PODCAST: Crunch time for wrestling & basketball

2/27/2020 |  Ben Johnson

State tournament wrestling is this weekend, and small school basketball teams will be punching their tickets to the state tournament in area tournament play.
Listen in as we break it all down for you.

SKORDLE SHOOTOUT is Saturday in Cushing

5/30/2019 |  Michael Swisher

If you need to get your basketball fix early this summer, Cushing might be just the spot for you this Saturday.

The inaugural Skordle Shootout team camp will take place Saturday, June 8, at Cushing Middle School and will feature 12 straight hours of basketball action simultaneously on two courts. The day full of roundball action is sponsored by Sons of Ireland Basketball.

Skordle Live will be a big part of the event as every game played on Court 1 will be live streamed.

That’s 18 games beginning at 9 a.m., with the last one slated for an 8:20 p.m. start.

The games (See complete schedule below) can be watched on your Skordle App or on Skordle.com. If you can't be in Cushing or even watch it live on your device, you can still keep up with scores on your Skordle App. All the scheduled games are already loaded into the app.

On top of that, Skordle personalities will be on hand to interview players and coaches throughout the day. Those interviews will be made available on the app and website later in the week.

As far as the teams involved: It’s a who’s who of small-school basketball powers.

Here’s a list of GIRLS teams scheduled to take part:

Cashion - One of our first chances to see the team under new head coach Andrea Taylor

Cushing

Dale - 2019 2A runner-up in Eric Smith’s first season as head coach

Varnum - 2019 Class B champ

Kingston - 2019 3A quarterfinalist and 2018 runner-up

Calumet - Knocked on door of Class B state tournament

Garber - Reached Class A area tournament

Perry

Shattuck - Reached Friday of area; pushed Seiling in regional final

Chisholm - Ever improving in 3A as Tana Gragg enters third season

Lomega - 2019 Class B semifinalist that owns more gold balls than any girls program

Sulphur - 2019 3A quarterfinalist

And the BOYS:

Cashion - Made some strides in 2019 with young squad

Cushing

Dale - Ranked No. 1 in 2A for part of 2019 before losing in quarterfinals

Varnum

Kingston - Dominant 3A state champ in 2019

Calumet - Class B runner-up in 2019, could move to Class A this year

Garber - Made run to Class A state tournament in 2019 and also….Will Jones

Perry - Veteran coach Brandon Hight had best Maroon squad in several years, reaching top-eight in Class 3A and earning spot in area championship

Adair

Rejoice Christian - Caught fire at the right time and claimed the Class 2A title

Okemah - Won 21 games and got to 2A quarterfinals

Minco - Impressive season ended in 2A semifinals

Obviously those were last year’s results and these are different teams. Some big-time contributors have moved on and others will be asked to step up.

But that’s what team camps are for - to get a glimpse of the future, to see who’s ready and who’s got some work to do.

So make your plans. Join us in person in Cushing…or join us on your app or online. 

Either way, it’s going to be wall-to-wall basketball featuring some teams with legitimate state tournament aspirations in 2020 and you won’t want to miss it.

Additional information:

Cushing Middle School location:

512 S. Harmony Road

Cushing, OK  74023

Admission:

$5 for adults

$2 for children

$3 for veterans and senior citizens

Koy Hughes headed to Garber

4/29/2019 |  Michael Swisher

Five generations of Koy Hughes’ family have graduated from Garber High School.

He didn’t want his son to break that tradition.

With that in mind, Hughes is leaving his post as head football and baseball coach at Waukomis High School to return to his alma mater.

Hughes will be an assistant football coach, serving as the defensive coordinator on Blake Lamle’s staff and take over for Lamle as the Wolverines’ head baseball coach.

“That’s where I’m from and it’s just an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Hughes said.

He’s served as the Chiefs’ baseball coach the last three years, during which time they compiled a 38-39 record. He was the head football coach in each of the past two seasons and guided Waukomis to a 10-12 mark while reaching the playoffs each year.

“To have the opportunity to go learn from Coach Lamle, someone who has won two state titles, was really big for me,” Hughes said. “This is something, if I want to be a head coach again, that will really benefit me down the line.”

Lamle came to Garber prior to the 2018 season after a five-year stint at Shattuck, the last two as a head coach. His 2017 team won the Class B title and he was the offensive coordinator on the 2015 title team.

“I’m very excited to welcome Coach Hughes back home,” Garber superintendent Will Jones said. “This is a huge hire for our athletic program. He brings great experience as a head football and head baseball coach, and more than anything, the bleeds maroon and gray. He takes great pride in being a Wolverine and is going to come in here and grind and work for Garber.”

