The second week of January will bring one of the busiest stretches of the basketball season for Okmulgee County and surrounding-area programs, as teams fan out across eastern Oklahoma for a slate of multiday tournaments running Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 8-10.
At the center of the action, Henryetta High School will host its annual invitational tournament, welcoming eight boys teams and eight girls teams for three days of competition. Meanwhile, other area programs will be competing in the Arkansas River Shootout, the Konawa Invitational, the Warner Eagle Cherokee Classic and the Mike Kerr Classic in Morrison, creating a weekend filled with championship races, consolation battles and valuable midseason tests.
— Henryetta Invitational Basketball Tournament Henryetta will once again serve as a basketball hub as the Knights host a full-field invitational featuring championship, third-place, consolation and seventh-place games for both boys and girls divisions.
The boys bracket opens Thursday morning with host Henryetta taking on McLoud at 11:20 a.m., giving local fans an early look at the Knights in tournament play.
Other first-round matchups include:
• Valliant vs. Metro Christian Thursday, 2 p.m.
• Beggs vs. Okemah – Thursday, 4:40 p.m.
• Sallisaw vs. Checotah – Thursday, 7:20 p.m.
Winners advance to Friday’s semifinals, scheduled for 11:20 a.m. and 2 p.m., with the championship bracket continuing into Friday evening. The boys championship game is set for Saturday at 7:20 p.m.
Placement games round out the weekend schedule:
• Consolation: Saturday, 2 p.m.
• Seventh place: Saturday, 11:20 a.m.
• Third place: Saturday, 4:40 p.m. Girls tournament play tips off Thursday morning with McLoud vs. Beggs at 10 a.m., followed by Metro Christian vs. Valliant at 12:40 p.m.
Host Henryetta will take the floor Thursday afternoon against Okemah at 3:20 p.m., before the evening matchup between Sallisaw and Checotah at 6 p.m.
Friday’s semifinal round includes games at 10 a.m. and 12:40 p.m., with winners advancing to the championship side of the bracket. The girls championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m.
Additional girls placement games include:
• Consolation: Saturday, 12:40 p.m.
• Seventh place: Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Third place: Saturday, 3:20 p.m. — Arkansas River Shootout
The Arkansas River Shootout will also feature several area teams, highlighted by Dewar competing in both the boys and girls brackets.
Dewar opens tournament play Thursday at 3:20 p.m. against Keota. Other first-round matchups include:
• Whitesboro vs. Braggs
• Webbers Falls vs. Clayton
• Cave Springs vs. Watts The girls championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m., with the third-place game set for 3:20 p.m.
On the boys side, Dewar tips off Thursday at 7:20 p.m. against Webbers Falls. Additional opening-round games include:
• Braggs vs. Clayton
• Whitesboro vs. Watts
• Cave Springs vs. Keota The boys championship game will be played Saturday at 7:20 p.m., followed by the third-place game at 4:40 p.m.
— Konawa Invitational The Konawa Invitational will bring together several familiar programs, including Wilson, in both boys and girls divisions.
Wilson opens tournament play Thursday night at 8:20 p.m. against Seminole. Other opening-round matchups include:
• Wewoka vs. Konawa
• Holdenville vs. Destiny Christian
• Byng vs. Madill The boys championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with the third-place game set for 4:30 p.m.
Wilson’s girls team will face Wewoka on Thursday at 4:20 p.m. Other firstround games include:
• Madill vs. Seminole
• Byng vs. Holdenville
• Destiny Christian vs. Konawa The girls championship game is set for Saturday at 6 p.m., with the thirdplace game scheduled for 3 p.m. — Warner Eagle Cherokee Classic The Warner Eagle Cherokee Classic adds another tournament destination for area teams, with Morris competing in both brackets.
Morris opens play Thursday at 2 p.m. against Keys. Other opening-round matchups include:
• Eufaula vs. Colcord
• Spiro vs. Warner
• Eufaula JV vs. Okay The boys championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with third place at 4:40 p.m. and seventh place at 11:20 a.m.
Morris tips off the girls tournament Thursday at 12:40 p.m. against Keys. Other first-round matchups include:
• Spiro vs. Eufaula JV
• Okay vs. Warner
• Eufaula vs. Colcord The girls championship game will be played Saturday at 6 p.m., followed by the third-place game at 3:20 p.m. and seventh place at 10 a.m.
— Morrison Mike Kerr Classic
While Henryetta hosts at home, the Okmulgee Bulldogs boys and girls teams will be on the road, traveling to Morrison to compete in the Mike Kerr Classic, hosted by Morrison Public Schools.
The Okmulgee Lady Bulldogs will open tournament play Thursday at 4:20 p.m. against Pawnee. A win would send Okmulgee into a Friday night semifinal at 7 p.m., with a chance to advance to the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m.
The girls bracket also includes Morrison, Luther, OCA, Pawhuska, Stillwater JV, Frontier and Pawnee, creating a competitive path through the tournament. Consolation games are scheduled throughout Saturday, including contests at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
On the boys side, Okmulgee is set to face Pawhuska in the opening round Thursday at 3 p.m. A victory would move the Bulldogs into a Friday matchup at 5:40 p.m., keeping them on the championship side of the bracket.
The boys championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m., with additional placement games held earlier in the day at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
According to information provided by Morrison Public Schools, teams listed on the top line of each matchup will wear light-colored uniforms and use the home locker room.
-With tournaments spread across Henryetta, Morrison, Konawa, Warner and Arkansas River Shootout sites, the Jan. 8-10 weekend will test depth, endurance and consistency for area basketball programs. From championship pursuits to valuable consolation games, local teams will gain critical midseason experience as the calendar turns toward the heart of the basketball season.
