OTA's Countdown Continues

#9 > Texas Rangers 5, Tampa Bay Rays 1 Oct. 12

OK, so this game in and of itself wasn’t the most dramatic, but it did consummate a playoff series victory for the Texas Rangers for the first time in franchise history. The series was also unique in that it was the only one in MLB history in which the road team won every game.

Rangers manager Ron Washington had the good sense to leave Cliff Lee out on the mound for nine innings and Lee did not disappoint. He gave up only one run and six hits in the series finale that sent Texas to its first appearance in the American League Championship Series.

Ian Kinsler finished strong with three RBIs, with two of them coming on a ninth-inning “icing on the cake” home run. Kinsler was 3-4 in Game 5, as was Nelson Cruz, who also scored on a throwing error.

Finally, Rangers fans had something to cheer about in October.

Outside The Arc's First Countdown

#10 > Arizona Cardinals 51, Green Bay Packers 45 [OT] Jan. 10

Outside the Arc would like to close out 2010 with some actual blog entries and also get ready for 2011. As there are in each calendar year, there were in 2010 some spectacular moments in the world of sports. OTA would like to submit a Top 10 worth of games that really were worth watching during the past 12 months. If you saw any one of these contests, you knew when it was done that you had seen something worth remembering. So let’s kick this off…

At #10, we take you back to the January and the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history. The Arizona Cardinals took a 17-0 lead into the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers, but quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers made watching the rest of the game like viewing a tennis match with all of back-and-forth scoring and momentum changes that followed. Warner actually had more touchdown passes (5) than he had passes fall incomplete (4).

Rodgers' touchdown pass to Spencer Havner with less than two minutes remaining tied the game at 45 and allowed for an overtime session. However, although the Packers won the toss and got the ball first, three plays into the extra period, Rodgers fumbled the ball and Karlos Dansby ran it in for the score. (Somewhere in the northwest, Seahawks fans were celebrating the poetic justice of the playoff loss for the Packers.)

And in a postscript, if there was any question as to the impact that Warner made during his tenure with the Cardinals, we submit to you Exhibit A: The 2010 Arizona season, complete with the blazing disarray at the quarterback position.

Haven't I Seen This Before?

The Dallas Mavericks busted another streak with the 98-96 win over the Miami Heat tonight. However, with the way that the calls were going throughout the game and especially in the 4th quarter, I really had to check myself, because I thought I was watching Games 3, 4, 5, & 6 of the 2006 Finals. The officials tried really hard to keep the Heat win streak alive, but Jason Terry played out of his mind in the final period and his every one of his 19 points in the period was crucial to the victory.

Still though, every now and again, I think I'm hearing another whistle being blown and Dwayne Wade is shooting another free throw in Game 5...

Rangers Win!

The 2010 ALCS goes to the Texas Rangers in six games!

Texas 6, New York 1.

Josh Hamilton is most deserving as the series MVP and all he wants to talk about is his teammates and his Savior!

Hello Win Column!

Hello World Series

Rangers Win!

Rangers win! Rangers win! Rangers win!

Game Five: Texas 5, Tampa Bay 1

Oh Vancouver

March Madness is my favorite sporting event to watch annually. However, there is an event that trumps it. It's just that this event happens every two or fours years (depending on your perspective).

The Olympics are still the most captivating sports event out there. Yes, there are politics involved. Yes, there are "sports" in which the outcome is based on judges. Yes, there are more human interest stories broadcast in 16 days than you might see in 9 months of other sports viewing.

And still, the Olympics has always and will probably always have first place in my heart. I look forward to talking about them.

Allow Me A Moment To Be A Dad

Did you happen to have a chance to see the Durant 7th Grade girls' team this season? If you didn't, you've already missed your chance.
They finished the season tonight with a 29-9 victory over McAlester to take the Durant Tournament Championship. The Lady Lions finished the season with a 13-4 record. The future for this squad looks especially bright.
I was also very proud of my own daughter, who managed to have her best game of the year in the final contest. I got to attend each game this season. It took a sacrifice or two, but being with her during this season was very special and I would do it again.
Go Lady Lions! And watch these kids as they grow!

One and Done

Forgan 46, Victory Life 0.

The trip to the playoffs this season turned out to be long in driving time, but short in duration.

But still - it was a trip to the playoffs.

Latest on Alves

It's been an interesting season for the Durant Lions, but the last couple of weeks have been even more so.
Beau Simmons has the latest on Daryn Alves in his article in yesterday's Durant Democrat.

Playoffs?! You want to talk about playoffs??!!

The Victory Life Eagles have been in the OSSAA for 3 years now, but due to the structuring of the districts, the Eagles' football program is enjoying membership for just the second year. And it's taken only 2 seasons to make the playoffs.

The Eagles 55-7 victory at Grandfield on Friday, coupled with the Corn Bible Academy loss to Temple, thrust VLA into the postseason. And with Thackerville's 22-point loss at Tipton, the Eagles slipped ahead of the Wildcats and into third place in District C2. One slot up in the district standings also means that, though the Eagles will have to make a journey almost out of our time zone, they will avoid a first-round matchup with Shattuck and its (current) 92-game winning streak.

A Brief Glance at Four Years

If you’ve listened to a Southeastern football broadcast over the past 4 years, then you know that I’ve been riding on the “Daniel Nichols Bandwagon” for almost that entire span. I was really sad to see Nichols’ collegiate career come to an end tonight – especially since he came so close to tying the receiving TD record and receiving yardage record. But his time at SOSU will be long remembered.
Here’s a very small glance at some of what Daniel Nichols has accomplished at Southeastern:

1st place All-time receptions – 192
1st place All-time points scored – 196
2nd place All-time receiving – 3036 yards
2nd place All-time receiving TDs – 32
4th best single season receiving – 971 yards, 2009
8th best single season receiving – 818 yards, 2007
11th best single season receiving – 797 yards, 2008
2nd most receiving TD in a season – 12, 2009
7th best single game receiving – 185 yards, Oct. 24, 2009, at NSU
8th best single game receiving – 183 yards, Nov. 10, 2007, vs. ECU
*Tied (with others) for most receiving TD’s in a game – 3, Nov. 10, 2007, vs. ECU and Aug. 27, 2009 vs. Henderson State

More on Daniel Nichols later...

How's everyone been?

Hey, everyone. Long time, no blog.
Let's start with a quick update.

SOSU 27, ECU 26
This one was a blowout early, and then the Savage Storm had to hang on at the end. Southeastern scored 27 points in the first quarter and didn't score in the final 46:24. But the Storm finishes at 7-4.

Victory Life 55, Grandfield 7
VLA not only makes the playoffs for the first time ever in the OSSAA, but snags the 3rd spot in District C2.

More about all of this later, but I needed to get back in the proverbial saddle.
See you.

