Dover rises to the top

As Marco Sotelo carried the most coveted trophy in Oklahoma basketball into the swarm of people, one young boy couldn’t hold back his excitement.

“I got to touch the gold ball! I got to touch the gold ball!”

The arena attendant working by the door had eyes as big as that gold ball as he saw the sea of red.

Sincerely, he asked: “Are there more people in there than live in that town?”

Yes. A chance to touch the elusive trophy. The whole town - plus some - showed up.

It was, indeed, a big day for Dover.

In fact, it was historic.

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Dover has won girls basketball championships.

Dover has won baseball titles.

Dover even has a track state championship in its history.

But never before had the Dover boys basketball program brought home the gold ball.

Until Saturday. The top-ranked Longhorns completed their best season ever with a 49-26 dismantling of No. 4 Duke at the OG&E Coliseum.

It not only gave Dover its first-ever boys basketball title, but completed a season in which the Longhorns went 30-2 and were the wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the class.

“My world is still swirling,” said junior Casen Buck, a third generation Dover player to take part in a state tournament at the school. “It’s a surreal feeling just to bring the first boys gold ball back to Dover.”

The groundwork for the momentous day was laid three years ago when Superintendent Jay Wood lured head coach Jared Reese and assistants Danny Green and Chris Combs away from Kingfisher.

Wood worked with all three when he was at Kingfi sher.

“When I left Kingfisher, I thought those coaches were the best group of coaches at any level, high school all the way up to college, in Oklahoma,” Wood said at the time of their hiring. “I want to fill our buildings with these types of people. What they will bring to our students, our athletes and our school system is impeccable.”

They certainly had the track record.

In his 10-year tenure at KHS, Reese was 248-28 (.900).

The last seven of those years, the trio worked together and amassed a 18712 (.939) record, advanced to state each year, won four state titles and had another state runner-up finish.

Their impact at Dover was immediate.

In their first season, Dover advanced to area for the first time in a decade.

In year two, the Longhorns qualified for state to end a 32-year drought. They won a quarterfinal game for only the second time in the program’s history.

It wasn’t without help. Lucas Conrady migrated north from Kingfisher when Reese made the move and, a year later, Carter Kitchens joined. The program got a boost when Jonah Pendergraft moved in last year.

All played pivotal roles in Dover’s emergence.

If hiring the coaches was the groundwork, Reese said those guys, along with fellow seniors Nathan Cohee and Luis Valles, were the foundation.

“We lost those four senior starters and I just told the kids, I don’t think we would be where we’re at today without all of that group laying the foundation of being successful,” Reese said. “So Lucas and Nathan and Luis and Jonah and Carter, I mean this is a big deal for them as well today.”

While Dover was boosted by that group, they were joined by Buck, who quietly was emerging as one of the best guards in the state.

Also evolving and growing for the last couple of years were Brennan Fletcher, this year’s only senior, and sophomores like A.J. Avila and Kyler Williams.

Dover also received good news in the offseason when Randy Vitales, now a junior, was cleared by doctors to return to the court.

Vitales collapsed during a game last season and had to be revived on the court with a defibrillator.

The ingredients were there for another good season, but it meant unproven players were going to have to join Buck and take on bigger roles in 2025-26.

Then came another shot in the arm. Daxx Compton transferred from Kingfisher over the summer as well.

As a freshman at KHS, Compton saw his minutes increase as the season wore on and was destined to play an even bigger role this season.

“It definitely was a tough decision because obviously going to a new school and a smaller environment was going to be a big change for me,” Compton said. “To transfer to a smaller school knowing you could have a big impact on a team like Kingfisher, it was very hard for me to decide.

“But I thought a lot about it and decided Dover was going to be the best decision for my future as a high school athlete.”

Coaches took notice and voted Dover the No. 1 team in the class in the first rankings of the season.

The Longhorns responded by winning their first 20 games.

Along the way, guys were learning their roles.

As always with Reese, Green and Combs, it starts with defense, but there’s more.

“Just work ethic, you know?” Reese said. “Playing defense in a way that we want to play it, taking the shots that we want you to take. It looks easier than it is trying to get kids to realize what a good shot is for them and what a bad shot is for them.”

