Edmond ready to ‘Open’ it up

Jeff Harrison

The Edmond Memorial girls basketball team has already passed one tough test this week with an upset against No. 2-ranked Norman Tuesday night, and head coach Shane Coffey believes they’re ready for more. And that’s just what the No. 6 Lady Bulldogs will get as they look to defend their title at the Edmond Open Tournament, which kicks off this afternoon at Santa Fe High School.

“This tourney is loaded by all means,” Coffey said. “It’s going to be early season test for lot of teams. And it’s good to play some of the top teams early and see where our team really is. Then we can get into holiday break and see things you need to work on.”

In just its second year of inception, the Edmond Open Tournament promises some of the toughest action in boys and girls basketball. The girls’ tournament includes five top 10 teams from Class 4A and 6A, and the boys tournament, which is hosted by Edmond North, boasts four top 10 teams from 5A and 6A.

While the Lady Bulldogs (2-0) won it all last year, they’ll be hard pressed to duplicate that feat this weekend. Memorial opens play against a familiar opponent in No. 15 Southmoore. Those two teams met last Friday night with Memorial squeezing out a 57-52 win.

The No. 4 North girls came up short in last year’s Open finals, but will be threat again this year. The Lady Huskies had little difficulty mowing down PC North and Mustang in their first two games of the season and will meet up with Stillwater (1-1) in the first round at 5 p.m.

Santa Fe coach Paul Bass has been pleased with his team’s 3-0 start this season and believes this tournament is just what they needed.

“We are 3-0 but we’re still young and need these type of games,” Bass said. “This is the best medicine for us.”

The host Lady Wolves begin tournament play with 4A’s sixth-ranked Bishop McGuinness. The Lady Irish, who didn’t play in the tournament a year ago, have gotten off to a hot start with four straight wins, including a 58-36 drubbing of Bishop Kelley.

“Usually the first game is easier, but that’s not the case,” Bass said. “There are some good teams here and we might have the toughest first game with McGuinness.”

Rounding out the girls field is No. 11 Jenks (2-1) and Anadarko, which started the year ranked first in 4A before slipping to second with an overtime loss to Cache.

“Anadarko brings a different flavor to it,” Coffey said. “They’re a guard driven team with an up-tempo style. They’ll be fun to watch.”

Things look just as challenging at the Siberian Gym as No. 10 Jenks looks to defend its title in a very crowded boys’ field.

“It’s safe to say that this is one of the best fields in state, if not the best,” Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said. “There are some others that are good, but this field is brutal top to bottom.”

The Trojans (1-2) lost plenty of talent from last season including Bryson Pope, who is now suiting up for the University of Tulsa, but will still be a tough draw. They’ll start of the tournament with Lawton MacArthur (1-1), which is ranked 11th in 5A.

The No. 4 Santa Fe boys are the highest ranked team in the tournament and could do some damage. Junior Josh Richardson has taken his game to a new level this year and is coming off a 31-point game in Tuesday’s win over PC North. The Wolves open tournament play against No. 16 Stillwater, a team they beat 70-56 in the season opener.

It would also be hard to count out the No. 8 Bulldogs, who have exploded this season with their new look offense. Memorial, which scored a combined 164 points in the first two games of the season, will face a tough opponent in Carl Albert, which is ranked fifth in 5A.

“Carl Albert is a perennial favorite in 5A and they’re a very talented team,” Cowherd said.

Rounding out local squad are the host Huskies, who picked up their first win of the season Tuesday night against Mustang. The North boys have a challenging first round draw with No. 9 Southmoore, which also made the state tournament last season.

The Edmond Open Tournament continues Friday with the semifinal rounds and will conclude Saturday with the championships and consolation finals.

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