Oklahoma HS basketball takeaways: Dale remains dominant; keep an eye on OCA's Caron Banks; Garrison shines for Del City

EDMOND — Jeff Edmonson and the Dale boys basketball team wants to make history.

The Class 2A Pirates are striving for their first undefeated season, and they took one big step toward that goal Friday night. Top-ranked Dale rolled past No. 3 Oklahoma Christian Academy, 75-49, in the Eagles’ gym. Before that, the Dale girls cruised to a 46-20 victory against OCA.

Also, Del City's Brandon Garrison shined in his first game since being named a McDonald's All-American.

Here are three takeaways from the Dale games and a recap on Garrison:

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Pirates rely on balance

Dayton Forsythe is the best-known name on Dale’s boys basketball roster.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard picked up offers from OU, Oklahoma State and Wake Forest after scoring 34 points against Class 5A Tulsa Memorial.

But Friday night wasn’t just the Dayton Forsythe show.

The Pirates (21-0) used balance to their advantage with five double-digit scorers. Forsythe effectively distributed the ball to his teammates, including freshman brother Denton. Sophomore Levi Kelly hit several crucial 3-pointers, finishing with a team-high 17 points.

“This is a special group,” Edmonson said. “They’ve always shared the ball, moved the ball. They really don’t care who scores as long as we score. … So it’s fun to watch and fun to coach.”

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Oklahoma Christian's Ca'Ron Banks goes up for a layup as Dale's Trayden Chambers (24) tries to block during a boys high school basketball game between Oklahoma Christian Academy and Dale High School at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Okla., on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.
Oklahoma Christian's Ca'Ron Banks goes up for a layup as Dale's Trayden Chambers (24) tries to block during a boys high school basketball game between Oklahoma Christian Academy and Dale High School at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Okla., on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

Caron Banks impresses for OCA

The leading scorer did not play for the winning team.

Although the Pirates pulled away for the victory, they had trouble stopping Caron Banks. If they defended the paint, then the junior guard could knock down 3s. If Dale controlled the perimeter, then Banks could drive inside. With his versatility, he poured in a game-high 23 points.

And Dale didn’t dominate every quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Dale and OCA (15-7) were tied at 15, but the Pirates found their groove before halftime.

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Dale's Brook Rutland (22) goes up for a layup during a girls high school basketball game between Oklahoma Christian Academy and Dale High School at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Okla., on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.
Dale's Brook Rutland (22) goes up for a layup during a girls high school basketball game between Oklahoma Christian Academy and Dale High School at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Okla., on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

Dale girls show why they’re No. 1

The Dale girls basketball team didn’t waste time.

The Pirates (20-1) opened their game against OCA on a 19-0 run that carried into the second quarter. Junior Karsen Griggs led Dale with 14 points, and by the end of the game, the Pirates were leaning on their bench players. They had considerably more depth than the Eagles (5-16), whose roster included only two subs.

After dropping their season opener to Preston, the Pirates are on a 20-game win streak.

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Brandon Garrison shines as Del City takes down Midwest City

John Keilty thought it was no better time than the present to make the announcement.

After the first quarter of Friday night's Del City-Midwest City game, the public-address announcer grabbed the audience's attention and stood in front of the press box of John Smith Fieldhouse.

“Del City’s Brandon Garrison has been named as a McDonald’s All-American,” he said.

At the time, Del City was trailing Midwest City in a scrappy matchup and Garrison had yet to score. But after that moment, the 6-foot-9 Oklahoma State signee took over and Del City came away with a 52-46 win over Midwest City on Friday night.

Garrison grabbed rebounds, found open teammates and disrupted the Bombers' offense, including an unforgettable highlight play. Garrison blocked a shot on one end and broke first for the fast break. Garrison caught the pass near midcourt, took three dribbles, Euro stepped over a defender and slammed home a ferocious one-handed dunk.

Garrison let his emotions take over, as he pumped his arms as the Del City crowd was in a frenzy. The slam was part of a big second-quarter run where Del City outscored Midwest City by 16 points.

In one of the state’s best rivalries the two teams and student sections engaged in competitive chatter and it fueled a high-intensity game. Garrison finished with 20 points while Midwest City’s Roy Henderson Jr. put in 16. The Bombers tallied eight 3-pointers which kept the game close until the final minute when Del City pulled away.

Garrison was named the player of the game and earned the inaugural Robert Kalsu trophy for the achievement.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school basketball: Dale a Class 2A power, Del City wins