Oklahoma high school basketball: Noble Dental Lodge Classic bracket, players to watch
Mount St. Mary’s starting lineup has changed, but the goal is the same.
The Rockets’ boys basketball team is striving to win its second straight Noble Dental Lodge Classic, which takes place Thursday-Saturday at Noble High School.
Last year, Mount St. Mary slipped past Perkins-Tryon, 42-37, for the tournament title. The Rockets’ offense often revolved around Braeden Lloyd and Jaxson Daniels, who finished the season averaging 19.2 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
With Daniels graduating and Lloyd heading to Piedmont for his senior year, the Rockets enter this year’s Dental Lodge Classic with a different cast of leading scorers. But the Rockets have created success with balance, carrying a 5-2 record and a three-game win streak into the tournament.
It helps to have a senior-laden roster and leadership from a coach who played on an NCAA championship team.
“We have seven seniors, so we got a bunch of guys who have been around and understand what we’re trying to do as a program,” said Rockets head coach Andre Dawkins, who won a national title with Duke in 2010. “So, we’re kind of spreading that around.”
Jodie Shavers, fellow senior Joe Krug and junior Eli Jones are playing key roles for the Rockets, who open tournament play against Newcastle at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Here are more storylines and players to watch:
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Guthrie girls basketball pushes through early challenges
Guthrie’s girls basketball schedule did not start with easy games.
The Bluejays opened their season with a tough loss to Shawnee. After a challenging Community Christian tournament, they fell to Carl Albert, 42-29.
Because of this loaded early schedule, Guthrie is battle-tested and this could be a chance for a turnaround. The Bluejays won last year’s tournament with a 50-43 victory over McAlester in the finals, so Guthrie coach Breck Clark carries optimism into this one.
“We’ve had a pretty good couple of practices over break,” Clark said. “We have lost a couple pieces from last year, but I still think the girls are kind of excited to defend the title.”
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Perkins-Tryon boys basketball off to perfect start
Seven games into the season, Perkins-Tryon’s boys basketball team is undefeated.
Perkins-Tryon had a strong start with senior star Tucker Shepherd leading the way. Then the Demons’ roster grew when football season ended with a state semifinal appearance.
“(The football players) were sore and beat up after the semifinal game,” said basketball coach Dylan Parker. “So they were able to weather the storm, get to Christmas and stay relatively healthy. Now, I think going into the second semester, they’re gonna have a really big impact on our team.”
After falling just short of a Dental Lodge Classic title last season, the fifth-ranked Class 4A Demons look to avenge the loss.
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5 girls players to watch
Mariah Dightman, Sr., Guthrie: Dightman averages a team-best 17 points per game.
Reagan Greenroyd, So., Newcastle: Greenroyd is averaging 12 points and four rebounds per game as Newcastle is off to a 5-4 start.
Ania Morgan, Sr., Guthrie: Morgan leads the Bluejays in steals, deflections, assists and blocks.
Kylie Ross, Jr., Mount St. Mary: Ross shined with 30 points against Harrah in December.
Raylee Steely, Jr., Noble: Steely is averaging 16 points, three assists, three steals and four rebounds per game as the Bears enter their home tournament.
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5 boys players to watch
Bobby Burrell, Sr., Newcastle: Burrell leads the Racers with 16.2 points per game. Newcastle carries a 5-4 record into the tournament.
Ross Johnston, Sr., Blanchard: A Tulsa football signee, Johnston also stars as the center on the Lions' boys basketball team. He is averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game.
Jacob Ojeda, Sr., Bridge Creek: Ojeda, who has an offer from Oklahoma City University, averaged 19.2 points per game as a junior. This season, his averages are 19.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Jodie Shavers, Sr., Mount St. Mary: A 6-foot-7 forward, Shavers is averaging a double-double with about 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Tucker Shepherd, Sr., Perkins-Tryon: A consistent leader, Shepherd was named MVP of the Bethel Tournament in December.
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Girls bracket
Thursday
Noble vs. Bridge Creek, 10 a.m.
Guthrie vs. Mount St. Mary, 1 p.m.
Newcastle vs. Lawton, 4 p.m.
Blanchard vs. Perkins-Tryon, 7 p.m.
Friday
Noble-Bridge Creek loser vs. Newcastle-Lawton loser, 10 a.m.
Guthrie-Mount St. Mary loser vs. Blanchard-Perkins-Tryon loser, 1 p.m.
Noble-Bridge Creek winner vs. Newcastle-Lawton winner, 7 p.m.
Guthrie-Mount St. Mary winner vs. Blanchard-Perkins-Tryon winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Seventh-place game, 10 a.m.
Consolation championship, 1 p.m.
Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
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Boys bracket
Thursday
Noble vs. Perkins-Tryon, 11:30 a.m.
Bridge Creek vs. John Marshall, 2:30 p.m.
Mount St. Mary vs. Newcastle, 5:30 p.m.
Blanchard vs. Washington, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Noble-Perkins-Tryon loser vs. Mount St. Mary-Newcastle loser, 11:30 a.m.
Blanchard-Washington loser vs. Bridge Creek-John Marshall loser, 2:30 p.m.
Noble-Perkins-Tryon winner vs. Mount St. Mary-Newcastle winner, 5:30 p.m.
Blanchard-Washington winner vs. Bridge Creek-John Marshall winner, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Seventh-place game, 11:30 a.m.
Consolation championship, 2:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 5:30 p.m.
Championship, 8:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Breaking down Noble Dental Lodge Classic brackets, players to watch
