March 2022

NORMAN – A third-period blitz on both ends of the floor propelled El Reno High School into the semifinals of the Class 5A Girls State Basketball Championships for just the third time in school history Thursday.

El Reno, one of two Suburban Conference Schools to make the Elite Eight, defeated Grove 50-26 in the quarterfinals at Norman North to improve to 23-4 on the season.

The Indians were slated to play Sapulpa in the semifinals and now are the lone league team remaining in the championship hunt after Carl Albert's 49-37 quarterfinals loss to Tulsa Will Rogers.

The Reno Cinema 8 Theatre will reopen for business on Friday, March 11.

The theatre closed March 20, 2020, as the COVID pandemic forced businesses not considered vital to shutter. The building south of I-40 on Country Club was put up for sale and attracted several offers, said co-owner Curtis Blanc.

But after receiving a grant from federal stimulus funds, Blanc said the theatre will have new life, at least for a year.

Yukon city leaders are mulling a proposal to expand mass transit to this rapidly growing part of the Oklahoma City metro.

The Regional Transportation Authority of Central Oklahoma (RTA) is seeking input from the city of Yukon on its public transit program. Transit modes are:

Teacher union employees could no longer exploit an alleged loophole in state law that allows them to accrue increased state retirement benefits even when they are actually working for a labor union and not a public school, under legislation that has received committee approval.

MOORE – Senior Ashlyn Evans-Thompson uncorked a career-high 41 points as El Reno High School’s girls basketball team punched its ticket to this week’s Class 5A State Championships with a 60-47 win over Midwest City.

The victory over the Bombers came in the 5A West Area 1 championship game and extended El Reno’s current win streak to six games. The Indians, now 22-4 on the year, play Thursday in the state quarterfinals at Norman North against Grove. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

Jack Hornberger shows his Grand Champion Crossbreed Steer at last week’s Canadian County Junior Livestock Show.

EDMOND – For the second straight year, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team was bumped from the postseason with a loss to sixth-seeded Ardmore.

The Tigers outscored El Reno, the seventh seed, 12-3 in overtime en route to a 77-68 victory in the Class 5A West, Area 1 consolation semifinals.

The loss ended the Indians season with a 14-12 mark.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The showdown between the top two teams turned into a runaway for No.1 Hydro-Eakly as the Bobcats defeated Okarche 63-41 in the semifinals of the Class A Girls State Championships.

Okarche’s season ends with a 26-4 record after the Warriors were held to single-digit scoring over the first two periods and trailed 38-13 at the break.

In a repeat of its semifinal win, Okarche’s offense came alive in the second half to outscore the Bobcats 29-25 to close the game shooting 58 percent (10-of-17) from 2-point range.

Congressman Tom Cole has introduced the “Prohibition on Imports of Russian Oil Act,” which would immediately cease all imports of Russian oil and other petroleum products to the U.S.

Cole is a member of the House Energy Action Team and believes suspending oil imports from Russia is a key sanction against Russia that hasn’t been used yet. Many countries have leveled sanctions at Russia for its invasion and attack in Ukraine.

El Reno High Schoolvs baseball team kicked off its home schedule last week by sweeping Oklahoma Christian Academy to move to 3-0 on the spring season.

The Indians won the first game of the doubleheader 6-4 before taking the nightcap by a 10-9 margin, featuring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Trailing 9-7 going into the bottom of the eighth, Brayden Fulton doubled in Davin Shamblin (double) before scoring himself along with pinch runner Daylan Pruitt off a single by freshman Hernan Blanco.