The roles saw Buck and Compton doing most of the scoring. The others, said Reese, had to “buy in.”

And they did. “I felt my role on this amazing team was mainly going hard to the boards and getting it to the others as fast as possible because we score a lot of our points in transition,” said Fletcher. “And also making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be on the court.”

Part of buying in on a Reese team also means checking your ego at the door.

“One thing that all the teams I’ve coached is they’ve been pretty unselfi sh,” Reese said. “And that’s something that takes a lot of work as a coach to get them to buy into that system.”

Buck saw it in this team. “Everyone plays their role really well,” he said. “No one is selfish.

“At the end of the day, we just want to win.”

Dover’ first loss came Jan. 30 against Waukomis in the finals of the Skeltur Conference Tournament.

The Longhorns beat the Chiefs back in December in what was Waukomis’ first game. The Chiefs didn’t lose again in the regular season and ultimately qualifi ed for the Class A state tournament.

A week later, there was another slip-up.

Compton injured his ankle in the first quarter at Okeene and didn’t return. The Whippets eventually stunned the Longhorns 3837 for Dover’s second loss in three games.

Dover regrouped and Compton recovered.

They went untested in the playoffs and won an area title for just the second time in school history by downing Eagletown 63-25.

Granite proved a stubborn quarterfinal foe last week, but Dover claimed the 14-point win, only the third time for the program to advance to the semifinals.

The Leedey Bison awaited Friday in the semis.

Although “only” ranked 10th, the Bison were redhot, including beating No. 2 Vici for a regional title.

They also featured talented 6-foot-7 junior Aaron Hill.

And the Bison were primed for another upset.

They led 10-5 after holding Dover to just one field goal in the first quarter. The lead was 19-12 midway through the second quarter before Dover closed on a 7-0 run to tie it.

Compton scored 5 of those points and was just getting started.

He scored 6 straight for the Longhorns as they took a 28-24 lead late in the third, then drove and fed Fletcher for another big bucket later in the quarter.

Hill drained a 3-pointer, his third of the game, to end the third quarter to pull his team within two points.

Compton’s steal and layup with 4:52 to play was part of five possessions in which the teams traded buckets.

Leedey’s Max Bransen scored with 3:58 to go to tie the game up 35-35.

Then Dover took over. On Dover’s next possession, Compton drove and kicked to Avila for an open 3-pointer.

The sophomore drained it for a 38-35 advantage with 3:31 to go.

Compton didn’t come to Dover as a point guard, but grew in that role.

“Knowing the previous point guard graduated and that they needed someone to step up and play that role, I knew I was going to need to do that for the team,” Compton said. “I never really played the point role before, but knowing the coaches had faith in me gave me a ton of confidence.”

And, he said, as the season wore on, he became more comfortable in that role. He knew when to shoot and when to pass at the most crucial moments.

“In the moment, you are so locked in that you don’t think about anything except doing the right thing and what you have told yourself throughout the whole week,” Compton said. “And mentally, I had prepared myself to make those right decisions and be a leader on the court for my guys.”

After Dover’s defense got a stop on the other end, coaches called a play to free up Buck for a 3-point attempt.

He drained it for a 41-35 lead with 2:13 to play.

“It felt breathtaking at that point,” Buck said. “I knew the game was changing in our favor.”

Vitales grabbed a steal on the other end and Compton scored on a baseline backdoor cut to the basket.

He scored again with 1:16 to play and Dover led 45-35.

The Longhorns eventually won 50-37 and outscored Leedey 15-2 over the final 3:58.

Compton was phenomenal with 21 points and 7 steals.

Williams struck the Bison at different pivotal times in the game and scored 11 to go along with 6 rebounds.

Buck, a big focus of Leedey’s defense, scored 8 while Avila chipped in 7.

History was made as Dover had reached the state title game for the first time in the program’s history.

Standing between the Longhorns and the gold ball was Duke, a state tournament regular for much of the past decade.

Many had penciled in Vici or No. 3 Deer Creek-Lamont as contenders for the crown. Vici didn’t make it out of area and Duke dismantled DCLA in the semifinals.