Henderson State vs. Southeastern

Dallas McCutcheon started at quarterback for the first time in college and tossed 5 touchdown passes in Southeastern's 54-38 victory on Thursday night. The sophomore QB's record-tying performance helped the Storm to their 4th season opening win in the last five years.
Senior wide receiver Daniel Nichols also had a record-tying night as he hauled in three of those five touchdowns. He also had 131 yards on seven receptions, which brought him to within 139 yards of catching Pete Spratt for 2nd place all-time receiving at the school.
Baylen Laury also made his presence known on the field. The running back picked up 114 yards and rushed for two touchdowns as well. Southeastern's 54 points was the most for the Storm since xxxx
There was a huge turnout for the home opener and almost all of them stayed through the 35 minute weather delay, which temporarily stopped the contest with 2:57 remaining in the first quarter. And it was worth it for those who stayed as they witnessed a big offensive display.
Henderson State got on the board first with a 51 yard touchdown pass, but SOSU answered immediately with a 54 yarder of their own, McCutcheon to senior TE Jerrod Temple. Laury's two TD runs followed and the Storm went up 19-7.
Offensive miscues, a.k.a. two fumbles run back for HSU scores, kept the Reddies in the game and led 28-26 in the second quarter. But a Nichols TD reception right before the half put the Storm up for good.
Southeastern's defense dug in during the second half. They held HSU to 317 yards of total offense for the game. Newcomer Steven Harris led the way for the Storm with 8 tackles and Brandon Ford and Lionel Gillespie each had a sack. Both Bernard Daniel and Johnny Seals snagged interceptions.
The Storm's all-time leader in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, Jerome Hewitt, started off the year well, also. He return 6 kickoffs for 187 yards, only ten yards shy of the single game record.
The four TDs in the first half were matched by four more in the second and SOSU outscored Henderson State 28-10 after the break and went on to win, 54-38.
Though the Storm wound up winning going away, there is much work still to be done. The offense, defense, and special teams all showed that each can shine in 2009. But each squad also had significant breakdowns at times. Midwestern State will provide tougher opposition on Saturday.
All in all, a 1-0 open to the season is a good way to start.

Well, it was still a good series...

I had said on the air this morning that I thought that the Cleveland/Orlando series was the best that I could remember since Dallas/San Antonio in 2006. How short is my memory?
The Boston/Chicago first round series this very postseason was similar in many ways to the Mavs vs. Spurs in '06. And on top of that, Orlando just took down Cleveland in six games, so it didn't even go the distance, like the other two series did.
But the first five games were definitely good.

On the Air

Well, we're back on the air one more time and today's show is the season finale. It's amazing to me to think that Texoma Sports Weekly has been broadcasting for six seasons.
And I'm a little sad also, because this will be J.B.'s final show as a regular member of the crew. The guy is getting married in July and he's moving to St. Louis. Sports fans in the area, please note that you're going to miss him, his calls of Savage Storm and Lion sports and is general sports knowledge. He's also got a great sense of humor that shows in the way he calls the game.

Now, on today's show, the theme (as it is every season finale) will be reviewing sports in the area over the past 9-10 months. We'll hit some current sports news as well. So tune in at 10 am.

On the Air

Three hosts are in studio again today as April moves forward.
Lots of rain and wind yesterday shouldn't deter Southeastern softball and baseball fans from coming out on this pleasant Saturday to watch their teams jockey for position in the Lone Star Postseason. There are the lead stories for the show today; here are some more:
► Bryan County baseball, softball, and track news
► The NBA Playoffs, including the Dallas/San Antonio series
► The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals
► Around the weird corners of the sports world with J.B.
See you at 10.

On the Air

I think I held down the fort well enough last week. But everyone is back in studio again today as the sixth season of Texoma Sports Weekly is slowly starting to wind down.
Today on the show:
► Some Bryan County baseball and other H.S. news
► Southeastern baseball and softball
► The Championships – Men (and a little bit about the Women)
► The Dallas Mavericks are now tied for sixth place in the West! Seriously!
► The Texas Rangers on Friday not only led the A.L. West, but were the only team in the American League to be undefeated. Of course, that changed after Friday’s beatdown by Detroit, but still…
► And off-the-wall topics with J.B.

On the Air

Hey folks, it's going to be just me in the studio on Saturday. J.B. and Jim are going to be on the road to Edmond to cover the SOSU/Central baseball game.
So here is what's on tap for the show:
► Some Bryan County baseball and other H.S. news
► Southeastern baseball and softball
► The Final Four – Men’s and Women’s
► Jeff Capel, Tim Floyd, and Mike Anderson
► The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder
► And, since J.B. won’t be in studio, we’ll see if we can skirt the Tennesee trash talk for a week.…But I doubt it…

More Sweet Sixteen, Big XII

The conference went 1-2 on Friday. Oklahoma defeated Syracuse to avenge a Tournament loss in 2003, while Kansas had its 9-game NCAA winning streak stopped by Michigan State.
With deference to Kansas, this little blog is about OU. Man, they looked good. The Syracuse zone was totally ineffective against the Sooners' outside game, Tony Crocker in particular, and didn't fare much better against Blake Griffin on the inside. Griffin had yet another 30 point outing and Crocker's 28 kept Oklahoma in control throughout the night. As a matter of fact, the only thing that even slowed Griffin down was the underside of the backboard on a ferocious dunk late in the contest.
For as much hype as Syracuse had been getting late in the season, they looked completely outmatched in this one.
And so, two Big XII teams remain. We'll see if the conference can get one or maybe two entries in the Final Four.

On the Air

This weekend, it is possible that all three of us will be back in studio for the show. And hopefully, the tower won’t be down again. Although, word is that there’s a chance of snow. (On March 28? In southern Oklahoma?!)
Anyway, here are some of the topics we’ll likely talk about:
► Southeastern softball, specifically the Lone Star Crossover Tournament here in the Durant area
► Southeastern baseball
► The NCAA Tournament, especially the Missouri win over Memphis and Oklahoma’s takedown of Syracuse
► Billy Gillespie
► The Mavs playoff chances and likelihood of playing the Lakers in the first round
► And, since the state of Tennessee, and city of Knoxville in particular, has not been beaten down by J.B. in at least three weeks, expect that to happen on this show.

Sweet Sixteen, Big XII

Last year's NCAA Championship game was a thrill to watch. And it was also a dream for high school coaches to point out exactly how important free throws really are.
The Memphis Tigers missed four out of five free throws in the final 2 minutes that would have put the game away and Kansas, down NINE POINTS with 2:12 left, came back to send the game into overtime and win the title 75-68.
There was no need for an incredible comeback by a Big XII team in the final minutes on Thursday night. In fact, at one point in the second half, the Missouri Tigers led Memphis by 24. Mizzou flat out went off on suddenly defense-less Memphis and won 102-91. Missouri looked unstoppable on offense, but that seemed to be partly due to an inability by the Memphis defense to stay with the ball. For as athletic a team as Memphis has been portrayed to be (and truthfully is), the boys in gold put on an athletic display that left Memphis far behind.
Leo Lyons looks better with each game as the Big XII and NCAA Tournaments go on. He had 15 point and 12 rebounds in the win.
The Big XII is now 10-3 in the past eight days.

