At state: Lions vs. Sequoyah; Cougars vs. Bethany
North Rock Creek is going back to the state tournament and Chandler is going for the first time in 20 years after both won area championships last week.
Chandler pulled out an exciting 48-46 win over Anadarko in Ada and NRC woodshedded Oklahoma Christian, 55-43, in Hennessey. Both teams will head to Oklahoma City this week for the final round of state tournament games at The Big House, which has been the mecca of Oklahoma high school hoops for 60 years.
The historic building is being replaced by a newer one, which will host next year’s games.
Fourth-ranked NRC is up first, facing No. 8 Bethany at noon on Wednesday.
The Lions face off with fifth-ranked Sequoyah-Claremore at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Chandler started off sluggishly against third-rankedAnadarko, but pulled ahead for a 19-18 halftime lead when Zaedyn Hankins hit a free throw with no time left on the clock before intermission.
JordanDensonprovidedmostofChandler’s scoring in the first half, putting in 16 points, most coming on drives to the hoop and acrobatic layups.
The Lions tied it at 18 in the final seconds of the second period and Hankins was fouled as time expired. He swished the first of two foul shots to give Chandler its first lead of the game.
“We talk about not starting slow,” coach Shawn Blankenship said. “We can start behind, but what I care about is that we can’t start slow.
“If our energy and our effort are there and we’re doing what we’re supposed to and we just don’t make a shot or two, that’s unfortunate but it’s part of the game.
“Tonight we started out too juiced. We played hard at the beginning but our decision-making was poor. We were a little too caught up in the moment.
“Luckly, we righted the ship.” The Lions will go into the state tournament ranked No. 8 in Class 3A and holding a record of 24-3.
North Rock Creek goes back to state with a 13-game winning streak.
The Cougars’two losses came against Weatherford, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, and Crooked Oak, No. 2 in Class 3A.