Riders claim district tourney championship
Feb. 24—Hulbert shook off a long layoff and captured a Class 2A District Tournament championship Tuesday evening, defeating Pocola, 48-33, in Pocola.
The senior trio of Nolan Edmundson, Ethan Chuculate and Gabe Lewis combined for 44 points to carry the 12th-ranked Riders, who improve to 13-5 overall under head coach Jordan Hill.
"They've been pretty consistent with the scoring the ball all year for us," Hill said of his seniors. "To have three guys who consistently score in double figures is always good to have."
Hulbert advances to play No. 10 Nowata in the regional tournament Thursday in an 8 p.m. tipoff at Hulbert.
Lewis helped the Riders break free during the third quarter where he scored all 10 of his points. Hulbert limited Pocola to two points over an eight-minute stretch, and Lewis knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and added two other field goals as the Riders took a 30-19 lead into the final quarter.
Hill was impressed with his team's play on the defensive end on a night where the Riders were lackluster on offense.
"Our defense is what won the game for us tonight," Hill said. "We held them to 17 points in the first half and then just two points in the third quarter, so that was huge for us. We played good man defense. We were prepared to go zone on them, but it just wasn't working out in the first quarter. We knew what our game plan was against these guys and we just adjusted really well."
Hulbert was in a 17-17 tie at halftime before the surge in the third quarter. Edmundson, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and Chuculate, who followed with 16, had all but two of Hulbert's point production in the first half. Edmundson scored nine of his points in the half on three field goals, including a pair of 3s, and two free throws. Chuculate had two field goals and two free throws.
Chuculate scored 10 of his points in the final eight minutes, while Edmundson added six points on three field goals.
Tuesday's contest was the first for Hulbert since Feb. 5 when it closed its regular season with a 72-58 loss at No. 17 Oktaha.
"We haven't played in more than 18 days, so it's been tough," Hill said. "They pushed back districts when we were supposed to play Saturday, so it's taken a toll on our guys just not being on the court. We missed a full week of practice when the weather hit."
The path in the playoffs is set up nicely for the Riders, who will be on their home floor for the entire regional tournament. If they advance past regionals they would play at Fort Gibson in the area tournament.
"We're really pumped and excited to get to host a regional," Hill said. "It's big for our school and our community, and it gives us an advantage to be at home."
Nowata enters Thursday's game at 11-2 overall and is coming off a 66-47 win over Commerce in its district tournament on Monday.
"Nowata shoots the lights out," Hill said. "We went up and watched them play Commerce last night and they just light it up from the 3-point line. That's their thing. We think we'll have a good game plan for them."
Lady Riders fall: Class 2A No. 8 Pocola had five players score in double figures and rolled to a 71-30 win and a district championship Tuesday against Hulbert.
The Lady Indians got off to a fast start, outscoring the Lady Riders, 25-9, in the first quarter, and never looked back.
Hulbert falls to 5-15 overall under first-year head coach Joseph McClure and will take on Nowata at 1 p.m. Thursday in Hulbert. Nowata suffered a 33-27 setback to Commerce on Monday in another district tournament game in Nowata.
The Lady Riders were led by Haylee Mullins' 10 points. Brea Lamb followed with nine points, and Lilly Chambers added six on a pair of 3-pointers.
