Class A State Tournament Preview
In this article:
Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The Class A state tournament tips off on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City at the Fairgrounds Arena. We’re down to the final eight teams and Prep…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingGet 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!
The Class A state tournament tips off on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City at the Fairgrounds Arena. We’re down to the final eight teams and Prep Hoops Oklahoma will have you covered from beginning to end. From this preview, to tournament coverage to the all tourney team and everything in between. In this post, we take an in-depth look at the Class A state tournament as top-ranked Hydro-Eakly attempts to go back to back as Class A state champion.
THE BRACKET
THE MATCH-UPS
#3 VANOSS (21-4) VS #4 CADDO (24-4)
Thursday – 4:30PM – The Fairgrounds
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Caddo: After being upset by Tushka in the first round of regionals, the Bruins have been playing “win or go home” basketball ever since. That’s five straight games that they had to win or they would be eliminated from the postseason. Not the easiest path for a top five team heading into state. But that’s what the Bruins did. They would win all five, with four of them decided by single digits, to clinch their spot in the state tourney and a showdown with Vanoss in a top five match-up. Because of the Tushka upset, we get a semifinal or even championship-quality match-up in the first round.
Vanoss: Few teams in this state tourney field are playing as well as Vanoss is playing heading into the state tournament. The Wolves absolutely dominated their way to the state tourney. Their closest game in the four playoff games was a 15-point win to punch their ticket to state. The Wolves absolutely turned it on when the playoffs began after losing their final two regular season games to 2A top ten teams in Silo and Dale. In fact, they haven’t lost to a Class A team all season as the other two losses came to Class B #1 Roff. The Wolves have to enter this week feeling confident.
THE PLAYERS
Caddo: Arguably the best playmaker in this year’s state tournament field is a sophomore in Caddo guard DJ Dill. The young standout is averaging 21 points per game, the highest average of any state tourney team. The Bruins also have two seniors in double figures with Kolton Neptune and Austin Tomson. And another sophomore in Carson Culbreath who is near double figures.
Vanoss: It appears to be clear that Vanoss is going to be a contender for a few seasons. They start just one senior and their four leading scorers will all be returning next year. Juniors Carter Perry and Brayden Cannon lead the Wolves in scoring with 16 and 12 respectively. They also have a pair of sophomores in Logan Hulbutta and Layne Thrower who are right around double figures this season.
HISTORY
Caddo: The Caddo Bruins are headed to the state tournament for the first time since 2011. The Bruins made back to back state tourney appearances in 2010 and 2011 but haven’t been back since. Before the trip in 2010, Caddo went over 20 years without a state tournament appearance. The state tourney hasn’t been too friendly to the Bruins as they only have two tourney wins in school history.
Vanoss: Just about all of Vanoss’ state tournament experience comes in the last few seasons. The Wolves are in the state tourney for the fourth time in school history and it’s the third trip in the last four years. The only other time Vanoss made it to state was when they won the Class A title in 1998. Last year, the Wolves were bounced out of the first round by Snyder.
#5 ARAPAHO-BUTLER (25-5) VS TUSHKA (21-8)
Thursday – 6:00PM – The Fairgrounds
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Arapaho-Butler: Arapaho-Butler advanced to the state tournament but it wasn’t an easy path after they lost in the regional final to Texhoma. The Indians would have to win three straight elimination games, including another clash with Texhoma on Tuesday night in order for them to make it into the state tournament. They avenged the 3-point loss in the regional round with an 11-point win on Tuesday. Prior to the loss in regionals, the Indians had been playing good ball. Their only losses since January 1st were to top ranked Hydro-Eakly and unbeaten Mountain View-Gotebo.
Tushka: The Tushka Tigers certainly weren’t expected to make it to the state tournament. But don’t let that fool you. The only unranked team in the tourney field is playing fantastic basketball right now. That wasn’t the case for the majority of the season. On February 1st, the Tigers were 13-8. They’ve won eight straight games, including wins over top ten teams in Caddo and Rattan in the playoffs after losing to those teams in the regular season. To make it to state, the Tigers won three straight games against three teams ranked in the top 13 in Class A. Hard to argue that they don’t belong this week.
THE PLAYERS
Arapaho-Butler: Arapaho-Butler is another team that is very senior-heavy going into the state tournament. They start four seniors, two of which are their leading scorers with Brett Griffith and Ryan Carlisle. They do have a junior also averaging in double figures with Landon Donelson. The Indians are experienced and have one of the more experienced rosters coming into the tourney.
Tushka: The 1-2 punch of Cole Simpson and Jeff Mackey has been a good one for the Tigers this season. The two seniors have been the leaders of this team on the floor and in scoring. The guard Simpson is the leading scorer with 17 points per game. Mackey is behind him at just over 10 points per game. And while the Tigers start four seniors, they also have a sophomore in Tagen Simon who is averaging in double figures.
HISTORY
Arapaho-Butler: For the ninth time in school history and the third straight season, Arapaho-Butler has found their way to the state tournament. The Indians made it all the way to the 2020 state championship game before losing to Garber. Unfortunately last season, they were bounced out in the first round by Velma-Alma. They’re still searching for their first ever state championship.
Tushka: While Arapaho-Butler has made state tourney appearances look easy, that hasn’t been the case for Tushka. The Tigers have finally broken through and made it to the state tournament for the first time since 2000. The Tigers have had quite a few droughts in state tourney appearances but they’ll look to make the most of this year’s trip. They’re clearly playing their best basketball right now.