Hughes graduated from Garber in 1999 and played on the 1998 Class B state championship football team.

Hughes was also on some successful Garber baseball teams.

“Garber had a really good run in baseball in the 80s and 90s and I’d really like to help get us back there,” Hughes said.

PODCAST TIME! Wall to wall basketball and wrestling

2/28/2019 |  Ben Johnson

Medals and trophies have been handed out to wrestlers across the state. Now it’s time for basketball teams to start claiming hardware.

Ben and Michael dive into Class A & B state basketball tournaments on tap this week, and they guys also make their predictions in each class.

Ben breaks down what happened at the state wrestling tournament and some of the various highlights along the way. 

Also added a new segment where the guys named their MVPs of the week. Listen in and find out who they dubbed as last week’s MVPs.

All that leading up to Michael's interview with Okarche coach Ray West. You don't want to miss what West had to say.

Thanks for listening & enjoy!

Have any feedback? Email the show at ben@skordle.com

Garber girls stay alive with buzzer-beater

Girls Basketball | 2/25/2018 | Billy Hefton | Enid News & Eagle

Garber’s girls are the cardiac kids in the Class A playoffs.

Macy Swart hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Lady Wolverines a 46-45 win over Texhoma in the Area I losers bracket quarterfinals at the Central National Bank Center Friday. It was the third straight game decided at the buzzer for Garber, now 21-8.

The Lady Wolverines now face Canute, a 42-38 winner over Canton, at 1:30 p.m. today in another elimination game. Two-time defending state champion Seiling (24-1) faces Oklahoma Christian Academy (18-8) at 6:30 p.m. in the winners bracket finals for a berth in next week’s state tournament.

BREAKING NEWS: Union Schools 'to reevaluate' nickname, mascot

7/6/2020 |  Ben Johnson

Union Public Schools is beginning the 2020-2021 school year with some significant news. The ninth-largest school district in Oklahoma, per overall enrollment, is slated to have discussions about removing the Redskins nickname it has had for decades.

The school made the announcement Monday -- six days into the new academic year -- that it will begin discussions into a possible new nickname on July 13 at the next district's school board meeting.

The district has addressed the nickname before, deciding to keep the current nickname back in the 2002-2003 school year.

The news comes on the heels of the Washington franchise in the NFL opting to consider a name change, after advertisers started to pull their funding until a new nickname was agreed upon.

In Oklahoma, three other school districts use the same nickname: Kingston, McLoud and Rush Springs.

Stay tuned for more updates.

History in the Making Part 2: The Playoffs

7/2/2020 |  Michael Swisher

The Cashion and Perry boys’ basketball teams entered the 2020 playoffs in slightly different positions.

Cashion had just endured “hell week” almost unscathed. The Wildcats were tested mightily during the stretch and entered the playoffs with a sterling record and ranked second in Class 2A.

They were a definite favorite to reach the state tournament.

As for Perry? The Maroons survived their own mid- to late-season swoon to hit the playoffs on a roll.

However, they finished the regular season out of the top-eight in Class 3A, making their road to state - on paper, anyway - more challenging.

The Maroons had no trouble with Chandler in a 30-point district win, then held off a stubborn Prague squad in the regional opener.

The first big roadblock was No. 6 Community Christian in the regional championship on the Royals’ home court. The Royals were one of two top-eight teams that figured to stand between Perry and a spot in the state tournament.

Down big at halftime, Perry came back to win 54-47.

For those who didn’t know, now they did. Perry was a team with which to be reckoned.

Hight: We beat them at their place after being down 11 at halftime. I think that win gave us a lot of confidence.

Cashion wasn’t overly-inspired in its 14-point district win against Rush Springs, a team that pulled off the upset the night before.

That kept the Wildcats in the winner’s bracket for the regional opener.

For most teams sitting at No. 2 in the rankings, winning that Thursday game of a regional is an expectation more than an accomplishment.

That wasn’t necessarily the case in Cashion. Not since the 1996-97 season had the Wildcats advanced past the regional and into the area tournament.

That’s right. Twenty-three years.

A win in the Thursday winner’s bracket game would guarantee a spot in the area tournament and break that long streak. So, for Cashion, there was added pressure against Hobart.

And perhaps that pressure is why Cashion struggled early as Hobart led throughout the first quarter. However, the final three quarters belonged to Cashion in a 58-29 victory.

