Class 5A State Tournament Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The Class 5A state tournament is ready to tip off this week. Games will begin on Thursday at Noble high school. Then the semifinals and championship game will take place at OU’s Lloyd Noble Center. Class 5A has felt like a two-team race all season with #1 Del City and #2 Memorial. but plenty of teams are ready to crash the party. In this preview, we get you ready for the state tournament with an in-depth look at each team and some of their top players. Prep Hoops Oklahoma will have you covered from the start of the tournament to the finish. <h4>THE BRACKET</h4> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/5A-Boys-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1404223" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/5A-Boys-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /></a> <hr /> <h4>THE MATCH-UPS</h4> #3 CARL ALBERT (20-7) VS #4 COLLINSVILLE (20-3) Thursday - 2:00PM - Noble HS How They Got Here Carl Albert: It’s been a bumpy road over the last month or so for Carl Albert but once again the Titans have returned to the 5A state tourney. They are defending champions but they certainly feel like underdogs coming into the tournament. Since February 11th, the Titans are 4-3 with losses to fellow tournament teams Del City and Southeast. However, Carl Albert punched their ticket to the state tourney by absolutely smashing Lawton MacArthur 51-27 in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. Collinsville: In my opinion, Collinsville has been one of the more underrated teams in the state, regardless of class this season. Not amongst the coaches as they come into as a top five team. The Cardinals had a 10-game winning streak snapped in their final game of the year against Bishop Kelley. But since the start of the playoffs, the Cardinals have been on a roll. They beat Claremore in the regional final and then beat Bishop McGuinness by 15 points to head to state. Both of those teams ended up in the state tourney. Players To Watch Carl Albert: The Titans return to the state tournament and get used to seeing Carl Albert in the 5A tourney field. Only one senior is in their starting lineup and the Titans are led by junior [player_tooltip player_id="1211255" first="Jordan" last="England"] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1367219" first="Quincy" last="Hopkins"]. England averages 15.6 points per game and Hopkins adds 12.2 PPG. This is a relatively young team but they’re ready to make another run. Collinsville: The senior duo guard of [player_tooltip player_id="1049320" first="Cooper" last="McDowell"] and Jacob Scyrkels has led the Cardinals all the way to the state tournament. Scyrkels is Collinsville’s leading scorer at 16 points per game while McDowell is right behind him at 15 PPG. The two guards lead a Collinsville team that use their pressure on defense to create easy baskets. Football standout Oscar Hammond also averages near double figures. <hr /> #2 MEMORIAL (24-1) VS #9 MIDWEST CITY (19-8) Thursday - 3:30PM - Noble HS How They Got Here Memorial: Arguably the best program in 5A basketball over the last decade has been Memorial. In fact, we don’t believe there is an argument for anyone else. Memorial has once again been one of the top teams this season along with Del City. The Chargers come into the state tourney with an 11-game winning streak. And since the playoffs began, they’ve taken their game to another level. They’ve won all three games by double digits, including back to back 100+ point performances in the regional round. Midwest City: And as dominant as Memorial has been, they get a brutal draw in the first round with a Midwest City team that has been playing some of their best basketball over the last month or so. They’ve won 13 of their last 15 games and down the stretch of the regular season, they were certainly considered one of the top teams that you didn’t want to face. After falling to rival Del City, the Bombers bounced back with an OT win over Ardmore. And now they face Memorial in what is without a doubt the marquee first round match-up in Class 5A. Players To Watch Memorial: The senior duo of guard [player_tooltip player_id="955392" first="Tyreece" last="Frierson"] and forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158049" first="Bradyn" last="Hubbard"] have led the way for the Chargers this season. They average 16.6 and 15.6 PPG respectively. Hubbard is averaging a double double and Frierson has been arguably the best point guard in the state. They also have [player_tooltip player_id="1049317" first="Killian" last="Spellman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="967378" first="Seth" last="Pratt"] who average in double figures. Midwest City: The