#2 GARBER (23-3) VS #15 RIVERFIELD (24-3)
Thursday – 7:30PM – The Fairgrounds
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Garber: Garber absolutely steam-rolled through the playoffs to punch their ticket back to the state tournament. The Wolverines are determined to make it back to Championship Saturday and win their second gold ball in the last three seasons. Garber’s only losses this season were to teams from Class 3A. They were dominant against Class A teams but they certainly didn’t face some of the tougher teams in the class like some of the other tourney teams. While some may be worried about their strength of schedule, you also have to think about how this is a team that is used to playing for championships at this point and will be ready.
Riverfield: What a story this is for the small private school out of Tulsa, making their first ever state tournament. And the playoff road to get to Oklahoma City has been anything but smooth. The Ravens had to scratch and claw their way to the Big House after losing to Okay in a regional round. They played five consecutive elimination games and had to go 5-0 in order to make it to their first ever state tournament. Now that they’ve made it, they get one of the more dominant teams in the class over the last few seasons in Garber in the first round. The Ravens aren’t just satisfied with making it to the state tourney. They want to make more noise this week.
THE PLAYERS
Garber: The Wolverines are one of the more experienced teams in the state tourney field after back to back trips to the state title game in 2020 and 2021. They also have five seniors in their starting lineup. David Nagel, Aidan Johnston Aidan Johnston 6'4" | SG Garber | 2022 State OK , Solomon Bishop and Ty Chester Ty Chester 6'5" | PF Garber | 2022 OK all average in double figures with Trayvon Bennett right under at 9.6 points per game. This is an experienced and very balanced Garber squad.
Riverfield: We’ll dive into this more in our next section but this may be Riverfield’s first trip to state, but it probably won’t be their last. Their top four scorers should all be back next season with three juniors and a sophomore. Leading the way is junior Davieon Clinton at 17.5 points per game. Then you have sophomore Braeden Clinton Braeden Clinton 6'0" | CG Riverfield Country Day | 2024 State OK and junior Kamden Snell who are both in double figures.
HISTORY
Garber: The Wolverines are back into the state tournament for the fourth consecutive season. In 2020, Garber captured the Class A state championship with a win over Arapaho-Butler. Last year, they had to walk away with the silver ball after losing to Hydro-Eakly, who completed a perfect season. This year, they’re hoping to make another trip back to Championship Saturday.
Riverfield: While Garber is not only used to making it to the Big House, but they’re used to playing on Championship Saturday, that is not the case for Riverfield. This will be the first time in school history that the Ravens have competed in the state tournament. It’s certainly going to be a tall task going against a Wolverine team that knows what to expect going into the next three days in OKC.
#1 HYDRO EAKLY (24-3) VS #19 CANUTE (22-8)
Thursday – 9PM – The Fairgrounds
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Canute: Similar to Riverfield’s story, Canute had to win five straight elimination games just to make it to the state tournament. They would fall in the first round of regionals and rally to win five straight, including two wins over top ten teams. Now the focus shifts to their first round opponent in top-ranked Hydro-Eakly. The Bobcats beat up on Canute back in November. At this point of the year, you can’t take too much away from a meeting that happened in November. Both teams are playing and look completely different at this point of the year. The Trojans have been in win or go home mode for a few weeks now, we’ll see if they can keep it up on Thursday.
Hydro-Eakly: The top-ranked Hydro-Eakly Bobcats are back in the state tournament to defend their state championship. They don’t bring an undefeated record into the state tourney like they did a year ago but it’s hard to say they aren’t the favorite to win it all again. They would at one point have 33-straight wins before losing to 5A powerhouse Memorial in the Tournament Of Champions. In fact, they three out of five games in late December/early January. But since that stretch, they’ve won 14 in a row, including double digit wins in all of their playoff games. They beat Cyril by 10 to punch their ticket to state.
THE PLAYERS
Canute: The Trojans are led by a freshman this year in Jaxon Beck. The young guard leads Canute in scoring with 15 points per game. The Trojans have a blend of experience and youth with two seniors in Colt Randall and Zachary Potter each averaging double figures. Junior Kyron Whinery also chips in with 11 points per game. The Trojans haven’t been to the state tournament in quite some time so experience might be a problem as they go up against the defending champs.
Hydro-Eakly: The senior trio of Carson Propps, Nolan Gore and Paxton Price have all given the Bobcats plenty of firepower on the offensive end this season. All three have averaged in double figures. Gore leads the way, averaging nearly 20 points per game. Propps and Price average 15 and 14 respectively. The Bobcats are a senior-heavy team after last year’s undefeated run. These seniors appear ready to go out on top with a second consecutive state championship.
HISTORY
Canute: Other than Riverfield never making it to a state tourney, the team in this year’s field that had the longest state tournament drought was Canute. They’re headed to the state tournament for the first time since 1999. The Trojans obviously have a tough match-up with defending champion Hydro-Eakly in the first round. But the Trojans are hoping to get their first ever state tournament win on Thursday.
Hydro-Eakly: With nearly everyone returning from last year’s undefeated state championship team, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Bobcats are back in the state tourney for the third consecutive season. This is quite the run for Hydro-Eakly. Before 2020, the Bobcats had just three state tournament appearances in nearly 70 years. Now they’ve had three in the last three seasons.