HS BASKETBALL: Coaches, administrators set Pitt 8 Tournament brackets, host sites

Jan. 5—The 2022 Pitt 8 Tournament will see a return to a formula that was adopted in 2020 and amended in 2021 due to effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coaches and administrators from across the Pitt 8 Conference gathered at Canadian on Wednesday to determine seeding and set days and times for the 2022 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament, set for Jan. 17-22.

In the initial change, two conference schools will split hosting duties on a rotating basis.

Indianola and Haileyville hosted the 2020 tournament with the championship game at Hartshorne High School. Last season, Kiowa and Pittsburg were the two host schools — but the championship game was held at Kiowa and boys and girls playing on separate nights to minimize crowds and the spread of COVID-19.

For the 2022 edition, Pitt 8 Conference commissioner Chad Graham said all conference members agreed to go continue playing at dual host sites, with the championship game to be at one of those sites.

"This year, the rotation is Canadian and Savanna," Chad Graham said. "Canadian will be the big gym, Savanna will be the small gym, so the finals Saturday will be at Canadian."

But this year, boys and girls teams will be competing on the same night. Graham, who is also superintendent at Pittsburg Public Schools, said the decision was made after a meeting with conference administrators.

"We're going back to all day Monday at Canadian, all days Tuesday at Savanna, and so on," he said. "We're not going to split it like we did last year. The (conference) superintendents talked about it last meeting, and we said 'let's go back to normal as much as we possibly can.'"

Coaches also met and determined the seeding for each team — setting the official bracket for the tournament.

After discussion about each team, coaches submitted their own rankings which were then compiled to create the final list.

The Pittsburg Panthers and Lady Panthers earned the top seed in both brackets. The Panthers have won eight conference titles and were last year's runner-up, while the Lady Panthers have won six conference titles and were also last year's runner-up.

On the girls side, Pittsburg will open up against eighth-seed Indianola, second-seed Crowder will face seventh-seed Haileyville, third-seed Stuart will battle sixth-seed Savanna, and fourth and fifth seeds Canadian and Kiowa will face off in the opening round.

On the boys side, Pittsburg will see eighth-seed Canadian, second-seed Stuart will take on seventh-seed Haileyville, third-seed Kiowa will face sixth-seed Indianola, and fourth-seed Crowder will be pitted against fifth-seed Savanna will in the opening round.

Here is the complete 2022 Pitt 8 basketball bracket. Girls games are designated with a "G" and boys games designated with a "B." The team listed first will be considered the home team:

MONDAY

AT CANADIAN

G1: Pittsburg vs. Indianola, 4 p.m.

B1: Kiowa vs. Indianola, 5:20 p.m.

G2: Kiowa vs. Canadian, 6:40 p.m.

B2: Pittsburg vs. Canadian, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY

AT SAVANNA

G3: Haileyville vs. Crowder, 4 p.m.

B3: Haileyville vs. Stuart, 5:20 p.m.

G4: Stuart vs. Savanna, 6:40 p.m.

B4: Savanna vs. Crowder, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

AT CANADIAN

G5: Winner G4 vs. Winner G3, 4 p.m.

B5: Winner G1 vs. Winner G3, 5:20 p.m.

G6: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 6:30 p.m.

B6: Winner G2 vs. Winner G4, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

AT SAVANNA

G7: Loser G4 vs. Loser G3, 4 p.m.

B7: Loser G1 vs. Loser G3, 5:20 p.m.

G8: Loser G1 vs. Loser G1, 6:40 p.m.

B8: Loser G2 vs. Loser G4, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

AT CANADIAN

G9: Winner G8 vs. Winner G7, 12 p.m. (Winner named consolation champ)

B9: Winner G8 vs. Winner G7, 1:30 p.m. (Winner named consolation champ)

G10: Loser G6 vs. Loser G5, 3 p.m. (Winner named third place)

B10: Loser G6 vs. Loser G5, 4:30 p.m. (Winner named third place)

G11: Winer G6 vs. Winner G5, 6 p.m. (Winner named champion)

B11: Winner G6 vs. Winner G5, 7:30 p.m. (Winner named champion)

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.