Oklahoma HS girls basketball: How newcomer Teague Muncy is clicking with undefeated Dale
CASHION — Teague Muncy didn’t know much about her new teammates’ personalities when she arrived at Dale in July, but she had a firsthand account of their intensity on the basketball court.
Only four months earlier, Muncy had faced the Pirates in the state semifinals when she played for Amber-Pocasset. Dale rallied from a deficit to eliminate Amber-Pocasset on the way to a Class 2A championship.
“We were up 10 points,” Muncy said, “and it still felt like we were behind for the first quarter because of how much aggression and how much passion they brought to the game. So when I found out I was moving to Dale, that was the thing I was most excited for, just how passionate the players were because I wanted to play for a team that was like that.”
In the heart of basketball season, Muncy and the Pirates are showing that competitive spirit.
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Dale opened the Cashion County Line Tournament with an 81-20 victory over Class 4A Clinton on Thursday morning to reach the semifinals. The top-ranked Pirates are rolling with a 17-0 record, and junior forward Muncy has boosted the balanced group since moving to Dale in the summer when her father, Erick Muncy, started his job as the high school principal.
The Pirates’ starters played limited minutes against Clinton because of the uneven score, but their focus on sharing the ball was evident from the beginning. Muncy, senior Gracee Radford and junior Ava Bell each finished with 10 points. Heartly Snyder checked in off the bench to lead Dale with 12.
This ensemble-cast approach is a little different from the way Muncy played at Amber-Pocasset, where she starred in a dynamic duo with Abbie Savage. Although Muncy entered the Cashion County Line Tournament with team-best averages of 14.6 points and eight rebounds per game, the Pirates have incorporated her into their well-oiled system instead of constantly channeling their offense through her.
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“She’s done a good job, and she probably, at first, struggled a little bit with it,” said Dale coach Eric Smith. “... Coach (Bo) Thomason was a really good coach and did a great job at Am-Po. They ran a lot of set plays to her, and we run set plays, but we move the basketball and we have multiple people that can score, which makes us tough to guard. There’s a reason why we’re usually competing for state championships year in and year out.”
Muncy quickly enriched the winning tradition that extends across Dale’s athletic programs. In the fall, she compiled a 1.41 ERA with a 14-1 record as a pitcher on the Pirates’ Class 2A state champion softball team.
Then basketball season rolled around, and Muncy ran into an early challenge.
The third opponent on the schedule was Amber-Pocasset.
Dale roared past Am-Po, 46-18, but Muncy worried about the uncomfortable dynamic of contending with her former program.
It turned out to be the moment she learned how much she could trust her new teammates.
“I think it was a really big point in the team (progression) because I realized that the team had my back,” Muncy said. “During that game, they could see how nervous I was. I was definitely not on my best game, for sure, and they definitely had me in that game. They went up and put a bunch of points on the board to make sure we could win it, so it was great.”
Muncy has meshed with the Pirates since then, providing leadership as a starter. They’re seeking their third regular-season tournament title, and each win is a chance to build toward March.
“We’re all really excited, can’t wait for playoffs to come,” Muncy said. “We’re just in anticipation, basically.”
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Tip-ins from other Oklahoma City-area tournaments
Bruce Gray Invitational
Thursday’s first round at Deer Creek
Deer Creek’s girls basketball team defeated Stillwater, 49-41, with a team-high 17 points from Morgan Massey. Macey Streeter led Stillwater with 17 points, adding all but four before halftime. The Pioneers led early, but the Antlers carried a two-point advantage into halftime and outscored Stillwater, 14-8, in the fourth quarter.
Deer Creek faces Tulsa Holland Hall on Friday, and Douglass meets Ponca City in the other semifinal game.
-Hallie Hart
John Nobles Invitational
Thursday’s quarterfinals at Moore
Bixby's girls basketball team rallied from behind to defeat Midwest City 68-64 in overtime as forward Kate Wernli led all scorers with 27 points. Bombers center De'Yanna Douglas led the team with 23 points, 21 of which came in the second half.
The Spartans will face off against Moore on Friday at 7 p.m. for a chance to play in the John Nobles Invitational championship game on Saturday.
—Jordan Davis
Titan Classic
Thursday’s quarterfinals at Carl Albert
Carl Albert’s girls basketball team slipped past McGuinness, 65-60, in overtime to reach the Titan Classic semifinals. Ausha Moore led the Titans with 24 points.
Carl Albert will face Westmoore on Friday, and in the other winners’ bracket game, Edmond Memorial will meet Sand Springs.
-Hallie Hart
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS girls basketball: How Teague Muncy is clicking with Dale
