CHS, Eagles, Jackets eye trips to state

Mar. 5—NORTH ENID, Okla. — Chisholm's girls will be hoping that the third time's the charm when the Lady Longhorns (12-7) face 16-2 Kellyville at 6 p.m. Friday at the Class 3A Area I winners bracket finals at Hennessey.

A win would put Chisholm into the state tournament for the first time since 2017. The Lady Longhorns have been eliminated by Millwood and Chandler the last two years in the area losers bracket.

Chisholm has won five straight since falling to Cashion, 50-38 on Jan. 29. Kellyville has won four straight since a 53-43 loss to 2A Kiefer at the Kiefer Tournament finals. Both teams have been stalled recently by COVID-19 and bad weather.

"We always take every game or practice like it's going to be our last," said Lady Longhorns coach Tana Gragg. "Every time we step on the floor, we have a sense of urgency which I think has helped us in our playoff run (wins over Bethel, 43-41, overtime; Alva, 46-27; and Chandler, 48-36)."

"We haven't shot the ball well in the playoffs, but our defense has made up for it," Gragg said. "We have shot our free throws well, but defense is our backbone."

Grace Winter, Chisholm's 6-foot-1 center, has been out after having a tonsillectomy.

Courtney Petersen averaged a double-double over the season. She is averaging 18.3 points in the playoffs. Gracie Holder has added 10.3. Petersen took up the leadership role after the graduation of Tatum Long. She has been an effective shot blocker and rebounder. Holder has picked it up defensively where she known for her quick hands, allowing her to either get steals or deflect the ball to a teammate.

Kellyville beat Metro Christian, 56-48 in its regional winners bracket finals. Jade Upshaw has signed with Arkansas State.

"At this time, everybody is good," Gragg said. "We feel like it's an advantage for us to be able to play close to home. There is no pressure on us, except the pressure that we put on ourselves. We're No. 18 and they're No. 4. Nobody thinks we should be here. It's an exciting time for us."

Gragg has been proud of how the Lady Longhorns handled the pandemic.

"These girls have matured and grown so much," she said. "They handled every situation thrown at them."

Friday's loser will get a second shot at state against the losers bracket survivor at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Hennessey boys

Hennessey's boys (13-4) face Hooker (21-2) at 8 p.m. Friday in the Area I winners bracket finals at the Stride Bank Center.

The Eagles broke a string of three straight losses by beating Stroud, 78-47; Tonkawa, 75-37; and Boone-Apache, 55-38 in the playoffs. Jael Torres is averaging 15.8 points in the playoffs while Juan Dominquez is averaging 13.7. Hooker has won six straight after a 60-52 loss to Alva on Feb. 6.

"They are probably the biggest team and the best rebounding team in 2A," said Eagles coach Brady Page. "We have been playing some really good defense. I feel like we're getting a feel for it again offensively. We're playing better than we were a couple of weeks ago."

Hennessey is the No. 8 seed for the eighth time in Page's 10 seasons. They are looking for their sixth trip to state. Both Hennessey and Hooker are accustomed to the Stride Bank Center having participated in the Enid Downtown Basketball Festival last month.

Kingfisher boys

Kingfisher (21-1) will be looking to carry a 16-game winning streak into the first round of the area tournament against Holland Hall on Friday at 8 p.m. Bijan Cortes is averaging 24 points in the playoffs. Matthew Stone is averaging 19.7. Kingfisher has topped the 90-point mark five times this season.

Holland Hall (13-4) has won three straight after falling to 4A Victory Christian, 45-35 on Feb. 5. The Dutchmen beat Newcastle, 53-45 in the regionals finals.

The losers of the boys winners bracket games will get a second shot at state on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Campbell is a former sports writer and current part-time writer for the News & Eagle, enidnews@enidnews.com.

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