What We Learned (TOC Special)

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   Each and every Monday this season, we're going to take a look back at the previous week and try to narrow down and put a spotlight some of the top stories and results that happened across the state of Oklahoma. This week, we're taking a special look back at the Tournament Of Champions. Oklahoma's marquee tournament did not disappoint and we were there from start to finish. We're diving into the five top stories from last week's tournament for this week's edition of “What We Learned.”   DALE'S TITLE RUN & FORSYTHE'S ASCENSION   Throughout Dale's run to the TOC title, we saw several arguments on social media about whether or not Dale winning the TOC was an upset. So we'll clear some things up. No, Dale's run to the TOC title was not an upset. Yes, it was one of the bigger storylines that we'll see this basketball season as the small school went 3-0 against some of the better big schools in the state. The Pirates knocked off Union, Crossings Christian and Memorial to capture the TOC title. Dale came in as the number one team in Class 2A and are defending that state championship. Now that they're 14-0 and with the TOC in their rear view mirror, the conversation will undoubtedly begin about whether or not this team can run the table with a perfect season.   Leading the Pirates to the TOC title was junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1367217' first='Dayton' last='Forsythe']. Coming into the tournament, it was well established that Forsythe was already one of the top players in Oklahoma. But playing in the TOC gave the junior a stage to make his case as THE top player in Oklahoma. And he took advantage of it. Forsythe averaged 25 points per game over the three days and led the Pirates with 34 points in their title win over Memorial. Forsythe is already enjoying the benefits of performing on the big platform. Over the weekend, Forsythe was offered by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, who each had coaches sitting court side for his games. And Wake Forest also extended an offer to the Dale standout. And it feels like that is just the beginning for the outstanding junior guard.   EDMOND NORTH BOUNCES BACK STRONG   Don't make Edmond North angry. You wouldn't like them when they're angry. The Huskies were stunned in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday morning when 4A's Crossings Christian upset them. Edmond North was handcuffed by foul problems to their top players [player_tooltip player_id='1367221' first='TO' last='Barrett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1332074' first='Dylan' last='Warlick'] in that first round game and the Knights would pull off the upset. Edmond North had been dominant against Oklahoma teams this season and it didn't take long for them to get back to that same dominance in the next two days. The Huskies, who came into the tourney as the heavy favorites, would bounce back the next day with an easy win over Union and then in the fifth place game they beat up on Bartlesville.   The Huskies began the season as heavy favorites to capture another 6A gold ball. But after a little over a month of basketball, we know that we'll see more competition in the state's largest class. Other teams like Broken Arrow, Putnam City North and several others have made their claims to be one of of the top teams in 6A basketball this season. But in Friday's fifth place game, star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1367221' first='TO' last='Barrett'] showed why he might be the top prospect in Oklahoma's 2024 class. In a head to head match-up with Bartlesville's [player_tooltip player_id='1367213' first='David' last='Castillo'], Barrett excelled and showed why he's considered one of the top defenders in the state. And as his offensive game continues to develop and improve, he'll enjoy the benefits of becoming a true national blue chip prospect.   4A'S SHOWCASE OF TOP TEAMS   After a little over a month into the season, one thing has been apparent and that's just how competitive and deep Class 4A will be this year. That was the thought coming into the year and nothing has slowed down that thought process after the TOC. Class 4A's #1 Kingfisher and #2 Crossings Christian were both in the tournament field and after they fell in the semifinals, we got the next best thing as they would square off in the third place game. That game was looked at as a potential 4A state tournament and possibly state championship game and it lived up to the hype.   Crossings Christian sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1358852' first='Cal' last='Furnish'] and Kingfisher senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1211253' first='Xavier' last='Ridenour'] put on a show as the two teams went back and forth throughout the evening, trading shot for shot. But in the end, it was [player_tooltip player_id='1482835' first='Evan' last='Crotts'] who would have a put back right at the buzzer to give Crossings the win over Kingfisher. The Kingfisher loss was their first loss to a 4A team in over a year and the Crossings win could put the Knights into the top spot in Class 4A when the rankings come out on Monday afternoon. But let's face it, the rankings right now mean absolutely nothing because 4A is absolutely stacked. Douglass, Holland Hall, Newcastle and Weatherford are all going to be in the mix and there are a few teams outside of that conversation that will have something to say when March rolls around.   MEMORIAL'S TOUGH TOC LUCK   For the second straight year, Memorial made it to the TOC title game, and for the second straight year, they suffered a tough loss in that title game. Last year, it was jumping out to a 15-0 lead over Del City and then losing by ten. This year, it was falling to Forsythe and the Pirates as the Chargers struggled from the charity stripe down the stretch. This game was back and forth throughout and had the feeling of a game that we're going to see in March. Unfortunately, the Chargers couldn't convert on a few opportunities late in the fourth quarter and the Pirates were able to pull off the win. But just like last season, Memorial plans on using their TOC run as a learning experience as they prepare for the next two months, leading up to March and a potential run back to the state tournament.   As defending 5A champions, Memorial is still one of the favorites to capture another gold ball in March. Led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1068565' first='Jarreth' last='Ingram'], [player_tooltip player_id='1372131' first='Montae' last='Collins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='967378' first='Seth' last='Pratt'], the Chargers showed they have the firepower to make another run in March. Ingram had a slow start to the tournament in their first game and then came absolutely alive in the final two days and was a big reason why the Chargers were close to capturing the TOC title. If he plays like what we saw on Thursday and Friday, they'll have a good chance to go back to back as Class 5A's state champion. But as we've mentioned a few times over the last month, they have arguably more competition than ever. Fellow 5A contenders Carl Albert and Del City will be in the mix, along with El Reno, Nathan Hale and Southeast all have earned the right to be labeled as contenders.   ROFF'S 0-3 WEEK SETTING UP A POTENTIAL TITLE RUN   Every year, the Tournament Of Champions has an outstanding field of teams. And that means that one team is unfortunately going to come out of the tournament with an 0-3 record. That team this year was the smallest in the field with Class B's Roff dropping three straight games. They got the tournament off to a great start by pushing 5A powerhouse Memorial in the first round. But by the time the seventh place game rolled around against Union, Roff simply ran out of gas. But this is a strong Class B team that appears destined for another run to the Big House and they will contend with Fort Cobb-Broxton and other teams for the Class B crown.   After coming up short a season ago, we think that Roff has what it takes to capture that gold ball. They certainly got a taste of having to play three good teams on three straight days. They'll learn from their trip to Tulsa and be ready when the postseason rolls around. This team is led by several seniors who will end up playing baseball at the next level. And the senior leading the charge is [player_tooltip player_id='1717009' first='Tallen' last='Bagwell'], who was Roff's top player throughout the week in Tulsa. He's been their star standout for over a year now and he was able to put on a show under the bright lights of the BOK Center.

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