Too Early Class 2A Preview
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Basketball practice has officially begun for high schools in Oklahoma. Which means scrimmages and even games for some teams are only a month away, it’s time to take a look forward and start breaking down what looks to be a very competitive season of hoops this winter. In this post, we’re taking a look at Class 2A. Similar to a few of the other classes, the defending champion heading into this season is also a big favorite to repeat. We take a look at some of the top teams heading into the season and the players that will be leading them. Look for more team and player previews in the upcoming weeks as we ramp up our High School Basketball Season coverage.
DEFENDING CHAMPION/TEAM TO BEAT
Dale
Dale comes into this season not only as the defending champion but also the heavy favorite to capture another state championship. They would go 29-2 last season with the only losses coming in early December to Jones and then in the regular season finale to Cashion. They would avenge that Cashion loss in the championship game when the young Pirates knocked off the senior-led Wildcats. As Dale walked off the court with that gold ball, it was apparent that the Pirates would once again be the favorites this season and beyond as their starting lineup in the title game consisted of just sophomores and freshmen.
While the Pirates might have been young, they featured one of the best players in the state’s 2024 class and that was guard Dayton Forsythe Dayton Forsythe 6'3" | PG Dale | 2024 State #206 Nation OK . The dominating guard has had an outstanding offseason and will come into this season with about the biggest target that you can imagine this season. He should be ready after spending the spring and summer playing the top competition across the country with Team Griffin. Forsythe has established himself as one of the best prospects in the class but he’s not alone. Fellow junior Deken Jones Deken Jones 6'1" | CG Dale | 2024 State OK has steadily improved his game since the end of last season. And the Pirates have several sophomores who all gained valuable time last season as freshmen.
The Pirates are once again going to test themselves with a tough schedule. Most notably, the Pirates will be playing in the annual Tournament Of Champions event in Tulsa. That tournament field features 6A champion Edmond North, 5A champion Memorial, 4A champion Kingfisher among several other top contenders. But it’s not a crazy thing to predict that the Pirates will run the table outside of those three days in Tulsa. And by the way, they won’t back down from any of the teams or outstanding players at the TOC.
TOP CONTENDERS
Hooker
We start off the “Top Contenders” section with a team that fell to Dale in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Hooker is looking to make it back to the state tournament and they’ll certainly have some revenge on the mind as they look to dethrone Dale and capture the gold ball. Like several other top teams in Class 2A, the Bulldogs will have to reload heading into this winter. They lose their best player in big man Zach Hidalgo, who was a walking double double last season. However, they do return another Hidalgo as forward Nate Hidalgo will be going into his sophomore season and he’ll all but certainly have a bigger role within the Bulldog team this winter. Last season, the Bulldogs had an advantage with their size in almost every game. This season, the strength is in the guard play as Hooker brings back two young guards in Kleat Martens and Omar Gomez. The majority of their games will be out in western Oklahoma but you shouldn’t forget about Hooker this season.
Pocola
Pocola is a team that we really like heading into this season. Despite losing two of their top scorers, the Indians do bring back a strong duo that fans and readers need to go ahead and write down with guard Garrett Scott and forward Dakotah Terrell Dakotah Terrell 6'8" | C Pocola | 2025 State #335 Nation OK . Both of them are also standouts for the Indian football team, who have one of the better teams in Class A this fall. Pocola made it all the way to the state tournament last season but would come up short in the first round, falling to Silo. The Indians are determined to not only make it back to Oklahoma City, they want to challenge the Pirates and make a potential run in March. We got a chance to see Pocola this summer at various team camps and we came away impressed. That duo of Scott and Terrell is going to be fun to watch. We’ll get to see Scott this weekend at our camp in Edmond as he’s one of the small school standouts that is signed up.
Rejoice Christian
Rejoice Christian is dropping back down to Class 2A after back to back losing seasons in Class 3A. But the last time we saw Rejoice Christian competing in Class 2A, they were making annual trips to the state tournament, including capturing the gold ball with a run to the title in 2019. They had their shot at repeating as state champ cut short due to Covid in 2020. Now, the Eagles are determined to not only return to their winning ways after the back to back losing seasons, they are determined to make a trip back to Oklahoma City. The Eagles have a very talented athletic program right now and look no further than the football team and the success they’re having right now. Granted, that could mean the basketball team will be waiting for some of those football standouts as the Eagles might play into December. But asking around to various coaches in Class 2A, all of them have their eyes on Rejoice.
DARK HORSE
Cashion
It might seem ridiculous to see Cashion listed as a “Dark Horse” heading into the season but that’s where we’re at heading into this upcoming season. Cashion made it all the way to the state championship game but had to settle for the silver ball in the loss to Dale. But following the championship loss, it was understood that Cashion might take a step back this winter. They lost seven of their top eight players, including their entire starting lineup. But, we’ve been following not only basketball, but high school sports enough to know that a program like Cashion might not reload, but they definitely don’t rebuild. This is still a team to take very seriously throughout the season. They might mirror the football team this winter. The football team had to replace the majority of their playmakers and they started a bit slow out of the gates. But they’re still a dangerous team as we get closer to the playoffs. The basketball team will look to replicate that.