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Antlers guard Jalen Burnett drives the lane for a shot against Western Heights last year at the Ford Center. Drew Harmon
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Antlers look to bring toughness to the hardwood
Seth Gebhart is not your typical big man. Before stepping foot at Deer Creek High School, the lean 6-foot-5 Gebhart did his most of his work from the backcourt. But after losing Zach Trujillo and Chase Almen to graduation, the Antlers found themselves with a big hole in the middle and no one ready to step in. That’s when new head coach Matt Bailey made a switch, sending the Texas move-in down low.
“We honestly don’t have a true post player,” Bailey said. “Seth used to played guard in Texas, but here we had to convert him to a post player because our lack of size.”
While the Antlers are thin on big men, they’re stocked with talented guards. At the top of that list will be returning starters Jalen Burnett and Garrett Hermanski, who are ready to lead the Antlers up-tempo offense this season.
“We don’t have the size we did last year, so we’re going to play a lot faster,” Burnett said. “Last year we tried to wear teams down from the inside out, but we’re going to play up and down and try to wear teams out with our speed.”
Burnett has developed into a solid floor general since seeing plenty of minutes as a sophomore, while Hermanski is looking to grow after an impressive freshman campaign, which he led the team with 11 points per game.
“Teams know who I am and will try to lock me down, so this year and I have to get my teammates more involved,” Hermanski said. “Last year I just shot the ball, but now I’ll have to give it up and let my teammates do more work.”
Deer Creek is looking for a more consistent effort this season, after a rocky 2008-09 campaign. The Antlers started off the season 1-13, but things quickly turned as they won seven of their final nine games.
“We want to start things off better this year, we want to start off on a winning end and get a better seed in the regionals,” Burnett said.
Bailey, who joined the team after serving as a head coach at Harding Charter Prep and more recently an assistant at Enid, is confident in his team’s ability to put up points, but believes the key to turning things around will be adding toughness.
“We always need to out-rebound opponents, we need to win every loose ball, be tougher on defense and not just trade baskets,” Bailey said. “In the past this team has been able to score, but hasn’t been able to win any other battles. Not every team is blessed with talented players, but I think the tougher team will win.”
The Antlers won’t have to go far for tough competition this fall as they face another tough year in the Suburban Conference. Two-time defending state champion Guthrie, Carl Albert and El Reno are all ranked in the preseason top 10.
“Our conference is probably one of the toughest,” Burnett said. “A lot of teams lost a lot but it’s still going to be really competitive.”
Along with Gebhart, Bailey said he’ll also lean heavily on seniors Hayden Wagner, Jacob Kasenurm, Michael Aduddell.
Wagner gives the Antlers a lot of versatility and could see time about anywhere on the floor this year, while Bailey has been impressed with Kasenurm’s toughness and defensive skills and believes he can shut down some of the top scorers in 5A.
“He might not score a lot for us, but all the little things he does will help us win,” Bailey said.
Aduddell should also fit into the backcourt mix. The speedy senior is one of the team’s top shooters and will likely find himself on the floor in clutch situations.
Bailey said he’s also expecting big things from Jurrell Calloway, who is back at Deer Creek after moving to Florida, and Larry Vasquez. The left-handed Vasquez is a solid outside shooter and defender, who will likely come off the bench.
“We know when we put (Vasquez) in that we’re not going to lose a lot on the offensive end,” Bailey said.
Deer Creek opens the season next Tuesday at home against Noble.
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Wolves get off to hot start in Oklahoma-Alabama Challenge
Lonnie Cobble thought the long drive to the Gulf Coast might take something out of his team as they opened play in the Oklahoma-Alabama Challenge Monday night in Daphne, Ala. But the Edmond Santa Fe boys proved they had plenty left in the tank. Cody Rosecrans hit a pair of home runs and Cory Clair added three-run blast to lead the Wolves (7-0) to a 13-3 win over Daphne in the opening day of the festival.
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UCO falls in tourney opener
A horrendous shooting performance was too much to overcome for Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon as the Bronchos misfired from start to finish in falling to Fort Hays State 80-64 in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
Sixth-seeded UCO entered the game ranked fourth in the country in both scoring average (89.6) and 3-pointers per game (10.1), but the Bronchos shot a season-worst 31.0 percent (22-of-71) from the field and made just 3-of-19 long-range shots (15.8 percent) in their lowest scoring game of the season. -
Eagles upend No. 1 Chaparrals
The Oklahoma Christian baseball team fought No. 1 Lubbock Christian University in a scoring frenzy on Saturday afternoon coming out on top with a 24-14 victory over the Chaparrals.
Taylor Parcus led the Eagles at the plate going a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs and three RBI. Tyler Gipson went 4-for-6 with two runs and three RBI while Jeff Davis added three hits and five runs batted in. -
Tigers run past North
The Edmond North girl’s basketball fought feverishly to keep their season alive, but an early 17-point hole proved too much to overcome in Friday night’s Class 6A State Semifinal contest. Norman put the Lady Huskies in an early 12-0 hole and rolled behind the spectacular play of Kamra King in the 69-50 win at the Mabee Center.
King finished with a career-high 33 points and was picture perfect for the Tigers. The junior put pressure on North all night with her speed and ability to drive the lane.
While King stole the show at the Mabee Center, Elizabeth Donohoe was nearly as impressive for the Lady Huskies. The junior finished with a team-high 28 points and fueled North’s second half surge. -
Bombers hold off Santa Fe in state semifinals
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Wolves' title run ends with overtime loss
The top-ranked Edmond Santa Fe boys pushed defending state champion Putnam City to the brink on Friday morning, but came a bit short in the Class 6A state semifinal matchup. After rallying form six down to force overtime, the Wolves saw their title run come to grinding halt as Tre Payne grabbed a steal and a layup with 15 seconds left for the 48-42 win at the Mabee Center.
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Booker T. too much for Deer Creek
The Deer Creek Lady Antlers gave it all they had, but in the end, it was momentum that ended up deciding the game.
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Lady Wolves hold off PC North
The playoffs have not provided much variety for the No. 3-ranked Edmond Santa Fe girls this year and the opening round of the Class 6A State Tournament was no different. After sweeping No. 7 Putnam City North in the regular season the Lady Wolves needed a strong finish to hold off their conference rival for the third time Thursday night at Catoosa High School.
PC North rallied from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter to pull within a pair with just 44 seconds left. But Santa Fe avoided the upset as Daisha Gonzaque sank a pair of free throws on the other end for the 58-54 win. -
Lady Huskies beat Norman North, move on to semifinals
After seeing the No. 2 Edmond North girls strike out last year at the Class 6A State Tournament, Elizabeth Donohoe couldn’t wait for another shot. And the junior made sure this trip was a more memorable one as she poured in 23 points to lead the Lady Huskies past Norman North 53-42 in the first round of the state tournament at Catoosa High School.
“We were here last year and of course we didn’t win it, but we won this one and we’re really excited and ready to play Norman,” Donohoe said. -
Bombers stifle Bulldogs’ comeback bid
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