No Joy in Knoxville

You knew it would happen someday. As a Lady Vols fan, I always hoped that it wouldn't, but inside I think we all knew it would happen.
There would come a year, when Tennessee wouldn't get to the Sweet Sixteen. In all of the years that there has been a Women's NCAA Tournament, the Lady Vols had advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen in each and every one of them. Until 2009. Coming off of back-to-back National Championships, the reloading just proved to be too much for Pat Summitt's young squad this year.
But still, the Lady Vols were a #5 seed, and figured to at least get past the first round. Apparently, Ball State didn't get the memo, and in what will be one of that school's athletics program's greatest moments, defeated Tennessee 71-55.
In the Lady Cardinals' NCAA Tournament debut, they put on the show of their lives and capped the worst UT season ever under Coach Summitt. Granted, Tennessee is young and played, as Summitt said, "tentative, maybe uptight". But give credit to Ball State, who used an up tempo game and did not back down.
Porchia Green had 23 point for the Lady Cardinals in the biggest win in team history.

Enjoying the Ride

You know, it's not every season that you get to see a player the caliber of Blake Griffin wearing the uniform of the team you cheer for. Watching #23 on Thursday and Saturday has been special.
Blake has brought the level of play at Oklahoma up two or three notches. He has maintained his composure in the face of very difficult situations. And he makes the incredible (The Dunk) and great shots seem like they are just a walk in the park.
61 points, accompanied by 30 boards, in two games in the NCAA's is not something done by just anyone. And Blake does it with class.
And for all of the fans who are tired of seeing Blake's parents in the crowd and hearing all of the talk about what B. Griffin is doing every second of the contest, I'm really not sorry for you. Now you might have a sliver of an idea of what it was like to watch the National Championship game with the continual commentary revolving around TimTebow (one word).
But I'm not bitter. Really.
I'm just enjoying the ride this year as long as it will go.

Day Three, Second Round, Big XII

The conference suffered its first losses in the Tournament on Saturday, but there was no question that the Texas schools would not go down without a fight.
Duke had defeated Texas in the three previous meetings in this series' history by large margins, but that wasn't the case this season. In a hard-fought contest that came down to the wire, the Longhorns showed that the gap between these two programs has been diminished greatly.
Texas A&M ran into a Connecticut team that is returning to mid-season form (which was #1 in the country) or better and had their coach back on the sideline after a small excursion to the hospital. The Aggies never really had a chance.
Only Oklahoma kept the Big XII from coming up empty on the day. The Sooners took out Michigan and Blake Griffin had another stellar day. 33 points and 17 rebounds - just an average day at the office.
The conference is now 7-2 after the first three days.
Here's a look at Saturday:
Connecticut 92, Texas A&M 66
Duke 74, Texas 69
Oklahoma 73, Michigan 63

Day Two, First Round, Big XII

The Big East and the Big Ten each had 7 teams to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-10, along with the Big XII, got 6 teams to the Big Dance. Of all of these major conferences with many teams representing them, only one conference did not suffer a loss in the first round. That's right: the Big XII. 6 games, 6 wins.
The bracket saved the best games of the day until the late hours, but the early games had some drama as well. The Tennessee-Oklahoma State contest was a compelling a watch as any. And though I was personally for the Vols in this one, Byron Eaton gave the country an impressive and gutsy performance.
North Dakota State showed many folks that the Bison can play with the big boys. Cornell didn't. Kansas was pushed; Missouri wasn't.
Here's a look at Friday's first round scores:
Oklahoma St. 79, Tennessee 77
Kansas 84, North Dakota St. 74
Missouri 73, Cornell 57

Wow!!!

Siena, Ohio St., Wisconsin, Florida St., ... If you can't enjoy the NCAA Tournament and reason there is the phrase "March Madness", then you should really do some self-evaluation to see if you really are a sports fan.

Day One, First Round, Big XII

So far so good for the Big XII. One day into the NCAA Tournament and the boys from the heart of the country have gone 3 for 3.
Good shooting was the order of the day for the Longhorns, the Sooners, and the Aggies, who led the way making their first 10 shots from the field in a rematch of last year's first-round game with BYU.
And speaking of good shooting, look no further than Blake Griffin and his 11-12 shooting performance or A.J. Abrams and his 8 three-pointers (which has him now tied for fourth place in career three-pointers made in the NCAA Tournament).
Thursday's scores were as follows:
Texas A&M 79, BYU 66
Texas 76, Minnesota 62
Oklahoma 82, Morgan State 54

The Big XII in the Big Dance

Here are the Big XII first-round matchups and scheduled tip times:

West 8 BYU vs. 9 Texas A&M, Thurs., 11:30 am
East 7 Texas vs. 10 Minnesota, Thurs., 6:10 pm
South 2 Oklahoma vs. 15 Morgan State, Thurs., 8:40 pm
East 8 Oklahoma St. vs. 9 Tennessee, Fri., 11:25 am
Midwest 3 Kansas vs. 14 North Dakota St., Fri., 11:30 am
West 3 Missouri vs. 14 Cornell, Fri., 2:00 pm

Is That Your Final Answer?

Hey everyone. If you still have a pink sheet out, you need to get them in to me by Thursday at 10:59 am. Some of you are e-mailing yours in so at least get it "e-postmarked" by that time.
Thanks and good luck.

Observations and Ruminations

What have we learned this week?

► The next time that you hear that a conference might put 10 teams in the NCAA tournament, go ahead and laugh out loud. Not just the lol version, I mean actually embarrass the person that said it by Laughing Out Loud! It’s probably not going to hurt that person’s feelings anyway because they are most likely from the East and the clear East Coast Bias that would allow them to make such a reality-abandoned statement will filter out any pain that being laughed at might cause another human.
No, the Big East did not get 10 teams in the Tournament. They got 7 in. Not bad, but not 10. And that’s OK and appropriate. The Big East is good league, but no conference is that much better than the others, even with the principle that the Committee uses in disregarding conference affiliation. Sorry to all of you northeastern media-types. No matter how much you campaign for the Big East throughout the regular season, the Selection Committee is still in control. Thankfully.
Now, having said all that, the fact that three of the four #1 seeds coming out of the Big East – well-deserved.

► The #2 seed given to Oklahoma (albeit in a very tough subregion) is proof that the Committee does consider many factors. The injury sustained by Blake Griffin made a huge difference in the Sooners’ win-loss record at the end of the season. Here’s to hoping that OU lives up to the faith of the Committee and makes it to at least the Elite Eight, and in doing so shuts up Seth Davis, who doesn’t give them a snowball’s chance against either Syracuse or Clemson.

► In women’s basketball this season, Southeastern and Central are incredibly evenly matched. Period. Yeah, that’s all I have to say about that.


From my vantage...

