are paired together.
Look for Poteau to once again be placed in a district with either Muldrow or Roland. Sallisaw will likely be the other team competing against either Muldrow or Roland.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Readers respond...
Well, I apparently struck a few nerves with my blog yesterday about a recap of the LeFlore County Tournament, not that it was my intent.
My goal with the blog was to simply make a few suggestions, not disrespect any county gym, team player, official, fan, etc.
I wrote that I like Spiro’s gym and probably should have stopped there. Instead, I wrote that it was the nicest facility in the county.
This was not written to insult any other gymnasium, of course. The county is blessed with several nice facilities.
Lloyd James of Talihina wrote: I take offense that you said that the Spiro gym is the nicest in the county. Talihina has a nice gym and seats more than Spiro. Apparently Talihina is never considered as a host for the tournament except for its turn in the rotation. There has been several Area and Regional tournaments held here with the largest payback to the OSSAA in the state. All I ask for is a reason as to why Talihina cannot have the semi and finals here.
The tournament host decides where the semifinals and finals are played. Talihina can host the event just like any other school in the county and if it does, I would support it just like I would at any other location.
Another reader wrote: Howe also has a really nice gym, it may not have as much seating as Spiro but it is just as nice.
Howe does have an excellent facility.
I wrote that it would be better to play the tournament at a neutral facility so no team has a home-court advantage.
That brought on the following remark: i must be mistaken but i thought carl albert's gym was located in poteau. Did spiro have their own players ref the games?
Yes, Carl Albert’s gym is in Poteau. However, Poteau plays its home games at its own gym, not at Carl Albert. CASC would be a neutral site. As for officiating, that was not mentioned and I felt like the officials did a great job. Spiro won because the Bulldogs played better Saturday night, not because of favoritism by any official.
The best situation would be if the games were played at a neutral location. Any time a team plays on its home court, they have an advantage. Spiro has done a great job the last two years, and Bokoshe also did a great job as this year's host. I do not want to see anything hurt the tournament and there are always going to be some people who aren't happy if a team gets any advantage.
The LCT just completed its 80th run and I hope the tournament is around for 80 more years.
And my final comment was: MY NAME IS DYLAN BROWN...AND I FEEL I WAS LEFT OUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM! #GOYELLOWJACKETS!
Unfortunately, not everybody can make the all-tournament team although Dylan, if this is actually Dylan, you have another shot at it next year and I wish you and all the other players the best.
My goal with the blog was to simply make a few suggestions, not disrespect any county gym, team player, official, fan, etc.
I wrote that I like Spiro’s gym and probably should have stopped there. Instead, I wrote that it was the nicest facility in the county.
This was not written to insult any other gymnasium, of course. The county is blessed with several nice facilities.
Lloyd James of Talihina wrote: I take offense that you said that the Spiro gym is the nicest in the county. Talihina has a nice gym and seats more than Spiro. Apparently Talihina is never considered as a host for the tournament except for its turn in the rotation. There has been several Area and Regional tournaments held here with the largest payback to the OSSAA in the state. All I ask for is a reason as to why Talihina cannot have the semi and finals here.
The tournament host decides where the semifinals and finals are played. Talihina can host the event just like any other school in the county and if it does, I would support it just like I would at any other location.
Another reader wrote: Howe also has a really nice gym, it may not have as much seating as Spiro but it is just as nice.
Howe does have an excellent facility.
I wrote that it would be better to play the tournament at a neutral facility so no team has a home-court advantage.
That brought on the following remark: i must be mistaken but i thought carl albert's gym was located in poteau. Did spiro have their own players ref the games?
Yes, Carl Albert’s gym is in Poteau. However, Poteau plays its home games at its own gym, not at Carl Albert. CASC would be a neutral site. As for officiating, that was not mentioned and I felt like the officials did a great job. Spiro won because the Bulldogs played better Saturday night, not because of favoritism by any official.