Bombers have been boosted by senior swingman [player_tooltip player_id="1240683" first="Jacobi" last="Sebock"], who has been one of the more explosive players in Oklahoma this season. He’s Midwest City’s leading scorer, at 16 points per game. The Bombers are senior-heavy but also start a sophomore in Bryan Williams. Behind Sebock are fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1161922" first="Keivon" last="Hudson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1164860" first="Artez" last="Young"]. <hr /> #6 SOUTHEAST (21-2) VS #7 BISHOP McGUINNESS (19-8) Thursday - 7:00PM - Noble HS How They Got Here Bishop McGuinness: Getting sent east for the playoffs was probably the best thing that happened to Bishop McGuinness. The Irish were able to take advantage of being sent east for the regional and area round and finished as the 3 seed on the east side. After losing to Collinsville in the area final, they bounced back the next night by beating Coweta by six to punch their ticket in the 5A state tournament. However, their first round opponent is one of the top contenders in this year’s tournament. Southeast: While all the talk in 5A has been surrounded by Del City and Memorial, you have to take Southeast seriously as a contender in Class 5A. They’ve won 12 consecutive games and have continued their dominance in the playoffs. They faced top ten teams in the regional final and area final in Ardmore and Carl Albert. The Spartans appear hungry to make a run at the state championship. The top two teams are there for a reason but don’t be surprised if the Spartans are able to make an upset or two. Players To Watch Bishop McGuinness: The leading scorer coming into the 5A state tourney is Bishop McGuinness senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1049318" first="Graham" last="Tawwater"], who averages 22 points per game. In fact, the starting five for the Irish do the majority of the scoring for this squad. Junior Price Bradley averages 15 points and senior Andrew Smith is in double figures at 10 points per game. Southeast: Not only are the Spartans true contenders this year, but they will be for the next two seasons as the 2024 duo of Ladainian Fields and Michael Graham Jr have led the way for Southeast this season. They’re averaging a combined 30 points per game and they also have some experience with them. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="955401" first="Marcell" last="Perry"] has been big for the Spartans and he’s averaging in double figures. <hr /> #1 DEL CITY (22-3) VS #18 CLAREMORE (17-9) Thursday - 8:30PM - Noble HS How They Got Here Claremore: If you’re looking for a cinderella story, look to Claremore who comes in at 17-9 and upset two higher ranked teams on their way to the state tournament. After losing to Collinsville in the regional title game, the Zebras beat Will Rogers and Edison in back to back nights to clinch their spot in the state tournament. And the last time Claremore was an underdog in a tournament where Memorial and a Mid-Del school were the favorites, they upset Carl Albert on their way to a state championship appearance. Del City: The defending 6A state champions are looking to go back to back in two different classes. Del City started the season 3-3 but came to Tulsa and won the Tournament Of Champions with a thrilling win over Memorial in the title game. That began a streak of wins that has continued all the way into the playoffs. They’ve won 19 consecutive games since the 3-3 start. They dominated their way through the regional round and knocked off rival Midwest City in the area round to head to the state tourney. Players To Watch Claremore: Claremore has used a balance of experience and youth to punch their ticket to the state tournament. Their three leading scorers are seniors with [player_tooltip player_id="1295709" first="Michael" last="McHugh"] (12.5 PPG) Keith Watson (9.0 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id="1295744" first="Tanner" last="Steidley"] (8.5 PPG) coming into the state tourney. They also have juniors [player_tooltip player_id="1295724" first="Kort" last="Seidel"] and Cade Chancellor rounding out the starting five. Del City: The Eagles will be hurt without senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1356632" first="Jaedon" last="Foreman"] but they’re still loaded for state. The junior trio of [player_tooltip player_id="1068562" first="Brandon" last="Garrison"], [player_tooltip player_id="1357063" first="Percy" last="Green"] and [player_tooltip player_id="981287" first="Terry" last="McMorris"], who all average in double figures, has been nearly impossible for teams to stop or even slow down. Garrison and McMorris are two of the top 2023 prospects in the state. Get used to seeing the Eagles as contenders.