Class 6A State Tournament Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The Class 6A state tournament is set and all three rounds will take place inside the Lloyd Noble Center on the campus of OU. And this year, Class 6A is arguably as wide open as it’s been in over a decade. You can make the argument for just about any of the eight state tourney teams making a run to Championship Saturday and raising a gold ball. The west side continues to dominate Class 6A with six of the eight teams coming from the OKC metro area. 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/2022/03/6A-Boys-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1404432" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/6A-Boys-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /></a> <hr /> <h4>THE MATCH-UPS</h4> MOORE (19-7) VS PUTNAM CITY WEST (20-5) Thursday - 2:00PM - OU’s Lloyd Noble Center How They Got Here Moore: The Moore Lions are headed to the state tournament for the first time in nearly two decades. Moore is playing in state for the first time since 2005. The Lions had to fight for their shot at the state title after losing to Edmond North in the area final, they came back the next night and beat Choctaw to clinch their spot in the tournament. In the first round, they’ll face a Putnam City West team that they saw in the Putnam City Invitational in January. They beat the Patriots 60-46 but that was over two months ago. Putnam City West: That loss to Moore in the Putnam City Invitational started a three game losing streak for the Patriots in January. However, since that skid, they’ve won nine out of their last ten and have been dominant since the playoffs began a few weeks ago. The closest game they’ve played in the playoffs was a 15-point victory over Sand Springs in the opening round of regionals. The Patriots have a young team this year but head coach Lenny Bert will have them ready to go for the bright lights of state. Players To Watch Moore: The Lions have one of the best sophomores in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="1367215" first="Chiante" last="Tramble"]. But before he’s not Moore’s leading scorer coming into the state tournament. That would go to senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1164876" first="Marcus" last="Dockins"] Jr, a football star, averaging 15.6 points per game. Tramble is right behind him at 14.6 points per game. The Lions start junior [player_tooltip player_id="1211260" first="Malachi" last="Lee"] who is in double figures and another sophomore in Dorian Grant who is close to double figures. Putnam City West: We mentioned Putnam City West was a young team this season. Only two seniors are in the starting lineup for the Patriots and their two leading scorers should be back next year. Junior Orian Scales leads the Patriots with 15 points per game. Then you have freshman Carlsehon Young at 10.5 points per game, having an instant impact as a freshman. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1295731" first="Jordan" last="Warrior"] is also a contributor along with seniors [player_tooltip player_id="964490" first="Elijah" last="James"] and Jacob Blount. <hr /> BOOKER T WASHINGTON (23-2) VS NORMAN NORTH (17-8) Thursday - 3:30PM - OU’s Lloyd Noble Center How They Got Here Booker T Washington: Everyone around Booker T Washington is probably tired of hearing about last year. But the turnaround the Hornets have had is remarkable. They won two games last season, they have two losses coming into the state tournament. Booker T Washington is one of the best basketball programs in the state and they are one of the top contenders to win the gold ball. In their three playoff games to make it to state, they beat all three opponents by double digits. They’re ready for another run at the title. Norman North: Just like many of the other teams that made it to the state tournament, Norman North has taken their bumps along the way. They’re one of eight teams playing for a state championship and it’s hard to argue that they don’t have as good of a shot as the other seven teams. After getting beaten down by Edmond Memorial in the area final, the Timberwolves would bounce back the next night, beating Deer Creek. They made it to the area round after knocking off Putnam City North in the regional title game. Players To Watch Booker T Washington: The Hornets have one of the best backcourts in the state, regardless of class. Leading that backcourt is senior [player_tooltip player_id="1164879" first="Aaron" last="Potter"], averaging 18.5 points per game. His backcourt running mate is fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="955391" first="Kam" last="Parker"], who averages 17.4 points per game. Those two are not alone either. