 |
|||||||||||||||
|
By Chris Evans
Posted Jan 8, 2008
Last update Jan 11, 2008
Guthrie's senior Donte' Foster has done a lot of things throughout his high school career, but basketball wins have come far and between when it has come to Carl Albert.
That all ended as the top ranked Guthrie BlueJays won the 49th Annual McGuinness Tournament by holding on to a 45-44 win. The Jays improve to 9-0 while Carl Albert drops their season record to 7-2. The win also moves their winning streak to 17-games.
The Titans had a pair of opportunities to win the game with less then 10 seconds, but the Jays held their own and held Carl Albert to less then 48 points in the game.
"We like our chances if we can hold our opponents to less then 48 points a game and we have not allowed that yet this season," head coach Pete Papahronis said.
Leading the offensive charge was Keaton Callins with not only his 16-points, but his many assists that resulted in numerous lay-ups.
"Keaton is one of the best kids and athlete's I have ever coached," Papahronis added.
Callins and junior forward Devon Hall was named to the All-Tournament team along with Titans J.T. Realmuto and Harrison Dupont. Northwest Classen's freshmen point guard Jameil Donovan was also named to the team. Foster was named the Most Valuable Player of the longest running boys basketball tournament in the state.
Carl Albert posted a three point lead in the first quarter, 10-7, but a bucket from Callins at the 6:00 mark in the second quarter gave the Jays lead for good.
The Titans were always within striking distance however. The Jays would push their lead as big as eight, but on numerous times Carl Albert was able to get within a bucket.
The Titans took two time-outs to set up the final shot of the game trailing 45-44, but Realmuto's right handed turn around shot was short with :03 and went out of bounds, off of the Jays, with :00.4 left on the game clock. Tre Porter's lob pass at the rim for Dupont (10 points) was knocked down by Foster (9 points) to secure the win.
Head coach Pete Papahronis has always told us that if his defending state champs could hold opponents to 48-points, or less that feel they have a great chance of winning any game.
So far so good. Eight games and eight wins and the latest was a 53-43 second round win over the seventh ranked Northwest Classen Knights in the 49th Annual McGuinness Classis. Oklahoma's longest running boys' high school basketball tournament. Guthrie is currently riding a 16-game winning streak that dates back to last season.
Guthrie will play arch rival Carl Albert, Saturday evening, for the championship at 7:30. That was set up by the Titans defeating the host school McGuinness 72-66. The Irish have won the tourney the last two seasons. Carl Albert won the annual tournament back in 1987 with the presence of Jeff Webster.
The 2009 version of the Titans average 61 points a game and have failed to score 48 points just once this season. Meanwhile, the Jays are allowing 41-points a contest.
The Jays (8-0) got off to a slow start in the first quarter against the Knights, but with a made bucket from senior Keaton Callins at the 1:30 mark Guthrie would never trail, again. Northwest would come as close as four points.
Northwest (9-2) played well defensively themselves and pushed the Guthrie offense out of their offensive flow at times. The longest scoring run came in the third quarter when the Jays ended the period on a 5-0 run that was sparked by Donte' Foster.
Foster nailed a three with :35 left and would then score a lay-up as the horn sounded to give the Jays a 40-29 lead at the end of the quarter. The lay-up was designed with the Jays breaking the full court press with a pass to Freshmen Codee Gross, who mishandled the ball, but Foster was in the right spot for the easy two. Foster finished with a game high 22-points that included eight points in the third quarter.
Northwest did not help their cause by going 7 of 19 (36%) from the free throw line while the Jays shot 75% (12-17) from the stripe.
Callins added 14 points and combined with Foster was responsible for 36 of the teams 53 points (67.9%). Guards Matt Hamilton and Kentrell Brothers were battling foul trouble the entire evening, but Papahronis used a deep bench by playing 12 different Jays.
Carl Albert (7-1), who defeated Edmond North on day one of the tourney (60-48), is led by senior forward Harrison Dupont. The Titans only loss came to current 6A top ranked Jenks (59-41) in the Edmond Open.
The Guthrie BlueJays did not dominate the Deer Creek Antlers like they did on December 19th, in Edmond, but finished with a 53-36 first round victory in the Bishop McGuinness Tournament.
The Jays improve to 7-0 on the season and advance to the winners side of the bracket where they will take on the 7th ranked Knights of Northwest Classen High. The Knights (9-1) defeated Norman North in the game following the Jays. NW Classen is led by head coach Leroy Combs, who played professional basketball and played collegiately at Oklahoma State.
The top ranked Jays could manage just a 13-12 first quarter lead, but open the game a bit in the second quarter by outscoring the Antlers 12-5 and went into the half leading 25-17. The Jays built the lead with senior guard Keaton Callins on the bench in foul trouble and the third quarter did not see Callins on the floor. However, Donte' Foster was on the floor.
Foster took over the game by pushing the ball up the floor, finding teammates, and scoring. Guthrie scored the quarters first six points and built their biggest lead at the time (31-17).
Callins was inserted into the fourth quarter and quickly hit a three point shot and an assist within the first minute as the Jays controlled the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
The Jays were much improved from the free throw line by going 12 of 15.
Share your thoughts on this story by going to the Guthrie Sports Page message board. It's free to join and talk Guthrie athletics. Click Here!