Compton picked up where he left off the day before.

He scored 5 points early as Dover staked a 7-2 lead.

The Tigers closed the quarter strong and tied it up 10-10.

Duke got a 3-pointer from Aiden Tamplen 45 seconds into the second quarter for a 13-12 lead and moments later Avila picked up his third foul.

The Tigers seemingly had momentum.

Seemingly. In reality, Williams took over the next two minutes with 8 straight points, including a 3-pointer and a three-point play.

Buck followed with consecutive putbacks and then Sotelo found himself wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer.

His shot ignited the Dover crowd as the Longhorns were on a 15-0 run and led by 14.

“Every time that happens it’s big because they’re trying to shade their defense to other guys,” Reese said. “So when guys like Marco hit big shots, it’s kind of like a dagger. And we had different guys do that all three days.

“And then when they’re not scoring on the other end, it just adds to it.”

And Duke wasn’t scoring.

After posting 10 points in the first quarter, the Tigers didn’t score more than 7 in any other. They were held to their lowest total of the season.

For Granite and Leedey? Their second-lowest point totals of the season.

It’s by design. “Our game plan is always defense first,” Buck said. “We planned to stop #33 (Lance Womack) from getting touches in the paint and I felt like we did a pretty good job of that.”

Womack, who scored 21 in the semifinal win, was limited to 8 by the Longhorns. Nathan Gable was the lone Tiger in double figures with 13.

“We tell our kids every time that whoever takes the most shots normally wins the game,” Reese said.

While it sounds offensive- minded, it actually starts with defense.

“Rebounding and turnovers are where that happens,” he added.

Dover out-rebounded Leedey 21-19 and dominated Duke 29-16.

The Longhorns committed eight fewer turnovers than Leedey and were even with Duke.

After being up 12 at the half, Dover extended its lead to 18 by the end of the third.

It was as large as 20 when Buck and Compton capped an 8-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers.

It was all but over. Williams finished the game with 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Compton again led the Longhorns with 14 while he added 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Buck scored 13 and filled up the sheet with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Neither Buck nor Compton appeared flustered at any point and Reese said that was pivotal in Dover’s success.

“Casen faced a lot of junk defense in the state tournament. He was playing so well that a lot of teams just decided they were going to take him out. And, you know, he handled that,” Reese said.

“You don’t see kids handle that very well sometimes. will just force stuff, get frustrated. I truly believe the most important thing to him is that we won and if he could help us in other ways, he did it.”

If there’s a guard more athletic in Class B-II than Buck, the list might be limited to Compton. Reese said Compton catching up mentally to his physical capabilities have turned him into a dangerous player.

“When he came here, he was very explosive in a lot of areas, but sometimes out of control,” Reese said. “He’s much more under control now and it’s really paid off.”

Compton’s explosive, controlled playmaking ability.

Buck’s calm demeanor mixed with a skill set few can attain.

Talented role players only getting better.

A coaching staff with a championship pedigree.

Those were the ingredients for a state championship.

“It was nice seeing all the family of Dover happy and the growth this Dover team has gone through,” said Fletcher.

Added Buck: “It feels amazing just being able to win it with the boys I grew up with and just being able to play on that court is a massive accomplishment.”

Compton was named the state tournament MVP by several publications. Although the newest Dover face, he knows people generations from now will see it and realize what this team accomplished.

“It’s a surreal feeling knowing that when people at Dover look at the wall and see our faces and say they were the team to do it is insane to me,” Compton said. “I still haven’t really comprehended it all.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet that we made history not only at Dover, but at the new coliseum.”

For Reese, Green and Combs, it’s championship No. 5, further cementing their already well-grounded legacy.

However, said Reese, it’s even more gratifying knowing they helped deliver a title to another program that hadn’t experienced one before.

“What makes it really special is that this is happening for a program that hadn’t had a lot of recent success,” Reese said. “And then there’s the kids. Obviously it’s awesome for the coaches, but, you know, I’m really jealous of these kids because I didn’t get to do this when I played.

“They’re getting to do this and it’s because each one of them bought in when we got here.”