The best situation would be if the games were played at a neutral location. Any time a team plays on its home court, they have an advantage. Spiro has done a great job the last two years, and Bokoshe also did a great job as this year's host. I do not want to see anything hurt the tournament and there are always going to be some people who aren't happy if a team gets any advantage.
The LCT just completed its 80th run and I hope the tournament is around for 80 more years.
And my final comment was: MY NAME IS DYLAN BROWN...AND I FEEL I WAS LEFT OUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM! #GOYELLOWJACKETS!
Unfortunately, not everybody can make the all-tournament team although Dylan, if this is actually Dylan, you have another shot at it next year and I wish you and all the other players the best.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Some final thoughts on the LCT
Looking back over the 80th LeFlore County Tournament, I have a few thoughts and suggestions.
First off, congratulations to the Howe girls and Spiro boys for winning the tournament. Bokoshe also did a great job as a host of this year's tournament.
One thing that really surprised me was the number of empty seats for the Thursday semifinals. I realize that Heavener and Poteau did not have teams competing, but if you are a basketball fan in the county, you missed out.
Next, it’s always easy to second guess, but there were a few players who deserved mention on the all-tournament team who were not chosen.
For the girls, the most obvious one was Chelsea Baggs of Talihina. There might have been some against her selection because she was playing for a different team than she started her high school career with, but I do not feel like an all-tournament team was complete without her.
One other player who had a great tournament and wasn’t selected was Lindsey Mote of LeFlore.
For the boys, there are three players who were left off who deserved to be on the team. The first one is Kendrick Hardaway of Poteau.
I realize three players from Poteau were selected, but I don’t know how we could have an all-tournament team and not have him on it. He was ill on Saturday and did not have his normal stats, but he is as good of a player as there is in the county.
Another player who deserved to be on the team was Cody Luman of Wister. Teammate Tyler Gibson obviously deserved to be on the team and Luman did not have his usual game against Spiro in the semifinals, but is still one of the best players in the county.
Another player who deserved to be on the team was Anthony Milburn of Panama. Also, Heavener finished fourth and did not have a player selected. It would be a tough choice, but I would have selected Luke Culpepper.
I love Spiro’s gym. It is obviously the nicest one in the county. Spiro has done a really good job hosting the semifinals and the finals the past two years.
But, is this fair to other schools having to play Spiro at Spiro? Would Saturday’s game between Poteau and Spiro have been different if it was played on a neutral court? Or, what about when Howe’s boys played at Spiro on Tuesday?
There is no simple solution to this. The best thing that could happen would be if Carl Albert State College enlarged its facility. That would be a great recruiting tool for the college to bring all these players, coaches and fans in.
If we want the games to be played at a neutral facility in the county, that is our only hope. I don’t see the county or Poteau investing $5 million dollars for a new facility when the new Donald Reynolds Community Center could host everything other than basketball.
An enlarged facility would also allow CASC to host the LCT, along with regional and area tournaments, bringing in teams and fans from all over the area.
I am all for CASC adding new buildings for learning, but here’s hoping the administration addresses this issue and considers bringing the LCT back to where it should be.
If nothing can be done with CASC about enlarging its facility, my suggestion would be to hold both semifinals there and do the finals at Spiro.
Another suggestion is to keep all the games neutral. If a school is a subsite, don’t let them host their games at home. Also, some more thought needs to go into where games are scheduled.
For instance, Whitesboro’s boys played Pocola at Spiro in the opening round of the tournament.
That game would have been better to have been played at Heavener. The Talihina and LeFlore boys played at the Heavener sub-site, which was how it should have been. It probably would have been better to have Panama and Howe’s boys play at Spiro and move the Pocola and Whitesboro game to Heavener.
And, the final suggestion is to not seed the teams until after the first of the year. The teams were seeded for the 2012 LCT when several schools had only played one or two games.
First off, congratulations to the Howe girls and Spiro boys for winning the tournament. Bokoshe also did a great job as a host of this year's tournament.
