The time to celebrate the Class 5A state championship is over because the hunter has now become the hunted.

El Reno High School’s girls basketball team will kick off the 2024-25 season Tuesday night at home with Guymon as the No.1 team in the majority of preseason polls.

So has the hunted changed its tactics in preparation to defend its title and a shot at back-to-back state titles? Has the atmosphere around preseason work changed being the queen of the hill?

The answer is a firm no for both from head coach Jennifer Douglas.

OKARCHE – Rotating between a half- and full-court pressure defensive scheme, Okarche High School’s girls basketball team shook off the rust from the Thanksgiving break with a 54-17 victory over Coyle.

The 37-point win was the second in a row for Okarche, which improved to 3-1 on the year. The Warriors pulled into the No.12 slot in the first Class A poll of the 2024-25 season.

Okarche’s defense dominated the Bluejackets with 23 turnovers for the game, leading to a 17-2 edge for the Warriors in transition points and a 29-8 margin in points off miscues.

OKARCHE – Aggressive play on both ends of the floor from the opening tipoff allowed Okarche High School’s boys basketball team to remain undefeated on the season.

The Warriors moved to 4-0 on the year with a 93-42 decision over Coyle. It was the fourth game for Okarche to put up 70 or more points on offense, three of those breaking the 90-point barrier.

The defending champion holds the top spot in the first Class A poll of the 2024-25 season, garnering 58 of the 74 first-place votes cast.

Missouri-based Crowder College completed a two-game sweep of Redlands Community College women’s basketball team last week, defeating the visiting Cougars 74-59.

Crowder, which plays out of NJCAA Region 16, defeated Redlands by 14 points in their meeting in Oklahoma two weeks ago. The Cougars dropped to 5-4 on the year with the setback.

Redlands missed all eight of its 3-point attempts in the road loss and went 26-of-55 (47 percent) from inside the arc. The Cougars were 7-of-11 from the free-throw line.