First United Bank Center (Home of the West Texas A&M Aggies) – OTA rating 9 out of 10

College Basketball in March

The casualties of the Conference Tournaments:

Thursday: #2 Pittsburgh, #6 Oklahoma, #11 Kansas, #17 Clemson, #21 Marquette and #3 Connecticut was partially on Thursday and partially on Friday
Friday: #8 Wake Forest, #10 Villanova, #13 Washington, #15 UCLA, #19 Xavier, #25 BYU
Saturday: #1 North Carolina, #7 Michigan State, #18 Syracuse, #20 LSU, #23 Arizona State

Not On The Air After All

Scratch that! The KSEO tower is down and the show for this week is cancelled.
See you next Saturday.

On The Air

After the long drive back from Canyon, we'll be back on the air from the friendly confines of the studio this morning.
Among the topics that J.B., Jim, and I will be discussing are:
● The Durant Lions
● Southeastern Women’s Basketball, Baseball, and Softball
● The Big XII Tournament and Selection Sunday
● Danny Rennels and the OSSAA
● J.B.’s bag of tricks and trash talk about Tennessee that will drive someone from North Durant nuts
Be sure to tune in this morning.

One And Done

Southeastern made its third trip to the NCAA Tournament on Friday in the South Central Regional. The Savage Storm came up just short in their first round game matchup against Central Oklahoma, falling 68-66 in overtime. UCO is now 26-5 and moves on to play Washburn in the round of 32. SOSU ends this season at 21-9. Here's the boxscore.
These two evenly matched teams showed just how comparable they are through even the microcosm of this game. UCO won the first half 34-28; SOSU won the second half 34-28. The Storm scored the first four points of the OT and led 66-62 with about 3 minutes remaining, but wouldn't score again.
Destiny Brown led all scorers with 21 points and with her 18 rebounds put together her 19th double-double of the season. Ashley Tucker had 12 points in her final game for Southeastern. Fellow senior Channing Gann had 3 points and 4 assists.
Southeastern went only 25-65 from the field (38.5%). They were down 19-8 early on, due in large part to the many missed shots from close range and an abundance of turnovers. However, they came out with a lot of intensity after the break. Big defensive stands accompanied a little more patience on the offensive end turning it into quite a tight contest for the final 15 minutes of regulation and the extra session.
In the matchup between the teams' headliners, Brown beat Central's Lizzie Brenner easily. Brenner had only 7 points on a 1-6 shooting performance and had 6 boards.
Rose Anderson played the game of her life. She logged 41 minutes and had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Christina Yarbrough was the other key player for the Bronchos. The guard did a great job handling the ball for UCO (when she wasn't on the bench with foul trouble) and had 10 points, including the game-winner with 2 seconds left in OT.
Southeastern won 20 games in a season for the first time since 2002. The Storm will miss Tucker and Gann next year, but this post-season experience could play a big role in the next season's success.
Coach Darin Grover said that he believes Southeastern appearances in the post-season should be the rule and not the exception. This program is certainly on a pace to make that a reality.

So Close...And They've Gone So Far

Face it, folks, making it to the final four (lowercase) is something to be very proud of. The Lady Lions ran into the buzzsaw that is Carl Albert and fell 62-39 to the (24-3) Titans.
Congratulations again go out to the 2008-2009 Lady Lions for making it farther than any other team in the program's history.

The Pink Sheets Are Coming

Selection Sunday is this weekend! Yea!
For those of you who know what the Pink Sheets are, they will be available in my office on Monday morning.

Goodbye #1 Seed, #2 Seed, ...

71-70. The Cowboys defeated the Sooners in the Big XII Tournament. OU fans have already said Goodbye to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next week, but now can say Bye Bye to a #2 seed and probably #3 as well.

Victory!!!

The Durant Lady Lions defeated Claremore 39-37 tonight to bring the first win at the State Tournament level in the history of the girls' basketball program.
Reagan Browne led Durant in scoring with 16 points. The Lady Lions found themselves down 13-4 early in the game, but used a 14-1 to come back and take an 18-17 lead into the break.
Durant will take on the winner of Carl Albert and Bishop Kelley tomorrow at 1:30.

State!

OK, so I haven't been able to properly document the Lady Lions' trek through the post-season and it looks like I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but so be it.
Durant has made it to the Class 5A State Tournament. Congratulations to coach Barry Hudson and the Lady Lions, who defeated El Reno 32-30 and Altus 45-43 in the Area Tournament to advance. After coming up just short the previous two seasons, Durant finally made it back to the big stage for the first time since 1997.
They'll be playing Claremore, who will be making their 11th consecutive appearance in the State Tournament.

On The Road Again

Southeastern is one of four Lone Star Conference teams that will be taking part in the NCAA Div. II Tournament. J.B. and I are on the way to Amarillo, Texas, today where we will be staying before heading to West Texas A&M in Canyon tomorrow. WTAMU is the #1 seed in the South Central Region and the Aggies are playing host to the eight-team field. Abilene Christian also made the field as the #8 seed. You can see the full bracket here.
The Savage Storm women are the #6 seed in the region and will face a familiar foe in the first round in the #3 seed Central Oklahoma Bronchos. SOSU and UCO split the two games they played in the Lone Star North Division schedule, with the home team winning each time. And both teams were eliminated from the conference tournament by the same team - West Texas A&M. WTAMU beat Southeastern 95-65 in the semis and then took out Central 66-59 to win the championship (their 3rd in 4 years!).
Southeastern is making its first trip the NCAA Tournament since 2002. The then-Lady Savages lost in the LSC semis that year and then went on a five-game winning streak which took them al the way to the NCAA Div. II title game. SOSU lost that game to Cal-Poly Pomona 74-62 in Rochester, MN.
The game tomorrow will be broadcast on KSEO 750 AM. Tip is at 1:00 pm and our pre-game will start at 12:50.

I'm Back

Hey everyone.
Long time, no blog.
Well, I've got to tell you that coaching takes a lot out of you. I really tried to blog throughout the season and, as you may have noticed, I got only a little past halfway through.
But the seasons were great! The girls finished with a winning record (12-11) and did so in dramatic fashion with incredible come-from-way-behind wins over Haworth and Coleman to close out the regular season. The boys earned the school's first ever Boys' District Championship by defeating Eagletown 50-40 in the title game. They ended the campaign at 12-14.
There will be more info on the seasons with recaps later on, but after an absence of nearly two months, the site needed an update. I'm pretty much rested and recovered now and ready for March Madness.
Bring it.

