State Preview: 2A

<p>State tournament weekend in Oklahoma is finally here. On the 2A boys side, there weren’t too many surprises. All of the teams in the top five ended up qualifying, along with three other ranked teams. Here’s a quick rundown of who plays who, and a quick analysis of the matchups:</p> <p><strong>#1 Dale vs #15 Morrison</strong></p> <p><strong>#7 Howe vs #4 Cashion</strong></p> <p><strong>#3 Pawnee vs #5 Union</strong></p> <p><strong>#16 Wewoka vs #2 Hooker</strong></p> <p>The top five in 2A has held steady the entire season. In some form or fashion, these five teams have been near the top in most rankings. Dale is the favorite to win the state tournament behind Dayton and Dallen Forsythe. The brother duo has been impressive all season, and Dayton is one of the top freshmen in the class.</p> <p>However, Cashion beat Dale on the road this season in one of the most exciting games yet. Led by Jonah Jenkins, Vance Raney and [player_tooltip player_id="1142031" first="Austin" last="Frazier"], the Wildcats have just as good a chance as anyone. When Cashion is hot from deep, they are extremely tough to stop. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Wildcats in the championship game.</p> <p>Pawnee is flying under the radar here, as they have only lost one game all season. [player_tooltip player_id="964494" first="Gunnar" last="Gordon"], the Black Bears point guard, is definitely a name to watch.</p> <p>Hooker and Union are both an identical 22-2 overall. Hooker has yet to lose a game to anyone in 2A and has been dominant the entire season. Union lost to Dale in an extremely close battle by only five points. Every single one of those teams in the top five has a chance at the gold ball.</p> <p>Howe, who finished the season ranked #7, had two close losses to a ranked 4A team. They also lost a close one to Pawnee, who they played in Area. They are battle tested and have won a good amount of close games this season.</p> <p>While Morrison and Wewoka aren’t ranked as highly, don’t count them out. Wewoka battled with Cashion and has played some good 3A teams, while Morrison only lost four games.</p> <p><strong>Predictions</strong></p> <p>This 2A state tournament could really go any direction. It’s hard to differentiate the teams at the top. If Dale and Cashion can both take care of business in the first round, it’s going to be a crazy second round. That heated rivalry in the round two will be something to keep an eye on for sure. I think there’s a good shot it’s #1 vs #2 in the finals and I’m going to pick Hooker to win this one. Hooker has been dominant all year and they have yet to drop a game in their class, which is why I’m going with the Bulldogs here.</p>