Henryetta High School’s varsity girls’ and boys’ teams will host the Preston Pirates and Lady Pirates Friday night to compete in a county matchup. Both teams have faced each other on the court before during the beginning of the season.
Henryetta High School’s varsity girls’ and boys’ teams will host the Preston Pirates and Lady Pirates Friday night to compete in a county matchup. Both teams have faced each other on the court before during the beginning of the season.
The Lady Knights are scheduled to tip-off first at 6:30 p.m. against the Lady Pirates. The Lady Knights have struggled to find their offensive chemistry this season, which has resulted in long losing streaks, including a seven-game slump at the start of the season. Henryetta girls have found moments of redemption. After facing a loss to the Beggs Lady Demons, they earned back-to-back wins over the Schulter Lady Bulldogs and Dewar Lady Dragons to claim the Okmulgee County Tournament consolation championship trophy. Despite their recent two-game winning streak, the Lady Knights faced a tough loss at the hands of the Holdenville Lady Wolverines in a 55-47 battle. Holdenville also marked the first loss of the season for the Lady Knights, spiraling them into their seven-game losing streak. However, the score alone shows the leaps and bounds the Lady Knights have made throughout the season. In their first game against the Lady Wolverines, the Lady Knights only reached 24 points and allowed the Lady Wolverines a 15-point margin. Their recent game ended with a 12-point loss with the Lady Knights reaching 47 points, showing that they have begun to muster up their shooting strength.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Pirates defeated the Lady Knights in a runaway battle, 54-40. The Lady Pirates are coming off a 3rd place finish at the Okmulgee County Tournament after defeating the Beggs Lady Demons in the final round, 52-39. An 18-point loss to the Morris Lady Eagles disrupted their upward trend. Both teams will be looking to redeem their recent losses and gain a win, making Friday night’s matchup a critical game for the Lady Knights and Pirates.
The Knights have had a turbulent 2019-20 season with a 4-10 record. Sparks of revival have led to four wins, including a 52-36 win over Holdenville, a runaway 73-57 win over Preston, a 53-47 victory against Bristow, and another 18-point win over Holdenville.
However, Henryetta boys have already seen the shooting power the Pirates are capable of and will be on the defensive Friday night.
Despite beating the Pirates in a 72-57 battle earlier in the season, the Knights had a surprise attack in the second round of the Okmulgee County Tournament from the Pirates. Garnering the lead in the second half, the Knights saw their advantage disappear moments before the buzzer with the Pirates tying the game. Preston then led a comeback that resulted in a 52-48 loss for the Knights.
A recent win against Holdenville has bolstered the Knights record to 4-10 and they will be looking to continue that winning streak on Friday. The Knights will have to turn to the tenacity of sophomore Alex Hudson and the consistency of senior Jean Pixler in order to combat the Pirates’ shooting energy. The Knights also have a plethora of 2-point shooters to turn to, including senior Joey Watson, freshman Jordan Short and senior Tayten Fixico. Henryetta has the upper hand in the battle, but they will need to protect the basket in order to prevent another overtime battle with the Pirates.