Lady Eagles' Game 15; Eagles' Game 16

The Lady Eagles took the court for the first time this week, while the Eagles were playing their third game in four nights as Victory Life travelled to Wister on Friday night. For the first time in some weeks, both teams came away with victories in the same setting. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Wildcats 58-51 to move to 7-8 on the season. The Eagles were victorious over the Wister J.V. team, 53-48, going 2-1 for the week and moved to 6-10 this year.
The Lady Eagles defeated Wister earlier in the season at the EOSC Tournament and picked up where they left off in that first round game. VLA shot well all night and forced Wister to play aggressively from behind from the second quarter on.
Meagan Woodall led all scorers with 20 points. Lizzi Needham went 4-for-5 from outside the arc and had 15 points of her own. Cailee Jones also got into double figures with 12 points on one of her best shooting displays of the season.
The Eagles needed a win and were able to grab it on Friday over the Wister junior varsity team. [This game was scheduled late and the Wister girls’ team had an opening in the schedule, while the boys’ team did not. A JV game was arranged.] After Wednesday night’s loss to the Texas Torah Institute, the Eagles were in a bit of disarray. They showed more teamwork in this win and played with a higher level on intensity. It was a back and forth affair though as the Eagles couldn’t seem to put the JVers away until the very end.
They did, however, keep a season long trend alive and 50 does seem to be the magic number. VLA is 6-1 on the year when the Eagles score 50+ points; they are 0-9 when don’t reach the 50-point mark.
Trey Weatherly has stepped up his offensive game as the season has gone on (much like last year) and led all scorers with 17 points. Dayton Booth has 11 more for Victory Life.
After playing so many games on the road or at neutral sites this season, Victory goes back home for a four-game stand starting Tuesday night, when the teams play host to McAlester Christian Academy.

Friday’s box scores:

Girls
VLA (7-8) 9 16 16 17 58
WHS (?-?) 9 12 12 18 51

VLA > Meagan Woodall 20, Lizzi Needham 15, Cailee Jones 12, Cassadi Jones 5, Jessi Balentine 3, Olivia Rustin 3.
WHS > Jill White 16, Ashley Hudlow 7, Kelsey Crane 6, Mary Martin 6, Melanie Carpenter 4, Brittany Murray 4, DelDeana Billinger 2, Kathleen Morgan 2, Tori Wadley 2, Aston Ward 2.

VLA > Lizzi Needham – 4 three-pointers tonight. Also note that this is her final game with us as she will be homeschooled from this point on. We will miss her.

Boys
VLA (6-10) 8 14 14 17 53
WJV 9 12 18 9 48

VLA > Trey Weatherly 17, Dayton Booth 11, Cameron Roesler 8, Tyler McKinney 7, Andrew Cacho 5, Tony Ramos 3, Jon Penton 2.
WJV > Cody Laman 14, Scoute Warren 9, Logan Warren 7, Kolter Borden 6, Dayton Brown 2, Clint Crane 2, Cory Hill 2, Curtis Martin 2, Dej Mathis 2, Josh Wolf 2.

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year to everyone!
God bless you all in 2009 and go Eagles, Savage Storm, Vols, Seahawks, Mavs, Thunder, and especially Sooners one week from today.

Seriously?!?!

Normally, I hate to pile on and kick a team when they're down (unless maybe it's Duke or some other ridiculously overconfident, overhyped, and media-pampered collection of egocentric talents), but the disaster in Philadelphia today can't go by without some discussion. The Dallas Cowboys completely imploded and were humiliated at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, 44-6, thereby eliminating themselves from the playoffs that just mere weeks ago this team was thought to be a lock to win.

Let this be a warning to all other teams out there: I don't care how highly touted your assemblage of talent is, unless it is a TEAM, it's just that - an assemblage of talent.

The Cowboys are a group of folks with an abundance of distractions that nobody seems to be able to get a handle on. The owner, however good-intentioned, always comes across as wanting to be the coach. He will almost always hire a coach (like the current one) whose personality will be meeker than his and therefore be run all over by him. The aforementioned current coach will also therefore be run over by many of his players. The players' individual interests are continually coming before the interests of the whole. And the local and national media delight in watching this pot boil over time and time again.

Something has to change.

Now, I don't blame all of those turnovers today on the coaches, but the coaching staff is always the first place that people will point the finger. Today, I will be in that group. Tony Romo was right: the Cowboys were exposed. Something has to change.

Not everything that T.O. does is detrimental to his team, just most of it. His very presence is a constant source of talk that distract his teammates and management away from the game at which all of them say they are trying to succeed. Something has to change.

Do I have all of the answers today? No, of course not. But I know that I am not the only one of the opinion that something has to change. And likely more things than one.

And incidentally... For as much anti-Duke sentiment as I usually have, at least Coach K always has his boys playing like a Team.

For Unto Us A Son Is Born

Merry Christmas!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God bless you all.

Last Show of 2008

Well, we had the final show of 2008 this morning and of course J.B. had all of the goofy Christmas bumpers, which we all love, ready for the breaks. We always start with the dogs barking Jingle Bells. A new one this year was the "Christmas Macarena".
Billy Sims even found his way into the opening sequence. Boomer!!
If you missed us this year, don't worry. We'll be back on the air on Saturday, January 3rd, at 10 am.

Lady Eagles' Game 10; Eagles' Game 9

Another night of split results for the Victory Life basketball teams and this time the win went to the boys. The host Eagles, at home for only the second time this year, stayed unbeaten in those two games, with a 50-43 win over Tupelo and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Lady Eagles extended their losing streak to four games as they lost 51-32 to Tupelo.

For the second time this week, Victory Life fell behind big early as the Lady Tigers got off to an impressive 26-6 first quarter lead and never looked back. VLA played with next to no intensity in the first sixteen minutes and trailed by 24 at the break.
The lights seemed to come on in the third period, but the damage had already been done.
Lizzi Needham had 3 three pointers on her way to 11 points on the night. She also had 7 rebounds. Her play was a big part of the Lady Eagles' improved effort in the second half. Meagan Woodall had 9 points and Amber Wright also had 5.

The Eagles played with fervency throughout the entire ballgame for the second time this week, but the results were different on Friday since VLA was able to pull off the victory. However, Victory betrayed itself at the free throw line once again as they did in Dickson. They shot 40 foul shots and made only 20. Tupelo's strategy of sending the Eagles to the free throw line started in the third quarter and was effective enough to stay with for most of the rest of the game since VLA was only 50% from the line. Hopefully the boys will practice a few more free throws over the Christmas Break.
Cameron Roesler led all scorers with 16 points, but had a difficult time at the charity stripe, going only 2-7 there. Seniors Trey Weatherly and Andrew Cacho also scored in double digits, with 13 and 11 points, respectively, and combined for 10 of 17 free throws made.

Friday's box scores:

Girls
THS (8-4) 26 4 8 13 51
VLA (5-5) 6 0 11 16 32

THS > Grace Leland 14, Megan Bray 11, Chesna Henry 10, Shanna Davidson 10, Josie Soukup 4, Kaci Bullard 2.
VLA > Lizzi Needham 11, Meagan Woodall 9, Amber Wright 5, Cassadi Jones 3, Jessi Balentine 2, Brittany Renfro 2.

Boys
THS (3-10) 7 4 14 18 43
VLA (4-5) 11 13 6 20 50

THS > Jeremy Stein 15, Jake Sanders 13, Dakota Ingram 6, Trevor Walkup 3, Matt Benedict 3, Nathan Hogue 2, Tyler Griffin 1.
VLA > Cameron Roesler 16, Trey Weatherly 13, Andrew Cacho 11, Cody Furrh 7, Tyler McKinney 3.

