PHS hoops postseasons tip off
The final week of the 2014-15 high school basketball regular season looked like a perfect opportunity for Pawhuska High School teams to build some momentum for Friday’s Class 3A District showdowns at Chelsea.
With road games versus Caney Valley set for Monday and Tuesday home contests with Hominy capping the regular campaign, the PHS boys would be facing two of the three opponents they had defeated this year. Despite some outstanding efforts, the Huskies’ currennt record stands at 4-16.
“It would really help us to win a couple of games and get on a little bit of a roll,” head coach Monty Unruh said Thursday night following hard-fought home loss to Nowata.
A President’s Day snowstorm wiped out Monday’s planned trip to Ramona, however. Lingering winter weather was even posing a mild threat to Tuesday night’s regular-season finales at Oren Terrill Field House.
“Coming this late in the season, the Caney Valley games probably will not be re-scheduled,” Athletic Director Bob Craig said Monday. “We’ll just have to wait and see about Hominy coming here.”
In the last games played before the Christmas break, the Huskies and Lady Huskies squads both delivered stellar efforts en route to a sweep of their intra-county rival on the court at Hominy. Tuesday had been designated “PHS Senior Night,” with special recognition to be given a handful of local players who were making their last home-court appearances.
Huskies for whom the 12th-grade bell is about to toll include four-year varsity member Trent Barnett, three-year starter Trey RedEagle and quality reserves Tucker Helmer and Brandon Hicks. The lone senior for the Pawhuska girls’ team is Andie Sweeden, who has been an integral part of the Lady Huskie program during the past three years.
On Friday, PHS ‘s district basketball tests will begin at 6 p.m. (for the girls) and 7:30 p.m. at Chelsea High School. The Chelsea Green Dragon boys’ team have a 10-12 record and the Lady Dragons are 12-8.
Results of the district games determine matchups for next week’s Class 3A Sub-Regional at Adair. The Pawhuska and Chelsea squads will advance there to contend with the host Warriors/Lady Warriors and teams from Kellyville.
Last Friday at Newkirk, the Huskies fell to the host squad by a score of 62-40 after the Lady Huskies were defeated by the Lady Tigers, 52-27. The victories improved the record of the Tigers to 9-13 and gave the Newkirk girls at 10-12 mark. On Tuesday (Feb. 10), the No. -ranked Pawnee Black Bears routed the Huskies, 79-35, at Oren Terrill Field House after the Lady Huskies came out on the short end of a 47-27 contest versus the Pawnee girls. Pawnee wound up as champions of both the girls’ and boys’ divisions in the 89er East Conference races, trailed by Perry, Newkirk and Pawhuska.
In the Thursday home games, the Lady Huskies earned their eighth victory of the season by holding off the Lady Ironmen, 47-42. The boys’ contest saw Nowata fight off a determined challenge by the Pawhuskans and take away a 75-66 triumph.
Lady Huskie junior Kailee Hambright scored 13 points while Sweeden and junior Keylee Kirk added nine apiece. Kirk and Sweeden tied for team-high in rebounding with eight (five of Kirk’s were made at the offensive end) and sophomore Sydney Sellers pulled down seven. Madison Parrett grabbed 16 boards for Nowata.
The girls contest was marked by more than 40 fouls, including 17 in the opening quarter. First foul called was before the opening tipoff when Pawhuska remained in a pre-game huddle after the Lady Ironmen had taken the court. (As a result, Nowata took a 2-0 lead and got possession of the ball before the clock started.) The Lady Huskies converted 16 of 30 free throws while the visitor girls went 14-for-29 at the stripe.
In the boys’ game, the Ironmen led by three points, 16-13, at the end of the first quarter and established their nine-point advantage (33-24) by halftime. Both squads scored 19 points in the third period and 23 apiece in the fourth. Nowata converted 20 of 27 free-throw attempts, compared to Pawhuska’s nine-out-of-16 from the line.
Three Huskie players scored in double figures, as RedEagle tallied 17, Barnett got 16 and junior A.J. Young finished with 15. RedEagle and sophomore Will Merrill topped PHS rebounders with eight apiece and Barnett made five steals. Matt Price led the Ironmen with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while hitting half of Nowata’s eight three-pointers. Pawhuska knocked down seven treys (three by RedEagle, two for Barnett and one each from Young and Helmer) out of only 11 long-range attempts.
LADY HUSKIES 47,
LADY IRONMEN 42
Nowata: 10 - 7 - 5 - 20 — 42
Pawhuska: 15-10-7-15 — 47
Nowata Lady Ironmen (9-11) — Reva Smith 11, Alexis Mayhew 9, Mamie Tiry 8, Halley Hewitt 4, Justice Owens 3, Alecia Mayhew 3, Emily Belden 2, Becca Freeman 2, Sami Steigerwald 0. Coach: Kurt Heller.
Pawhuska Lady Huskies (8-12) — Kailee Hambright 13, Andie Sweeden 9, Sarah Phillippi 9, Keylee Kirk 7, Genie Herren 6, Mia Hambright 3, Sydney Sellers 0, Kyleigh Riebel 0. Coach: Austin Minshall.
IRONMEN 75, HUSKIES 66
Nowata: 16 - 17 - 19 - 23 — 75
Pawhuska: 13-11-19-23 — 66
Nowata Ironmen (10-10) — Matt Price 25, Michael Velasco 18, Zen Callahan 14, Cody Smith 10, Scott Pruett 6, Dalton Carter 2, Seth Glasscock 0, Tim Callahan 0, Jacob Barnes 0, Kamric King 0. Coach: Gary Hollingshed.
Pawhuska Huskies (4-16) — Trey RedEagle 17, Trent Barnett 16, A.J. Young 15, Hayden Henley 6, Tucker Helmer 4, William Merrill 3, Bailey Thompson 3, Lance Harden 2, Tristen Tucker 2. Coach: Monty Unruh.
