February 19, 2022 Issue, Page 4 of 9

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4 February 19, 2022 Education/Sports Trojanettes Sweep the week Elk City By Kerry Hookstra A trip to Corn Feb. 8 saw Ca- nute defeat Corn Bible Acade- the pace. Canute was up 20-15 going to halftime. In the third the Trojanettes prevailed 12-10 behind a pair from Thompson and one by Taylor Beutler. Trojanettes-Snyder Jade Gray led the 15-5 first goals. The fourth was tied 10- 10 Smith sank 2-2 free throws with a basket and Janning added two buckets as they plays three my 41-36. In District Champi- of treys from Abby Janning. quarter for Canute with a onship action the Trojanettes CBA claimed the fourth 11-9. deuce and a trey. The second paced Canute. By Kerry Hookstra 17-16. Dunlap still had the hot rolled to a 51-30 victory. Smith led the way for Canute went to the Trojanettes 16-4 Granger put in 11 to lead the as he drained a pair of treys, a Trojanettes-Corn Bible with two buckets and a three behind two baskets and three Lady Cyclones. Janning and The Big Elks went 2-1 over deuce, and 2-2 free throws. their last three contests. They Copeland rang up 24 for the In their 12-11 first quarter shots from the charity stripe. free throws from Kylee Smith. Smith tossed down 14 apiece held off Chickasha 66-64 in Fighting Chicks as he led all lead Kelly Thompson worked Roberts tossed down 15 to Canute was on top 31-9 at to lead the Trojanette charge. a Feb. 7 game. Altus was the an old fashioned 3-point play lead Corn Bible and take game halftime. scorers. Dunlap tossed down Gray connected for nine with opponent Feb. 8 and Elk City plus a basket to lead Canute. high honors. Smith pumped in Taking the third 12-11 the 21 with 18 by Keyes as they prevailed 69-40. The Big Elks The second went to the Troja- 14 and Janning had a dozen Trojanettes by Abby Janning eight from Emily Cantwell, six paced the Big Elk attack. Cole met Newcastle Feb 11 and fell nettes 8-4. Kylee Smith went for the Oilerettes. Jade Gray with 2-2 at the line and a buck- by Taylor Beutler, two from 56-39. Buie and Joseph Dailey put in 4-4 at the free throw line to set connected for nine with five et while Gray added two field Kelly Thompson. Big Elks-Chickasha 10 each while Cooper Church The teams were tied 14-14 scored six with four from Coo- after one. Caden Dunlap led per Patton and three by Austin the way with a deuce and a Jones. No. 7 Cowboys strive to make opening-weekend trey. The second went to the Big Elks19-13. Dunlap again led the charge with a pair of Big Elks- Altus Getting out to an 18-8 first quarter advantage put Elk City statement against No. 3 Vanderbilt threes. Elk City took a 33-27 margin to halftime. In the third the Fighting in the driver’s seat. The driver was Cole Buie with a trey and Hallie Hart, Stillwater NewsPress liday regards this sudden introduction to as a sophomore, he has built up experi- Chicks rallied for a 20-15 Kye a pair of deuces. The Bulldogs top talent as something positive for an ence on the mound beyond one season Keyes led the Big Elks bury- prevailed in the second 17-14. In a three-game opening weekend se- OSU team surrounded by lofty expecta- — he would be a junior without the ex- ing a three plus a pair of twos. Buie again set the pace for the ries, the Oklahoma State baseball team tions. tra year of eligibility granted because of The fourth saw the Chicka- Big Elks with a three and a free will immediately find out what to expect "That will definitely have our atten- the COVID-19 pandemic. Campbell, who sha comeback fall short even throw. At halftime Elk City had from a schedule packed with high-caliber tion immediately, and you'll definitely get compiled 102 strikeouts during the past though they edged Elk City a 32-25 margin. opponents. some feedback as to where you're at right season, has landed on the watch list for The Cowboys aren't starting their sea- away," Holliday said. the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to son with a tune-up game. Instead, OSU dives into competition against No. 3 Vanderbilt starting at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Nashville, Tennessee. The Cowboys are No. 7 in the D1Base- ball poll, and multiple individuals have collected preseason accolades. To back up those rankings, OSU needs some early the best amateur baseball player in the nation. He isn't the only Cowboy pitcher in the spotlight as opening weekend approach- Trojans take OSU coach Josh Holliday, a former Vanderbilt assistant, recognizes how the Commodores embody the characteristics of a program ready for continued success. wins that pack a punch, and an upset of the Commodores would fit into that cat- egory. The Vanderbilt series is also a way to es. Victor Mederos, a sophomore transfer from Miami, was tabbed as the Big 12 Pre- season Newcomer of the Year. As a Miami freshman, Mederos had eight starts, and District "You'll see elite pitching," Holliday said. quickly adjust to a nonconference sched- Holliday expects him to play a prominent By Kerry Hookstra buckets to pace the 11-6 third "You'll see a team that plays fundamen- ule that shows no mercy. Holliday said all role in OSU's lineup, too. for the Trojans. The fourth tally sound baseball, puts pressure on you of the Cowboys' first 20 games pit them "He factors into our rotation, for sure, Canute traveled to Burns saw both offenses pick up with with their athleticism, so it makes you against "regional-caliber teams." and (is) definitely a guy that has tremen- Flat for District action. They Canute leading 22-16. Jaxon prepare for every small detail right now "I think the sooner you can put your dous upside," Holliday said. "He's had a downed the Eagles 59-36. In Beck led the charge draining knowing that that will be necessary when feet on