Lady Eagles' Game 9; Eagles' Game 8

Victory Life travelled to Dickson on Tuesday night to take on the Class 4A Comets. Dickson swept the contests with the Lady Comets winning 55-39 and the Comets holding on for a 48-44 victory.
VLA's Lady Eagles are now 5-4 and the Eagles drop to 3-5 in 2008-2009.

The Lady Comets came in undefeated and showed why against VLA with their sharp shooting. They didn't seem to miss in the first half and opened up a 21 point lead by the break. The Dickson starters saw action only until late in the third quarter when the game seemed to be decided.
VLA fought hard but just didn't have the horses in this one. Cailee Jones found her shot and had 12 points. Meagan Woodall also had 12 points for the Lady Eagles along with 4 blocks.

The boys' game was closer and the Eagles played as intense a ballgame as they have played all season. Victory came out and may have caught the Comets sleeping a bit. Dickson made baskets at the end of each of the first two quarters, including a three-pointer at the buzzer of the first half just to tie the game at 17 apiece.
VLA fought valiantly through the second half and were within one at 36-35 over midway through the final period, but missed important free throws late that could have made it a different outcome. The Eagles were 3 of 4 from the foul line in the first half, but went 1 for 6 from the stripe in the fourth quarter.
Cameron Roesler had yet another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Cacho scored 14 points for the Eagles and Cody Furrh had 10.

Victory Life will host Tupelo on December 19 to close out the first half of the schedule.

Tuesday's box scores:

Girls
VLA (5-4) 5 13 9 12 39
DHS (4-0) 21 18 9 7 55

VLA > Cailee Jones 12, Meagan Woodall 12, Cassadi Jones 5, Olivia Rustin 3, Jessi Balentine 2, Lizzi Needham 2, Katy Lehr 2, Amber Wright 1.
DHS > Tory Dwyer 14, Dara Gray 9, Cierra Burton 7, Brittany McLaury 5, Madison Donica 4, Megan Mays 4, Courtney Dodson 4, Juliann Jantz 3, Tiffany Davis 2, Alyssa Wheeler 2, Chell Armstrong 1.

Boys
VLA (3-5) 8 9 12 15 44
DHS (3-1) 9 8 15 16 48

VLA > Cameron Roesler 15, Andrew Cacho 14, Cody Furrh 10, Dayton Booth 5.
DHS > Bean 20, Royal 16, Riggle 8, Allen 2, Bolin 2.

More from EOSC...

Junior Lady Eagle Meagan Woodall and sophomore Eagle Cameron Roesler were selected to their respective All-Tournament teams this weekend.
Woodall averaged 10 points per game in three games, averaged 6 rebounds per game, and had 10 blocks in the three game set (including 5 against Spiro in limited action on Saturday).
Roesler averaged 15 points per contest in the Eagles' two losses vs. Wister and Spiro. He had a double-double against Wister with 18 points and 10 boards.
Congratulations to both of them. They deserve the honor.

EOSC Tournament - Day Three

Lady Eagles’ Game 8

Class 3A’s Spiro Lady Dogs came out quickly and got an early jump on Victory Life on Saturday in the EOSC Tournament Third Place game in the “A” Bracket. Spiro led by eight early and then by 20 at the intermission en route to a 58-31 victory over VLA on Saturday afternoon. Dropping consecutive games for the first time this season, Victory falls to 5-3 on the season. There won’t be much time to recover either as they travel to Dickson on Tuesday.
Quite frankly, the Lady Eagles haven’t seemed all the way “right” since defeating Rock Creek a week ago. Olivia Rustin injured her ankle pretty badly in the fourth quarter of that contest and hasn’t been able to rest it for it to recover fully. It is becoming apparent just how big a piece of this puzzle she is.
On top of that, some sickness going through the school this past week; the Lady Eagles weren’t spared and it showed. The girls seemed sluggish throughout the tournament. Able to slip away with a 7 point win over Wister, they couldn’t do the same against teams like Eagletown and Spiro, who had much more of a physical presence inside.
Spiro’s guard/forward duo of Kassandria Orozco and Kayli Fouts put in 12 and 11 points, respectively, before calling off the “Dogs” midway through the third.
Victory Life was led in scoring by freshman Cassadi Jones with 11. Meagan Woodall, who has herself been on a personal shooting slump, had 8 points to go along with 5 blocked shots and a great defensive effort.
The Lady Eagles need to play some inspired basketball in the coming week or they could be looking a .500 by the Christmas Break.

Saturday’s box score:

Girls
VLA (5-3) 5 7 10 9 31
EHS (3-2) 11 21 15 9 58

VLA > Cassadi Jones 11, Meagan Woodall 8, Jessi Balentine 3, Amber Wright 2, Lizzi Needham 2, Cailee Jones 2, Brittany Renfro 2, Olivia Rustin 1.
SHS > Kassandria Orozco 12, Kayli Fouts 11, Angel Miller 9, Jenni Bigler 8, Bethany Lashley 7, Sarah McLaughlin 5, Kendra Ledbetter 2, Megan Garrett 2, Meosha McKesson 2.

EOSC Tournament - Day Two

Lady Eagles’ Game 7

For those watching the Lady Eagles play on Friday night, it was déjà vu of Friday night the previous week. Victory Life looked as though they hadn’t shot a ball in weeks (maybe months) and the scoreboard reflected it. Eagletown took the contest 56-20 and sent Victory Life to the third place contest for the second consecutive weekend. The Lady Eagles are now 5-2 and will face Spiro at 3 pm on Saturday.
When we last left Olivia Rustin, she had played a fantastic game on Thursday night, but tweaked the ankle she injured in the Rock Creek Tournament. Rustin tried to make it out on the court; however, she just couldn’t stay. The ankle needs rest and Rustin will be a gametime decision tomorrow.
As for the rest of the Lady Eagles, Meagan Woodall once again led the way in scoring, but this time with only 9.
Meanwhile, Eagletown’s inside duo of ShaVannah Short and LaKrisha Pennon was a force to be reckoned with. The size mismatches in the lane proved to be too much for Victory Life this time around.
This was the first big test for VLA this season and Eagletown’s Lady Eagles showed Victory that there is still a way to go.

Eagles’ Game 7

The Eagles were not at full strength in either game in the Eastern Tournament. With ankle injuries to three of the top eight players and another of those eight recovering from sickness, those watching Victory Life in the tournament this week were not treated to seeing the Eagles at their best.
That aside, the Spiro Bulldogs came out and played with the desperation of a team that badly needed a win. And in doing so, they outhustled the Eagles in every facet of the game. They pressed the entire game (and I mean for 30 of the 32 minutes) and forced numerous Eagle turnovers. Spiro also caught fire from outside the arc, draining 12 three-pointers.
VLA was led in scoring by Cameron Roesler who had 12 points. The Eagles also got 7 points apiece from Andrew Cacho and Tony Ramos.
Victory falls to 3-4 on the season now and will take the court again on Tuesday night at Dickson.

