Local Sooners lead in toppling Kansas reign
NORMAN — It wasn't just that Kansas' 14-year reign as King of the Big 12 ended at Oklahoma. It was that two Oklahomans were the ones to finally ensure the Jayhawks wouldn't finish atop the conference. In doing so, Edmond's own Kristian Doolittle and Harrah's Brady Manek helped to almost certainly seal a Sooner berth in the NCAA Tournament. “The Streak,” as it's come to be known as, was a mere subplot in Oklahoma's 81-68 win. Brady Manek walked to the Sooner bench as timeout was called four and a half minutes into the game. His arms stretched up, and fingers on both hands were curled in the shape of three. The Sooners had sprinted to an 18-7 lead on 7 of 8 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers. But Manek wasn't smiling. His celebration was muted, yet OU's mood would only grow lighter over the next hour and a half. Like when he and Doolittle connected at the beginning of the second half. Manek, due to his hot shooting, drew a Kansas double-team. Doolittle, his childhood AAU teammate, countered by cutting to the rim for a two-handed slam. It was the easiest two of Doolittle's 24 points. He added 11 rebounds and three assists. Manek, his running mate, finished with 21 points and five rebounds. Together they shot 15 of 25 (60 percent) from the field, building OU's lead to 24 at one point. The Lloyd Noble Center crowd reached its loudest volume of the season as it watched the Sooners smack the Jayhawks. Standing ovations began as the clock still showed four minutes. They were witnessing history — not only the streak, but OU's first double-digit victory against Kansas since 1990. The Sooners, with one regular season game remaining Saturday at Kansas State, have won four out of their last five games. That coming on the heels of a five-game losing streak. As the final two minutes ticked away, seniors Christian James, Rashard Odomes and Jamuni McNeace were subbed out. For the three longtime senior contributors, it signaled their last home game as a Sooner. James, just the night before, had talked of leaving a legacy. Twenty-four hours later, he and his teammates made history for the opposing program while giving their own group the chance for a last dance.