Sports

Small schools started last week.The rest of the county joins this week.By Saturday night, all Kingfisher County schools will have begun their basketball playoff quests.Half of them - Okarche (Class A), Lomega (B-II) and Dover (B-II) - are entering their regional round this week.

After his game was over and he was trying to unwind, Dale girls coach Eric Smith was nothing but complimentary as Cashion players walked by on Monday.His Lady Pirates, the topranked team in Class 2A, had just defeated Cashion 64-50 on its home floor.

Only two people have won more girls basketball state championships than Rick Wilson.He faced off against one of them on Tuesday night.That’s when Taloga visited top-ranked Lomega (after press time) in a Class B-II regional semifinal.

The Dover girls basketball team didn’t enter the playoffs with the shiniest record.But they’re still in the winner’s bracket.Dover upset No. 17 Gracemont 66-38 in a Class B-II district championship last Friday night at home.

Balanced scoring and a dominant defense landed Okarche a district championship.Six players scored 8 or more points and the Lady Warriors held Cherokee to 22 percent shooting in a 61-23 win at home on Saturday.

There was no milestone bucket, but it was a huge team win.Kingfisher slowly, but surely, pulled away from Elk City last Friday for a 48-33 win on “Senior Night” at the APB.It was the Lady Jackets’ 14th consecutive win as they finished their regular season with a 21-3 record.

It wasn’t a question if Kingfisher would win the game.The Jackets did just that as they thumped a helpless Elk City squad 63-30 on Friday to close out the regular season on “Senior Night” at the APB.The question: Would Kevin Smith score?

A disastrous start to the third quarter led to Kingfi sher’s downfall Tuesday and saw the Jackets’ win streak come to an end.KHS succumbed to Woodward’s pressure and saw an eight-point halftime lead turn into a 75-67 defeat at Boomer Fieldhouse.

Lomega made sure its final regular season basketball game was an exciting one.And a win. All four Raider seniors stepped up in a big way as they beat visiting Pond Creek-Hunter 64-59 Tuesday on “Senior Night.”The win capped Lomega’s regular season with a 15-9 record.

The Three Rivers Conference regular season championship again came down to Okarche and Cashion.And, again, it was Okarche claiming the crown.The Warriors concluded their regular season Tuesday with an 88-60 win over visiting Cashion on “Senior Night.