Friday’s box scores:

Girls
VLA (5-2) 4 9 3 4 20
EHS (5-4) 22 7 19 8 56

VLA > Meagan Woodall 9, Lizzi Needham 3, Cassadi Jones 3, Cailee Jones 2, Amber Wright 2, Jessi Balentine 1.
EHS > ShaVannah Short 14, LaKrisha Pennon 13, Kristie Baker 10, Briana Billy 8, Lacey Griffin 5, Amber Roan 2, Alexis Burris 2, Maeson McCaig 2.


Boys
VLA (3-4) 7 7 13 7 34
SHS (1-3) 15 18 24 15 72

VLA > Cameron Roesler 12, Andrew Cacho 7, Tony Ramos 7, Tyler McKinney 3, Cody Furrh 2, Trey Weatherly 2, Jacob Hance 1.
SHS > T. Seymour 23, H. Solomon 12, M. White 11, M. Catelett 11, S. Thompson 5, T. Williams 4, G. Releford 2, K. Simmons 2, B. Anderson 2.

EOSC Tournament - Day One

Lady Eagles' Game 6

The Lady Eagles picked up where they left off on Saturday and grabbed their fifth win of the season, defeating Wister 50-43 in the first round of the Eastern Oklahoma State College Open Tournament. Now 5-1, VLA will face top seed Eagletown on Friday at 4 pm.
Sophomore Olivia Rustin played through injury (She hurt her ankle last week in the Rock Creek Tournament) but led all scorers with 14 points.
Cailee Jones and Meagan Woodall each added 12 points to help the Lady Eagles.
Most of Victory Life’s players were fighting sickness and it was a struggle to keep going on the court. Jessi Balentine had 4 points and controlled the game well from the point guard position, though feeling the effects of the virus. Lizzi Needham also had only 4 points on the evening, but pulled down 11 boards as well.
VLA struggles were most apparent when at the free throw line. The Lady Eagles went 10-24 from the stripe, a place that is supposed to be one of their strengths.

Eagles' Game 6

The Eagles found themselves in a hole before the game even started. With a rotation that generally consists of eight players, Victory Life was missing Jon Penton, who was still out due to a sprained ankle from the Rock Creek Tournament, and Cody Furrh, who was out with illness. But the boys fought very hard on Thursday night. And though they lost 57-48 to Wister, it was truly a valiant effort.
VLA is now 3-3 and will meet the loser of the Eagletown/Spiro contest on Friday at 12:20.
Tyler McKinney had 4 three-pointers on his way to 21 points and led all scorers. Cameron Roesler also put in 18 points for Victory.
What shouldn’t be lost in the Eagles’ defeat was how well they executed the defensive game plan. VLA held the Wildcats to only 24 points in the first half and kept Wister’s Chris Gandee to just two before the break.
But the loss of senior speedster Trey Weatherly early in the first period to an ankle injury became tougher as the game went on and Wister responded by coming out with a 17-8 third quarter, putting the Eagles in an 11 point hole that they could not overcome.
Adding another injury to the insult (pardon the bad play on words), Dayton Booth also turned his ankle in the fourth period.
The Eagles are hoping to heal up quickly as they face another tough opponent on Friday.

Thursday’s box scores:

Girls
VLA (5-1) 16 12 14 8 50
WHS 12 8 16 7 43

VLA > Olivia Rustin 14, Cailee Jones 12, Meagan Woodall 12, Jessi Balentine 4, Lizzi Needham 4, Cassadi Jones 2, Brittany Renfro 2.
WHS > Melannie Carpenter 10, Jill White 9, Kelsey Crane 7, Mary Martin 6, Brittany Murry 6, Shelbie Billy 5, DelDeana Billinger 2.

Boys
VLA (3-3) 9 13 8 18 48
WHS (5-3) 12 12 17 16 57

VLA > Tyler McKinney 21, Cameron Roesler 18, Andrew Cacho 3, Tony Ramos 3, Trey Weatherly 2, Dayton Booth 1.
WHS > Chris Gandee 20, Tyler Shoup 11, Jake White 10, Craig Morgan 6, Ben Shipman 4, Rusty Meeks 2, Cory Hill 2, Kolten Braden 2.

Rock Creek Tournament - Day Three

Lady Eagles' Game 5

Victory Life put the previous day's shooting debacle behind them and responded with their highest point total of the year to date. They defeated the tournament host Rock Creek, 72-65, and earned the Third Place plaque for the weekend. VLA moves to 4-1 for the year.

Meagan Woodall led the Lady Eagles with 24 points and was also recognized as a member of the All-Tournament team. Cassadi Jones came off the bench and had 12 points for Victory Life. Lizzi Needham and Olivia Rustin each had 10 points.

It was a back and forth battle throughout the first half and the Lady Mustangs led 19-16 after the first eight minutes. But VLA took the lead for good late in the half and went up by five points, 31-26, on a buzzer-beating tip back by Woodall which gave the Lady Eagles momentum going into the break.

VLA came out on fire in the third and led by as many as 14 early in the fourth, when Woodall left the contest with five fouls with just over 6 minutes remaining and a ten point advantage. The Lady Eagles were up by 8 with about three minutes left when they lost Rustin also to fouls. Cailee Jones also fouled out in the final minute, but VLA was able to maintain their lead by matching Rock Creek's free throws at the end.

Eagles' Game 5

The Consolation Chamionship gave the fans a hard fought contest that showed them Eagles who wouldn't quit, but too much Marcellous Hill for those Eagles to overcome. Hill led all scorers with 32 points. Boswell came away with a 72-59 win over Victory Life, who fell to 3-2.

Dayton Booth continued to play well on his old court and poured in 18 points to lead the Eagles. Trey Weatherly was the only other VLA player in double figures with 10. Cameron Roesler and Andrew Cacho each had eight.

As in their only prior loss in the season, the halftime deficit proved to be too much for VLA to surmount.

Saturday's box scores:

Girls
VLA (4-1) 16 15 23 18 72
RCHS 19 7 18 21 65

VLA > Meagan Woodall 24, Cassadi Jones 12, Lizzi Needham 10, Olivia Rustin 10, Amber Wright 6, Cailee Jones 5, Jessi Balentine 5.
RCHS > Taylor Robinson 15, Halie Heflin 13, Katelynn Burns 12, Jade Graham 9, Raylee Mitchell 8, Kassidy Goforth 4, Brianna Akins 4.

Boys
VLA (3-2) 10 13 17 19 59
BHS 15 20 16 21 72

VLA > Dayton Booth 18, Trey Weatherly 10, Cameron Roesler 8, Andrew Cacho 8, Tyler McKinney 7, Cody Furrh 5, Tony Ramos 3.
BHS > Marcellous Hill 32, Martin Stevens 25, James Ribera 7, Trey Phillips 6, Matt Godsby 2.

