Buck leads #1 Longhorns back to state tournament

Dover’s boys waited 32 years between appearances No. 6 and No. 7 in the state basketball tournament.

The time lapse between No. 7 and No. 8 was slightly less.

The Longhorns took command beginning in the second quarter Friday and ran away from Eagletown for a 63-23 victory in a Class B-II area championship game at Henryetta.

Now, for the first time in the program’s history, Dover is a back-to-back qualifier for the state tournament.

The Longhorns enter as the No. 1 team in the class and looked the part for the final three quarters against the Eagles.

Up 9-7 after a quarter, Dover outscored the Eagles 17-7 in the second.

The Longhorns then iced the game with a 25-7 run in the third.

As is usually the case with Dover, it started with defense.

The Eagles were limited to 21.1 percent shooting and committed 23 turnovers.

Dover turned those into 23 points.

The Longhorns had some offense, too.

It started with junior Casen Buck, who poured in 23 points.

He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Daxx Compton added 11 points while Kyler Williams scored 8.

Nine different Longhorns scored.

Dover enters state with a 27-2 record.

Last year was the first time the Longhorns ever won an area championship and this year’s feat matches that.

This will mark the first time the Longhorns enter state as the No. 1 seed.

They have outscored their four playoff foes by an average of 45.2 points a game.