the ground and realize the level of great work ethic and desire to learn since posting an 11-11 tied the Tro- four treys and a deuce. you start." competition, the attention to detail and he's been here." jans were led by Colby Maddox, Mooney hit eight to pace Jumping into the season against just how fierce high-level baseball games The Cowboys' depth extends to the bull- Colt Randall, and Bill Shelton Vanderbilt, the 2019 Men's College World can feel, then the quicker your team can pen. Roman Phansalkar, a junior from BFDC. Beck poured in 18 for with a trey each. In their 15-3 Series champion, is comparable to fast- chase that level every single day," Holliday Edmond, encountered a road block in his game high honors. Brown second quarter Canute was led tracking to the final level in a video game said. "And I think that we have the type of career when he sat out in 2019 because by Aiden Brown with a three added 10 for the Trojans while — though the ultimate challenger could team that will be mature enough to han- of Tommy John surgery, but Holliday and a free throw while Kyron Zachary Potter put in eight be Big 12 foe Texas, checking in at No. 1 dle those types of contests." said Phansalkar is now at his healthiest. Whinery hit a pair of baskets. with seven from Whiney and in the D1Baseball standings for the first A seasoned pitching staff is one source Trevor Martin also returns after a season The Trojans carried a 26-14 six by Shelton. Randall con- time in program history. It's always a of this maturity. Although projected Fri- that culminated with Big 12 All-Freshman bulge to halftime. nected for five with three from tough matchup with Vanderbilt, but Hol- day starter Justin Campbell is designated honors. Brown tossed in a pair of Maddox and two by Estes. The Graham Jam Thunder Beat Knicks in Overtime Thriller By Graham Dudley The odds were stacked against the Oklahoma City Thunder But after the timeout, OKC calmly executed a game-tying play when they rolled into Madison Square Garden on Monday night. with a layup from a fired-up Bazley that sent the game to overtime For one thing, the schedule: They were playing for the third time knotted at 112. in four nights, all on the road. OKC never trailed in the extra frame, as Giddey and Mann They were also missing their top two scorers. Shai Gilgeous- added to their points totals with Derrick Favors the team's only Alexander has been nursing a bum ankle for weeks, and Luguentz other scorer in OT. Dort sat Monday with a sore shoulder. Already owners of the The overtime thriller capped a hard-fought but challenging road worst offense in the league, statistically, OKC would need some trip for Oklahoma City, which saw it fall Friday to the 76ers before big performances to keep up with the Knicks. a narrow 106-101 loss to Chicago on Saturday. They got them. Tre Mann put up 30 points, Darius Bazley had The NBA trade deadline also passed last week. There were cer- 23, and Josh Giddey put on a show with 28 points, 11 rebounds tainly some fireworks around the league, most notably a swap that and 12 assists. sent Ben Simmons and other players from Philly to Brooklyn in It was his third triple-double of the season and his second in exchange for ex-Thunder player James Harden. three nights. Oklahoma City stunned the Knicks 127-123 in over- But the only move Sam Presti made was a marginal trade with time, bringing its season record to 18-39. Miami that, ultimately, amounted to little more than a slightly bet- Giddey was feeling it all night. In the second quarter, he unchar- ter first-round draft pick three or four years down the line. OKC's acteristically dribbled up and jacked a successful 3-pointer from roster shuffling was all internal; it waived Mamadi Diakite, signed the top of the key early in the shot clock. On the next possession, Aaron Wiggins to a full contract and signed Lindy Waters III, an he did the same thing. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey reacts Oklahoma native, to a two-way contract from its G League affiliate Oklahoma City stayed emotionally tapped in throughout. When after making a 3-point shot in the fourth quarter. the Blue. So the post-deadline roster is largely unchanged. Bazley tied up the ball with New York's Mitchell Robinson in the (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports) Oklahoma City will be rewarded for its Monday effort with a third quarter, he held on and refused to let go even after officials home game at the Paycom Center on Wednesday and, finally, eight called the jump ball. Bazley wrestled the ball away and held it aloft an extended period where New York led by four points at 110- days off before its next contest. like a trophy. 106. But not everyone will be taking it easy all weekend; Giddey will The game was a slugfest. The teams were tied 12 different But the Knicks couldn't extend the advantage, and Giddey final- participate in NBA All-Star weekend from Cleveland, appearing times, and no lead was bigger than New York's 11 in the third ly broke the scoreless streak with free throws at the 1:07 mark. Friday in the Clorox Rising Stars and Saturday in the Taco Bell quarter before OKC stormed back to erase it. Giddey made a crucial mistake moments later when an errant Skills Challenge. New York had multiple opportunities to ice the game in the pass led to a New York fast-break to put the Knicks up two with Both events can be seen on TNT before the All-Star Game caps final minutes. The OKC offense went ice-cold and scoreless for just 15 seconds to play. Indeed, the only blemish on his game was the weekend on Sunday night. nearly four and a half minutes late in the fourth quarter, leading to the seven turnovers that accounted for most of the team's 11 total. Enjoy the All-Star Game, Oklahoma, and Thunder Up!