Rock Creek Tournament - Day Two

Lady Eagles' Game 4

Day Two of the Rock Creek Tournament saw the Lady Eagles drop their first game of the season, 50-30, to Boswell and fell to 3-1. And as bad as the score looks, that's how bad Victory Life looked on the court.
Victory Life will play the loser of the second semifinal, Rock Creek vs. Durant JV, on Saturday.
The Lady Scorpions held VLA to single digits in scoring in three quarters and the Lady Eagles never really got on track. Cailee Jones was the only player in double figures for Victory with 10 points. Lizzi Needham and Cassadi Jones each had 6. The nine three-pointers made in Thursday's win were a distant memory; VLA made only one on Friday.

Eagles' Game 4

The Eagles got back on the winning track on Friday with a 58-43 victory over Rock Creek's junior varsity. The close score was not really indicitive of the game as VLA played everyone who suited up. The Eagles are now 3-1 in 2008-09.
Victory Life will face the winner of the Boswell/Durant J.V. game in Saturday's consolation championship.
A pair of sophomores led the way for Victory. Dayton Booth, who transferred from Rock Creek in 2007, topped all scorers with 19 and Cameron Roesler put in 13 points. Trey Weatherly also had 10 for the Eagles.

Friday's box scores:

Girls
VLA (3-1) 8 6 5 11 30
BHS (4-4) 8 17 16 9 50

VLA > Cailee Jones 10, Lizzi Needham 6, Cassadi Jones 6, Meagan Woodall 4, Olivia Rustin 2, Amber Wright 2.
BHS > Merideth Mullenix 24, Kaitlyn Crawford 10, Shay Love 8, Vinyard 4, Josie Redwine 2, Kelbie Brinkley 1, Cassidy Percer 1.

Boys
VLA (3-1) 12 17 23 6 58
RCJV 6 13 8 16 43

VLA > Dayton Booth 19, Cameron Roesler 13, Trey Weatherly 10, Tyler McKinney 8, Cody Furrh 6, Andrew Cacho 2.
RCJV > Kodi From 10, Joe Phillips 8, Chance Dobbins 6, Bradley Robinson 6, Matt Owens 6, Lane Beauchamp 3, Trey Davis 2, Jordan Bishop 2.

Rock Creek Tournament - Day One

Lady Eagles' Game 3

Victory Life opened the 2008 Rock Creek Tournament as the #3 seed taking on #6 seed Fort Towson. Good outside shooting from Victory Life kicked back in for them in the fourth and the Lady Eagles held on for a 56-42 victory in the tournament's opener and moved to 3-0 on the season.
The Lady Eagles got off to a really good start and held a 19 point advantage going into halftime. But the Lady Tigers came out of the break and played with a little more fire and at one point in the fourth cut the lead to only 7.
Meagan Woodall once again had a good showing for VLA. She had 23 points, including 18 that came from outside the arc. Cailee Jones also got into double figures with 11 points.
Victory will face the winner of Boswell and Soper J.V. on Friday at 4:20.

Eagles' Game 3

The seeds held up in the opening round at Rock Creek on Thursday in the first boys' game of the day as #4 beat #5. Victory Life suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of Fort Towson on Thursday, falling 62-42. The Eagles are now 2-1.
Fort Towson started off hot with an 8-0 run to open the game, but the Eagles quickly answered to tie it at 8. Then the Tigers pulled away, leading 24-14 after one and stretching the lead to 20 at the break. Hot shooting and good rebounding fueled Fort Towson in the first half.
The Eagles shifted defenses in the second half and held Zach Samaha scoreless after he had dropped 18 on the Eagles in the first 16 minutes.
Trey Weatherly and Tyler McKinney were the only two VLA players in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
VLA will face the loser of Stringtown and Rock Creek J.V. in the consolation bracket on Friday at 3:00.

Box scores:

Girls
VLA (3-0) 14 16 12 12 56
FTHS (0-7) 6 5 17 14 42

VLA > Meagan Woodall 23, Cailee Jones 11, Lizzi Needham 8, Jessi Balentine 5, Cassadi Jones 4, Amber Wright 2, Olivia Rustin 1.
FTHS > Heather Bevills 14, Lauren Beckwith 9, Seana Garrison 8, Bekah Walters 6, Kiley Johnson 4, Chelsea Bolt 1.

VLA > Team hit 9 three-pointers, Woodall made 6 of them.

Boys
VLA (2-1) 14 6 16 6 42
FTHS (4-3) 24 16 12 10 62

VLA > Trey Weatherly 11, Tyler McKinney 10, Dayton Booth 7, Tony Ramos 6, Cameron Roesler 4, Cody Furrh 4.
FTHS > Zach Samaha 18, Shane Acker 15, Allan Roden 14, Jimmy Smith 7, Vince Casella 6, Phillip Clark 2.

Lady Eagles' Game 2; Eagles' Game 2

The first game after the Thanksgiving break usually shows that there is a little rust to shake off and Tuesday night’s contests fell into that category for Victory Life. However, the Lady Eagles and Eagles were just too much for the overmatched Red River Home School Rattlers.
VLA won the girls’ game 49-15 to move to 2-0 on the season. This is only the second time in school history that the girls’ team has won its first two contests and that’s fairly interesting considering the really good teams that have come through in the 2000’s. 10 out of 11 players scored, led by Meagan Woodall with 10. Olivia Rustin followed with 8 points and Cassadi Jones and Katy Lehr each had 6.
Victory Life’s boys are also now 2-0 for the year after their 70-49 victory over the Rattlers. Cameron Roesler had 31 points for the Eagles. Dayton Booth put in 20 and Tyler McKinney also had 10.
Next up for VLA is the Rock Creek Tournament which starts on Thursday.
Tuesday's box scores:

Girls
VLA (2-0) 7 12 14 16 49
RR 2 1 4 8 15

VLA > Meagan Woodall 10, Olivia Rustin 8, Cassadi Jones 6, Katy Lehr 6, Cailee Jones 5, Amber Wright 4, Jessi Balentine 3, Brittany Renfro 3, Maegan Crawford 2, Lizzi Needham 2.
RR > V. Blessing 6, K. Palmer 4, H.Hough 2, T. Hough 2, M. Ayers 1.

Boys
VLA (2-0) 13 15 21 21 70
RR 7 16 15 17 49

VLA > Cameron Roesler 31, Dayton Booth 20, Tyler McKinney 10, Colby Hix 5, Sean Mathis 2, Tucker Weatherly 2
RR > Daniel Hoffman 18, Alec Hilliard 16, Tyler Markle 9, Andrew Flowers 3, Timothy Teater 3.

Picks Recap

This was the last full week of games, with some Conference championships and a few other contests next weekend to close out the 2008 regular season campaign.
I think 7-3 is respectable for a rivalry weekend. OU did what was necessary to jump over Texas in the BCS. Texas Tech did just enough to make what OU did have some meaning. Tennessee sent Coach Fulmer out on a positive note. But I really was surprised by the ACU loss. Oh well.
Go Sooners. Beat Mizzou.