Noble, Norman High host deep field at Cleveland County Classic
Apr. 3—Norman High and Noble will host 14 games combined over three days for the 2024 Cleveland County Classic.
The tournament begins on Thursday at 1 p.m. with McAlester facing Midwest City at Noble High School. Noble will host eight games over three days, while Norman High will host the other six games.
The festival features a deep field of teams from Class 6A, 5A and 4A. Of the 10 teams in attendance, only one has an overall record under .500.
Choctaw has the best record in Class 6A at 14-1 and is riding a six-game winning streak. McAlester, Duncan and Carl Albert each also have fewer than five losses.
Here's a preview of the local teams heading into the Cleveland County Classic:
Noble
The Bears are 8-0 in district play and haven't lost to a team from Class 5A so far this season. They'll begin this weekend's festival on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at home against Blanchard.
Noble plays again on Friday at 1 p.m. against Duncan before closing out the weekend against Norman North on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Norman High
The Tigers suffered back-to-back losses earlier this week to Edmond Santa Fe by six runs combined. Still, they were 11-5 entering the week and remain in the middle of the pack in District 6A1-1 standings.
They'll open the festival with a tough game against Choctaw on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. On Friday, they'll face Southmoore for the second time this season at 6 p.m.
The Sabercats took the first meeting 6-5 in Norman in the second game of the season.
The Tigers close out the Cleveland County Classic on Saturday against McAlester at noon.
Norman North
The Timberwolves avenged Monday's loss on the road to Stillwater with a 6-2 win against the Pioneers at home on Tuesday.
They've won four of their last five and are 10-7 overall. Three of those losses came at the Gulf Coast Classic in Alabama.
They're 6-2 and in second place in District 6A-3.
The Timberwolves begin the tournament on Thursday at Norman High at 6:30 p.m. against Southmoore. They'll turn around and face Midwest City in Noble on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing Noble on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com
