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Posted: Monday December 7, 2015 5:34 pm
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Coach Mike Hughes says his Broken Arrow girls are ready to make a vigorous defense of their back-to-back Class 6A basketball titles.
But the Tigers are still swimming in the same shark-infested waters as last year when they needed overtime to beat Muskogee in the championship game.
Muskogee and Sapulpa are loaded again, and that goes for the remainder of the Frontier Conference. The league has eight teams among 6A’s top 19 teams at OSSAArankings.com.
“I feel sorry for the people who have to pick the All-State team because there are so many great players from our conference alone,” he said.
Alexis Gaulden, last year’s Tulsa World All-Metro player of the year, and Aysia Evans are back to lead the Tigers’ backcourt.
Muskogee and Sapulpa are led by Aaliyah Wilson and Chelsea Dungee, the nation’s No. 30 and No. 60 players, respectively, according to the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings.
Muskogee’s Roughers are also led by Jada Ford and Trina Mims and Sapulpa also has standout guard Brice Calip, daughter of Chieftains head coach Darlean Calip.
BA, Muskogee and Sapulpa are first, second and sixth in the latest weekly rankings. Also representing the Frontier Conference in the rankings are Owasso (13), Bartlesville (14), Sand Springs (16), Bixby (17) and Union (19).
Broken Arrow (3-0) flexed its muscles at a tournament in Willard, Missouri, last weekend and makes its first in-state appearance Tuesday, visiting Bishop Kelley for its conference opener.
“We’re ahead of where we were last year, and that’s a good thing,” Hughes said. “We’re really deep, with a lot of kids who can play — much deeper than last year. We’re going to have more scoring from the perimeter than we’ve had in the past.”
Gaulden, Evans, Darian Jackson and part-time starter Jalise Smallwood are the top returees from last year’s 24-5 squad. But senior Toni Black and juniors Jordan Allen, Mia Bledsoe, Lauren Richter, and Angelica Cuellar made significant contributions as the Tigers tore through three opponents in Missouri by an average of 46 points.
Allen, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged eight points and joined Gaulden and Jackson on the all-tournament team, despite not starting a single game.
Bledsoe, a 6-foot-1 center, averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds and had seven blocked shots. Hughes said she is a “great athlete,” first player he’s coached who can take one step, jump off two feet and grab the rim.
The 6-foot-2 Richter, who moved in from Chisholm, averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and had six blocked shots in the tournament.
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Coach Mike Hughes says his Broken Arrow girls are ready to make a vigorous defense of their back-to-back Class 6A basketball titles.
But the Tigers are still swimming in the same shark-infested waters as last year when they needed overtime to beat Muskogee in the championship game.
Muskogee and Sapulpa are loaded again, and that goes for the remainder of the Frontier Conference. The league has eight teams among 6A’s top 19 teams at OSSAArankings.com.
“I feel sorry for the people who have to pick the All-State team because there are so many great players from our conference alone,” he said.
Alexis Gaulden, last year’s Tulsa World All-Metro player of the year, and Aysia Evans are back to lead the Tigers’ backcourt.
Muskogee and Sapulpa are led by Aaliyah Wilson and Chelsea Dungee, the nation’s No. 30 and No. 60 players, respectively, according to the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings.
Muskogee’s Roughers are also led by Jada Ford and Trina Mims and Sapulpa also has standout guard Brice Calip, daughter of Chieftains head coach Darlean Calip.
BA, Muskogee and Sapulpa are first, second and sixth in the latest weekly rankings. Also representing the Frontier Conference in the rankings are Owasso (13), Bartlesville (14), Sand Springs (16), Bixby (17) and Union (19).
Broken Arrow (3-0) flexed its muscles at a tournament in Willard, Missouri, last weekend and makes its first in-state appearance Tuesday, visiting Bishop Kelley for its conference opener.
“We’re ahead of where we were last year, and that’s a good thing,” Hughes said. “We’re really deep, with a lot of kids who can play — much deeper than last year. We’re going to have more scoring from the perimeter than we’ve had in the past.”
Gaulden, Evans, Darian Jackson and part-time starter Jalise Smallwood are the top returees from last year’s 24-5 squad. But senior Toni Black and juniors Jordan Allen, Mia Bledsoe, Lauren Richter, and Angelica Cuellar made significant contributions as the Tigers tore through three opponents in Missouri by an average of 46 points.
Allen, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged eight points and joined Gaulden and Jackson on the all-tournament team, despite not starting a single game.
Bledsoe, a 6-foot-1 center, averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds and had seven blocked shots. Hughes said she is a “great athlete,” first player he’s coached who can take one step, jump off two feet and grab the rim.
The 6-foot-2 Richter, who moved in from Chisholm, averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and had six blocked shots in the tournament.