By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Afton’s boys and girls, Lucky ‘7’ Conference basketball champions, have their backs to the wall in the Oklahoma Class A playoffs.
It’s because of Preston on both fronts.
Preston’s No. 1-ranked girls, playing on their floor, handled Afton 73-47 for a regional championship last Saturday night.
Then the Preston boys, ranked fifth by the Tulsa World, trimmed the Afton boys 75-47.
The Afton teams, needing three wins to reach their respective state tournaments, launch their bids tonight in the losers’ bracket of the Bixby Area.
The Afton girls, 21-3 and ranked 10th by the World, play unranked Weleetka at 6:30. The No. 19 Afton boys, 18-6, test No. 14 Okarche at 8.
The Afton girls trailed Preston 20-19 after the first quarter, Eagle coach Gerald Sergeant noted on Wednesday.
“But the second quarter (the Pirates controlled it 20-4) just killed us,” Sergeant said. “Preston isn’t just huge. It’s extremely quick.
“Weleetka does have height. Obviously, we need to block out,” Sergeant said. “But we hope to utilize our quickness ... especially on defense.
“Weleetka defensively probably will double-team Macy (Gibson) and play a zone,” Sergeant said. “But I believe we can score against their zone.”
Gibson, a 5-foot-10 senior, produced 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals against Preston.
The Afton-Weleetka winner on Friday afternoon will meet the winner of the 1:30 p.m. Thursday game between Gans and Kiefer.
The Afton boys received 16 points apiece from 6-0 seniors Shawn Free and Magnum Mustain against Preston. The Pirates extended a 35-25 halftime lead.
Afton coach David Markes said Okarche (22-6), which had been ranked in the top five for several weeks, will present a challenge for the Eagles’ defense.
“Their guards are outstanding — one is averaging about 25 points — and they shoot the 3 very well,” Markes said. “We’re hoping Ryan (6-2 senior son Ryan Markes) will match up against the scoring leader. We may go to a box-and-1.
“We match up well in overall size,” coach Markes said. “They (the Warriors) probably will press with a man-to-man all over the court. We obviously need to keep our turnovers to a minimum. We need offensively to get the ball inside to Shawn (Free).”
The Afton-Okarche winner at 3 p.m. on Friday will play the winner of today’s game between Weleetka and Wister.