One thing that really surprised me was the number of empty seats for the Thursday semifinals. I realize that Heavener and Poteau did not have teams competing, but if you are a basketball fan in the county, you missed out.
Next, it’s always easy to second guess, but there were a few players who deserved mention on the all-tournament team who were not chosen.
For the girls, the most obvious one was Chelsea Baggs of Talihina. There might have been some against her selection because she was playing for a different team than she started her high school career with, but I do not feel like an all-tournament team was complete without her.
One other player who had a great tournament and wasn’t selected was Lindsey Mote of LeFlore.
For the boys, there are three players who were left off who deserved to be on the team. The first one is Kendrick Hardaway of Poteau.
I realize three players from Poteau were selected, but I don’t know how we could have an all-tournament team and not have him on it. He was ill on Saturday and did not have his normal stats, but he is as good of a player as there is in the county.
Another player who deserved to be on the team was Cody Luman of Wister. Teammate Tyler Gibson obviously deserved to be on the team and Luman did not have his usual game against Spiro in the semifinals, but is still one of the best players in the county.
Another player who deserved to be on the team was Anthony Milburn of Panama. Also, Heavener finished fourth and did not have a player selected. It would be a tough choice, but I would have selected Luke Culpepper.
I love Spiro’s gym. It is obviously the nicest one in the county. Spiro has done a really good job hosting the semifinals and the finals the past two years.
But, is this fair to other schools having to play Spiro at Spiro? Would Saturday’s game between Poteau and Spiro have been different if it was played on a neutral court? Or, what about when Howe’s boys played at Spiro on Tuesday?
There is no simple solution to this. The best thing that could happen would be if Carl Albert State College enlarged its facility. That would be a great recruiting tool for the college to bring all these players, coaches and fans in.
If we want the games to be played at a neutral facility in the county, that is our only hope. I don’t see the county or Poteau investing $5 million dollars for a new facility when the new Donald Reynolds Community Center could host everything other than basketball.
An enlarged facility would also allow CASC to host the LCT, along with regional and area tournaments, bringing in teams and fans from all over the area.
I am all for CASC adding new buildings for learning, but here’s hoping the administration addresses this issue and considers bringing the LCT back to where it should be.
If nothing can be done with CASC about enlarging its facility, my suggestion would be to hold both semifinals there and do the finals at Spiro.
Another suggestion is to keep all the games neutral. If a school is a subsite, don’t let them host their games at home. Also, some more thought needs to go into where games are scheduled.
For instance, Whitesboro’s boys played Pocola at Spiro in the opening round of the tournament.
That game would have been better to have been played at Heavener. The Talihina and LeFlore boys played at the Heavener sub-site, which was how it should have been. It probably would have been better to have Panama and Howe’s boys play at Spiro and move the Pocola and Whitesboro game to Heavener.
And, the final suggestion is to not seed the teams until after the first of the year. The teams were seeded for the 2012 LCT when several schools had only played one or two games.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Semifinals should be interesting
After two days and nights filled with basketball, the semifinals are set for the 2012 LeFlore County Tournament.
And while some questioned the early seeding, the top four seeds in both divisions advanced to the semifinals, which will be played Thursday and Friday.
Two good runs for county teams ended Tuesday as the reign of the Heavener girls and Talihina boys ended after both teams had captured the prior two LCT championships.
So far, I have watched two-and-a-half games both nights. There have been good games and some that were not all that good.
Action now moves strictly to Bokoshe and Spiro for the final four days with the host Bokoshe closing down its gym after Wednesday.
There really haven’t been many surprises in the tournament so far. Arkoma’s girls, an 11th seed, defeated the sixth-seeded Wister girls, but the Lady Mustangs had already defeated the Lady Wildcats once this year, so that really can’t be considered an upset.
Also, Talihina’s boys (seeded 10th) knocked off seventh-seeded LeFlore, but that was a toss-up as the Tigers are starting to play much better after having to replace all their starters from a year ago.