Hardaway: I think relief is a perfect word. I think for the coaches, more than the players, it was a big relief. I don't think the kids ever really thought about it more as just another team in front of them, but we as coaches knew how important that game was for us and our program to finally end the 20-plus year hex of the boys not making it to area. We had lost the previous three years on Thursday night, each time to really good teams: Carnegie, Regent Prep and Wewoka. We battled them tooth and nail, but just weren't good enough, and then had a really tough opponent waiting for us the next day, so to win that game was really big and really shouldn't be forgotten or taken for granted.

The Wildcats were headed to area. However, the regional championship game against No. 19 Mangum would decide if they were going into the area title game or into the consolation bracket. Mangum proved more than a formidable foe as it never backed down from Cashion and even led in the waning moments of the game. Somehow - like those brutal battles against Hennessey and Dale - Cashion emerged with a 63-61 victory.

Hardaway: They’re such a tough matchup for us, but, somehow, we just found a way to win.

The “upset” victory over Community Christian put Perry into the area championship game - and one win from state - for the second straight year. Adding to the deja vu was the fact the Maroons would be playing Millwood, the very team that blew them out in last year’s area championship. 

This year, Millwood entered the game ranked No. 1.

Hight: Losing to Millwood the year before, I think, benefited us more than them. They remember beating us by 20; my guys also remembered that, but I think we felt like we could have played better and this time we didn’t look intimidated or scared of the moment. I felt really confident going into the game, probably more than I ever have in a big game. It wasn’t because I knew we would win, but just the fact I felt like we were playing to our capabilities and had a good week of preparation.

Cashion, meanwhile, was literally in uncharted territory considering the area tournament drought. The Wildcats were set to face No. 6 Minco for the area title at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center at SWOSU. Minco had reached the state semifinals the year before.

Much like the “hell week” and Mangum games, this was a battle. This one, however, didn’t see Cashion make the plays or catch the breaks near the end. Minco emerged 56-51 to win the area championship and advance to state.

Hardaway: We lost to a team almost our equals, one with similar personnel makeup, approach, etc, and they had just played a little better than us and they deserved to win. Our free throw struggles finally may have cost us and I was issued a technical foul with 2:11 left in the quarter and our team down four points while we were playing defense. Rightly or wrongly, a coach can’t get a technical foul at that point of the ballgame and I did. As I walked across the floor towards our locker room, I was afraid that maybe my ‘T’ might have cost us a chance to win the game, but as I made the turn down the hallway, my mind quickly turned to how to handle this locker room and our guys. 

Hardaway had never been in this position as a coach: Lose the area championship but still have a shot to win Saturday and advance to state.

Hardaway: I have always thought about how I would and always sought advice from other coaches on how they handled the same situation. Before I entered the locker room, I had a quick meeting with my two assistant coaches to discuss the next 20-30 minutes and make sure the three of us were on the same page before talking to the team. It was going to go like this: Go in the locker room, and deal with Minco game, losing, why, how, etc. Try to get through whatever anger, sadness, frustration there was with that and then try to put it to bed as fast as possible. Once we were done, I told the team, ‘OK, we are done talking about Minco. You can be upset about it the rest of the evening and it should upset you, but by tomorrow morning, when you wake up, that’s out of your system. From that point, it has to be for us to win tomorrow and make the state tournament.

There were two surprises for Cashion: One was the fact the Wildcats were going to be playing Saturday. They expected to win Friday. The other was the opponent in the area consolation championship. Unranked Calera had just pulled off big upsets of Caddo and Mangum.

Hardaway: They were the typical tournament underdog that plays well when it matters most and was going to be bringing all the momentum in the world with them Saturday night.

While playing Calera was a surprise, what Calera did on the court wasn’t going to be one. Hardaway made sure one of his assistants scouted all the area teams and even had a former assistant taking some notes throughout the three previous area boys’ games. After the Minco discussion in the locker room, coaches provided a quick briefing on Calera. Still, Hardaway hadn’t yet seen Saturday’s opponent. After the grueling late-night game and the 90-minute bus ride home, he got to work.

Hardaway: At about 4 a.m., after watching a couple of games, I was confident we were the better team, but weird things can happen on Saturday night of area and that’s always a little scary. But I did come across the idea of running an old zone defense that we had not run at Cashion in years. Once I felt like we could defend them, I was able to go to bed.

There was another reassuring feeling for Hardaway.

Hardaway: I had a sense with our guys, that no matter what, they were not going to lose twice in the area tournament. It didn’t matter who we played. 

On Saturday afternoon, the team made some final preparations before leaving once again for Weatherford.

