For the first time in six years, the Preston varsity basketball team will make an appearance at the 2023 Class 2A state basketball championships.
Preston earns State berths with area title sweep
For the first time in six years, the Preston varsity basketball team will make an appearance at the 2023 Class 2A state basketball championships.
The Preston cage squads snapped their 6-year state tournament absence this past Friday evening with a pair of hard-fought wins in the Class 2A, Area IV championship games at Wilburton High School. The Lady Pirates (ranked 5th in 2A) began Friday’s area title sweep with a thrilling 49-45 win over the 18thranked Hartshorne Lady Miners, needing a pair of free throws from senior standout Adrianne Wilson with 7.3 seconds left in regulation to put the finishing touches on the area title victory.
The Pirates (ranked 2nd in 2A) punched their ticket to the Big Dance with a 46-39 victory over the 8thranked Pocola Indians, using a 10-2 run early in the fourth quarter to turn a narrow 3-point lead into double digits (39-28) with junior standout Jervais Goree sealing the area title win with three free throws in the final 35 seconds of regulation.
The Preston cage squads’ bid for a pair of state championships got underway Tuesday at the Jim Norick State Fairgrounds Arena in Oklahoma City.
The Lady Pirates’ first obstacle in their journey for their eighth - and first since 2014 - state championship in school history were the 12thranked Pawhuska Lady Huskies Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., while the Pirates’ first roadblock in their journey for their sixth - and first since 2009 - state title in school history were the 10thranked Hobart Bearcats Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
If the Preston cage squads are victorious Tuesday, they will advance to the state semifinal round Friday at the ‘Big House’ with the Lady Pirates battling the winner of Tuesday’s opening- round meeting between sixthranked Warner and eighth-ranked Howe at 1:30 p.m. and the Pirates doing battle with the winner of Tuesday’s opening-round showdown between third-ranked Oklahoma Christian Academy and fifth-ranked Colcord at 9 p.m.
The Class 2A state championship games will take place Saturday at 11:45 a.m. (girls) and 6:45 p.m. (boys), respectively.
The other girls teams at the 2023 Class 2A state basketball championships are top-ranked Dale, second- ranked Amber-Pocasset, and 18th-ranked Hartshorne, while the other boys teams at the 2023 Class 2A state basketball championships are top-ranked Dale, fourth-ranked Hennessey, eighth-ranked Pocola, and 19th-ranked Wister.
Last Friday’s area title sweep in Wilburton was the first for the Preston cage squads since 2014 when the Lady Pirates defeated Ketchum 62-40 and the Pirates defeated Howe 60-49.
In last Friday’s girls area title contest with Hartshorne, both teams tallied 11 points in the first eight minutes of action. The Lady Pirates took a narrow 25-20 lead into the halftime break following a 14-9 advantage in the second stanza.
Hartshorne cut the Preston lead to four (36-32), heading into the final frame after a narrow 12-11 margin in the third period.
The Lady Miners tallied 13 points in the final quarter in an upset bid, but the Preston ladies countered with 13 points of their own in the frame with the final two points coming on Wilson’s successful charity tosses with 7.3 seconds remaining for the 49-45 decision, the area crown, and a spot in the Class 2A state basketball tournament.
Wilson was the leading scorer for the Lady Pirates last Friday, finishing with a team-high 17 points. Shaunassi Jordan (11) and Jadyn Roberts (10) also finished in double figures for Preston against Hartshorne.
The remaining scoring for the Lady Pirates last Friday came on six points from Pheobey Finch, three points from Savannah King, and two points from Emilie Stidman.
In last Friday’s boys area championship game against Pocola, the Pirates doubled up on the Indians 10-5 in the first period and led 20-16 at halftime after Pocola escaped the second quarter with a slim 11-10 advantage.
A narrow 10-9 margin by the Indians in the third quarter sent the title contest to the final eight minutes of regulation with the Pirates clinging to a 3-point advantage, 29-26.
The Preston gentlemen came out of the final frame with a 17-13 margin with the final three points coming from Goree at the charity stripe to award the Pirates the 46-39 victory, the area championship, and a spot in the Class 2A state basketball tournament.
Giorgio Dunn-Spencer led the Pirate scoring with a team-high 17 points. Goree was next offensively for Preston with 12 points. Other Pirate scorers against Pocola were Malachi Ligons with seven, Tucker Webb and Keyton Smith four each, and Kareffren Bagby two. --- Class 2A Area Tournament Championship Girls Bracket
Preston 49, Hartshorne 45
Preston: 11 - 14 - 11 - 13 (49) Hartshorne: 11 - 9 - 12 - 13 (45) Preston Scoring: Adrianne Wilson 17, Shaunassi Jordan 11, Jadyn Roberts 10, Pheobey Finch 6, Savannah King 3, Emilie Stidman 2.
--- Boys Bracket
Preston 46, Pocola 39
Preston: 10 - 10 - 9 - 17 (46) Pocola: 5 - 11 - 10 - 13 (39) Preston Scoring: Giorgio Dunn-Spencer 17, Jervais Goree 12, Malachi Ligons 7, Tucker Webb 4, Keyton Smith 4, Kareffren Bagby 2.