Class 5A Playoff Primer: Part 1

For much of the year, Class 5A has looked wide open. While there's still truth to that, Tulsa Memorial once again won the Green Country conference and earned the top East Side seed. Meanwhile on the West Side, the preseason 1 and 2 squads were Del City and Carl Albert. While they flipped spots in the final rankings, it was still those two programs at the top. The teams that were expected to be at the top of the mountain are still there, it's just that this year more programs have closed the gap between the elites and the rest of the field.   Last year those three teams won their opening round games at the state tournament by a combined 105 points. I'm going to go out on a sturdy limb and predict the results of the opening round of the state tournament this year will be much closer. Maybe even some upsets will happen!   Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the premier with a look at Tulsa Hale, El Reno, Holland Hall, Southeast and more!   Will the Old Guard stand strong?   Since 2016, Class 5A has been won by Tulsa Memorial (4 times) or Carl Albert (2 times). The one year it wasn't awarded, Del City was the favorite heading into the State Tournament. The Eagles have also played for two titles, and even won one in Class 6A (2021) during that timeframe. Similar to 6A and thier top teams, there's still a decent chance the title game is a combination of those three programs. And a great chance it involves at least one of them.   Tulsa Memorial: 19-3   Perception wise, it has been a "down" year for Memorial. Even in a down year they've racked up 19 wins, with only losses to a 6A regional host Lawton in early December, Class 2A juggernaut Dale and an upset in a rivalry game against a very good Tulsa Edison program. If this is a down year, the Chargers are only a victim to their own expectations. It's a matter of perception, because in recent years they often drilled other top ranked Tulsa area teams by double digits, now they are grinding out hard fought battles. Some would call it "lucky". But in athletics, luck is often the manifestation of hard-work.   Leading the charge for the Chargers this season is athletic senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1068565' first='Jarreth' last='Ingram']. The sky high finisher has also excelled in the mid-range, and stuffed the stat sheet all season long. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='967378' first='Seth' last='Pratt'] has continued to boost his status as one of the top shooters in the state, adding clutch shot after clutch shot to his resume. Rounding out the contributing seniors are floor general [player_tooltip player_id='1372131' first='Montae' last='Collins'] and industrious post player [player_tooltip player_id='1634188' first='Ben' last='Radford']. While perhaps not as deep as some of the previous Charger squads, this group is as battle tested as any. And looks ready to continue to add to the recent legacy of the TPS program.   Del City: 15-5   The Eagles are in a similar boat when it comes to expectations, as 5 losses is a "shocking" result. There's a couple out of state losses, two "upsets" by good teams up in 6A, and a narrow loss to 4A contender Douglass. The key part here is that they are 7-0 against fellow 5A competition. Which includes match ups with all three of the other top 4 ranked 5A West Sides teams, Carl Albert, El Reno and Southeast. Their average margin of victory in those three victories has been 11.7, with only Carl Albert playing within single digits (8). Del City has also played in the three straight State Title games (2 5A, 1 6A). Bet against the Eagles in March at your own risk.   Manning the middle is still [player_tooltip player_id='1068562' first='Brandon' last='Garrison'], who recently was selected as a McDonald's All American. The big man is one of the most dominant defenders in Oklahoma high school basketball history, he's an eraser at the rim while also being mobile enough to switch onto guards. This year Garrison has added an improved jumper to his repertoire, which could be crucial to give them the extra boost offensively come big games. Their defense has the potential to smoother foes with the help of senior [player_tooltip player_id='1372136' first='Jamouri' last='McCalister'], an athletic and aggressive defender. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1357063' first='Percy' last='Green'] has seen his production rise down the stretch, as a big time shot maker in the midrange and from beyond the arc.   Carl Albert: 18-5   Possibly the most complete team in Class 5A, the Titans are an upperclassman heavy team with a great blend of dynamic guards and size to protect the rim. It wasn't till February that they suffered their first loss to a fellow 5A team. They also have the impressive feather in their camp of winning the Bartlesville tournament with back to back wins, including becoming the only team this year to hold Class 6A contender Bixby under 50 points. Last year in a "rebuilding year" from their 2021 senior laden 5A State Title team, they reached the Class 5A semifinals. Proving that Carl Albert is more of reloading program than rebuilding. And this year, they are fully loaded.   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1211255' first='Jordan' last='England'] is one of the better scoring guards in the state, and has mixed in better playmaking skills to his game this winter. The junior class is deep with emerging stars, [player_tooltip player_id='1367219' first='Quincy' last='Hopkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1367218' first='Jayden' last='Mott']. Hopkins has seen his motor run hotter this winter, and is an athletic and powerful finisher at 6 foot 4. While the 6 foot 8 Mott, is a long arm destructive force on the defensive end. Who also cleans up the glass. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='1807984' first='Ryan' last='Reynolds'] provides a little more size at 6 foot 6 and floor spacing as a quality shooter.   Star Making Turn? Jermiah Johnson   One candidate to shake up the aforementioned top tier is Tulsa Edison. Leading the charge for them this season has been the breakout performance of athletic junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1793875' first='Jermiah' last='Johnson']. An athletic and disruptive player, Johnson nearly averages 5 steals a game. Because of that hard work, he's often has opportunities to show off his bounce with big time slams. It's not just in the open court that he excels as a finisher, he displays great body control to finish through or around contact. The lefty has a lot of momentum on his side for an Edison team that looks likely to be headed to Norman in a few weeks. Johnson could be an even bigger name in Oklahoma by this time in March.

For much of the year, Class 5A has looked wide open. While there's still truth to that, Tulsa Memorial once again won the Green Country conference and earned the top East Side seed. Meanwhile on the West Side, the preseason 1 and 2 squads were Del City and Carl Albert. While they flipped spots in the final rankings, it was still those two programs at the top. The teams that were expected to be at the top of the mountain are still there, it's just that this year more programs have closed the gap between the elites and the rest of the field.