Hardaway: We were also closely following Garber’s Class A state championship game that was being played that afternoon. They are a program that their coaches and players are good friends of ours. We beat them in their tournament earlier in the season, but we were openly rooting for them as they won their state championship game (against Arapaho-Butler) in double-OT. As we watched them, we were probably all subconsciously thinking that could be us next week. If they could do it, so could we!

But first, Calera.

Hardaway: I could tell our guys were calm and confident and I knew on the way to SWOSU we were going to win, but you still have to play the game.  

The Wildcats did just that - and it was never really a game. The celebration was on early as Cashion won 61-26.

Hardaway: We played great defense throughout. We weren’t great offensively for two quarters. We couldn’t catch or make a layup for stretches for whatever reason. We won by a big margin, which was both great and odd because you just always think an area finals game would be a tight one. We celebrated on the floor and in the locker room. It was a lot of fun watching our players enjoy that experience. 

One of Hardaway’s grandfathers - Fabian Cambron - frequently makes the trek to Oklahoma from Kentucky to catch his favorite coach’s big games. He was one of several family members on hand for Hardaway’s big moment.

Hardaway: I really enjoyed having my family there! Hugs and congrats from my wife and kids, my parents and my grandfather were very special. I loved watching our players celebrate with their teammates, parents, family and friends. 

Nobody wanted the celebration to end. SWOSU essentially made it.

Hardaway: We were there so long, they basically shut the lights out on us, but oh well. We were going to state. It was the first time that Cashion boys had gone to state since 1996. 

Perry’s area experience was every bit as meaningful, but not nearly as drawn out. Standing immediately in the Maroons’ way was top-ranked Millwood, the team that essentially embarrassed them in exactly the same spot the year before. Perry didn’t recover and lost the Saturday game as well and missed out on a trip to state.

This year, however, the Maroons were more than read. They never trailed and maintained a slim lead the entire first half.

Hight: I felt like the longer the game went along, the more the more our guys realized: “Hey, we can win this.”

The lead grew to double digits in the second half. The Maroons kept their lead despite Drake having to sit for about a five-minute stretch. Ultimately, Millwood had to start fouling. Goldberry went 11 of 13 from the line and finished with 22 points. Drake went for 23 points and 18 boards. 

Hight: I don’t think I really felt like “oh man, we have this” until about 15 seconds were left and we went up six points.

Perry emerged victorious, 69-61, and was headed to the state tournament for the first time since 19-FOREVER!

Hight: It was almost hard to believe. When I came to Perry, that was one of my biggest goals. It took 11 years, so I know how hard it is to get to that point...to even give yourself a chance. 

A Perry alumnus, Hight was well-versed on the difficulty of even being in a position to go to the state tournament.

Hight:  My second year of coaching in 2007-08, I was one win away at Mulhall-Orlando and then I didn’t get that opportunity again until last year. So over the years, I have appreciated how hard it is to even get to area, much less the state tournament.

The coach knew it wasn’t just about him.

Hight: This group of kids and seniors deserved it. We are not the most athletic or physically dominant team. We have to do all the little things right and these guys did that for me and each other.

Perry fans are accustomed to visiting State Fair Arena during the latter part of winter. However, it’s always been to cheer on the wrestling team. Now there was another reason to go.

Hight: Being a Perry graduate, our town, community and alumni really have supported Perry basketball. We had great support at games and people were excited. It made me proud to do something for those people.

And then there’s the support system at home.

Hight: My family. My wife was proud of us and it was just great to see her smile after the game because she knows how bad I wanted to get to the state tournament. And my kids, they have grown up on a school bus, sitting on the bench since they could walk, and spending hours and hours just watching practices. So having my son on the team and being able to see him on the floor and being able to contribute in the biggest moment of my career was awesome.

All of that culminated in the moments after the final buzzer at Western Heights High School.

Hight: The best part of the whole thing was getting announced as area champions, taking what would be our last team picture and the celebration in the locker room. Then, in the lobby of Western Heights gym, there were hundreds of family members and fans there to congratulate the team and take pictures, etc. It was an awesome feeling, I bet I received over 200 texts that night. I didn’t go to bed until 4 a.m. because I didn’t want the night to end.

SKORDLE JOINS FORCES WITH OFBCA, OBU TO MAKE ALL-STATE GAME A REALITY

6/24/2020 |  Michael Swisher

It’s official now.

The 2020 All-State football game will take place after an agreement was signed Wednesday between the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association and Oklahoma Baptist University.

OBU’s Crain Family Stadium in Shawnee will be the host site when All-State selections from East take on those from the West at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 25.