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="955394" first="Ijai" last="Johnson"] and junior Lathan Boone are each averaging double figures. Those four are a big reason why the Hornets are one of the favorites. Norman North: The only team that could rival Booker T Washington’s guard play is Norman North and we see it on Thursday. The T’Wolves are led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="955382" first="Kevin" last="Overton"] at 19 points per game and he’s joined in the backcourt by junior [player_tooltip player_id="965255" first="Jeremiah" last="Johnson"], averaging 16 points per game. The two guards are two of the best prospects in their respective classes. Like the Hornets, they also have some help throughout the lineup. <hr /> EDMOND MEMORIAL (22-4) VS EDMOND SANTA FE (13-13) Thursday - 7:00PM - OU’s Lloyd Noble Center How They Got Here Edmond Memorial: Edmond Memorial returns to the state tournament and the Bulldogs are hungry for that elusive state championship. The Bulldogs have been the top dogs in Class 6A this season and they have played like that over the last few weeks. They’ve won all of their playoff games by double digits, including a 50-31 win over Norman North to reach the state tournament. Waiting for them in the first round is rival Edmond Santa Fe. The Bulldogs went 2-2 against the Wolves. Round five’s award is a trip to the semifinals. Edmond Santa Fe: Nobody outside of Edmond could have seen this run coming from Santa Fe. As the regional round began in late February, the Wolves were in the middle of a stretch where they had lost 9 of their last 12 games down the stretch of the regular season. But a win over Edmond North in the final game of the regular season gave them momentum. After being sent east for regionals and area, the Wolves would beat Owasso and Muskogee in back to back nights to lock up their spot in the state tourney. Players To Watch Edmond Memorial: You have to start the conversation about Players To Watch with senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="954194" first="JV" last="Seat"]. The Abilene Christian signee leads the Bulldogs with 18.7 points per game. This is a senior-heavy team for Edmond Memorial as four of their five starters are seniors. [player_tooltip player_id="958417" first="Gabe" last="Seat"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1010309" first="Will" last="Cain"] also average in double figures for the Bulldogs. [player_tooltip player_id="1079009" first="Carter" last="Hjelmstad"] is the only junior in the starting line up, he averages 6.4 points per game. Edmond Santa Fe: The Wolves come into the state tournament with a very balanced lineup. Four of their five starters average just over or just under 10 points per game. Their leading scorer is senior [player_tooltip player_id="1376832" first="Tanner" last="Williams"] at 11.5 points, then junior Jayden Cincota at 10.9. Seniors Joe Adams and Mike Reeves average 9.5 and 9.3 points per game respectively. The Wolves also start a freshman in [player_tooltip player_id="1295739" first="Jantz" last="Alsup"] and he’s averaging 6.4 points per game. <hr /> EDMOND NORTH (21-5) VS JENKS (21-6) Thursday - 8:30PM - OU’s Lloyd Noble Center How They Got Here Edmond North: Edmond North returns to the state tournament with a relatively young team so get used to seeing the Huskies in this position for the next few Marches. Edmond North has been in that conversation of the truly elite teams in Class 6A for the majority of the season. At one point, they were 14-1 in January and February before losing to Santa Fe in the final game of the regular season. In the playoffs, the Huskies have done what they’ve had to do with back to back single digit wins over Norman and Moore. Jenks: The Jenks Trojans return to the state tournament and plenty of people expected them to be here when the season began in November. Like many other teams, the Trojans took their bumps throughout the season and they also come into this tournament very experienced when it comes to close games. Five of their games this year went to overtime. And they had to fight their way to state after being stunned by Muskogee in the regional final. They put 100 on Tahlequah and then beat rival Broken Arrow by 17 to clinch a spot at state. Players To Watch Edmond North: Remember what we said about PC West? Get ready to see Edmond North contending over the next few seasons. With only one senior in their starting lineup, the Huskies are ready to make a run for a few years. Leading them is super sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1332074" first="Dylan" last="Warlick"], averaging 20 points per game. Joining him in double figures is another sophomore in [player_tooltip player_id="1367221" first="TO" last="Barrett"], who averages 10 points per game. Warlick is in the conversation for best sophomore prospect behind Bartlesville’s [player_tooltip player_id="1367213" first="David" last="Castillo"]. Jenks: The Jenks 1-2 punch of Benjamin Averitt and [player_tooltip player_id="955379" first="Chase" last="Martin"] has been tough to stop for opponents this season. The two seniors are a big reason why the Trojans have returned to the state tournament. Averitt averages nearly 18 points per game and Martin is right at 16 points per game this season. Martin is playing some of his best basketball right now and Averitt has been a consistent force all season. They’re joined in double figures by [player_tooltip player_id="1068571" first="Dylan" last="Golightly"], who averages 11.1 points per game.