Spiro’s boys and girls both dodged big bullets Tuesday. The top-seeded Bulldogs trailed most of the game before Devon Perry scored with six seconds left to give Spiro a 50-48 win over Howe.
The second-seeded Spiro girls also needed two free throws by Kanisha Hutchinson in the final seconds to edge Poteau, 45-44.
The semifinals should be interesting. On Thursday, the girls play their semifinals with Howe taking on Bokoshe at 7 p.m. and Spiro and Talihina playing at 8:30 p.m.
Howe will be favored to down Bokoshe, which overcame the loss of one of its best players to reach the semifinals for the second straight year after the 43-39 win over Heavener Tuesday. The two teams played last week at Bokoshe with Howe winning easily.
The second game will be even more interesting as Talihina and Spiro hook up. Both teams are athletic and like to run so there should be plenty of scoring. Talihina must overcome Spiro’s big girls if the Lady Tigers hope to win.
The boys take over action on Friday with Heavener and Poteau playing at 7 p.m. followed by Wister and Spiro hooking up at 8:30 p.m.
Poteau boasts wins over Heavener and Spiro already this season with both wins coming at home. The Pirates’ matchup zone caused problems for both opponents in those games, along with Talihina on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s finals.
The Wolves boast height and good outside shooting, but were blown out in the earlier meeting. The Wister and Spiro game should also be a good one.
Wister boasts a pair of excellent scorers in Cody Luman and Tyler Gibson. The Wildcats will have an edge in height, but Wister will have to handle Spiro’s press and speed.
And while some questioned the early seeding, the top four seeds in both divisions advanced to the semifinals, which will be played Thursday and Friday.
Two good runs for county teams ended Tuesday as the reign of the Heavener girls and Talihina boys ended after both teams had captured the prior two LCT championships.
So far, I have watched two-and-a-half games both nights. There have been good games and some that were not all that good.
Action now moves strictly to Bokoshe and Spiro for the final four days with the host Bokoshe closing down its gym after Wednesday.
There really haven’t been many surprises in the tournament so far. Arkoma’s girls, an 11th seed, defeated the sixth-seeded Wister girls, but the Lady Mustangs had already defeated the Lady Wildcats once this year, so that really can’t be considered an upset.
Also, Talihina’s boys (seeded 10th) knocked off seventh-seeded LeFlore, but that was a toss-up as the Tigers are starting to play much better after having to replace all their starters from a year ago.
Spiro’s boys and girls both dodged big bullets Tuesday. The top-seeded Bulldogs trailed most of the game before Devon Perry scored with six seconds left to give Spiro a 50-48 win over Howe.
The second-seeded Spiro girls also needed two free throws by Kanisha Hutchinson in the final seconds to edge Poteau, 45-44.
The semifinals should be interesting. On Thursday, the girls play their semifinals with Howe taking on Bokoshe at 7 p.m. and Spiro and Talihina playing at 8:30 p.m.
Howe will be favored to down Bokoshe, which overcame the loss of one of its best players to reach the semifinals for the second straight year after the 43-39 win over Heavener Tuesday. The two teams played last week at Bokoshe with Howe winning easily.
The second game will be even more interesting as Talihina and Spiro hook up. Both teams are athletic and like to run so there should be plenty of scoring. Talihina must overcome Spiro’s big girls if the Lady Tigers hope to win.
The boys take over action on Friday with Heavener and Poteau playing at 7 p.m. followed by Wister and Spiro hooking up at 8:30 p.m.
Poteau boasts wins over Heavener and Spiro already this season with both wins coming at home. The Pirates’ matchup zone caused problems for both opponents in those games, along with Talihina on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s finals.
The Wolves boast height and good outside shooting, but were blown out in the earlier meeting. The Wister and Spiro game should also be a good one.
Wister boasts a pair of excellent scorers in Cody Luman and Tyler Gibson. The Wildcats will have an edge in height, but Wister will have to handle Spiro’s press and speed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
