Early adversity helped shape Midwest City's state run
Battling injuries and players leaving the program, Midwest City boys basketball coach Dewayne Bradley quickly had to learn ways to adjust his roster. The early season adversity helped propel the No. 16-ranked Bombers to the Class 6A state tournament, which begins Thursday in Catoosa. During the area championship game, Midwest City knocked off top-ranked Edmond Memorial 62-55, clinching its 27th state tournament appearance. Fellow Mid-Del schools Carl Albert and Del City also made the state tournament this year, making it the second time in three years all of the district's boys teams have reached this stage. Bradley credited senior J.D. Ray, sophomore Makale Smith and junior Jacobi Johnson for keeping the Bombers focused during the tumultuous times. Ray leads the team in scoring, averaging 21.4 points per contest. Awaiting the Bombers is defending state champion Putnam City North. Midwest City's season ended against the Panthers the past two seasons, so Bradley hopes his players will remember the heartbreak and harness that energy. “Hopefully we're going to use that as motivation to not let it happen again,” Bradley said.
Double trouble
Two Class 3A basketball state quarterfinal games will start at different times Thursday than other sites, and it's the result of five schools qualifying in both boys and girls. Washington's boys game against Millwood will begin at 1 p.m. at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. Washington fans then get a chance to catch the girls play against Sequoyah Tahlequah at 4 p.m. at Oklahoma City University. Other schools with two teams in Class 3A include Sequoyah Tahlequah, Christian Heritage, Millwood and Kingston. “Whenever you get past four, it's pretty difficult to split them up,” OSSAA assistant director David Glover said. Glover said the amount of schools with two teams in all three classes playing in Oklahoma City also contributed to Saturday's championship sessions. The opening three games are all girls. The evening's three games are all boys. It's the first time the OSSAA has scheduled championships in that order.
John Marshall relying on depth, experience
John Marshall coach Patrick Cudjoe loves the versatility of his team. John Marshall is heading to the state tournament for the first time since 2012 after winning the Class 4A Area III championship with a 38-32 victory against Lincoln Christian on Friday. The Bears have a 10-man rotation that boasts multiple starts from every player. A senior-laden core of Patrick Garrett, Corey Coleman, Steve Davis Jr. and Marc Edwards are called on to match up as Cudjoe sees fit. “We have a very unselfish group,” Cudjoe said. “They just want to win.”