NORMAN – Three, two, one … GOLD.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, El Reno High School guard Nazhoni Sleeper let out a yell and bounced the ball high off the Lloyd Noble Center court.
The senior guard turned and was immediately swarmed by teammates celebrating El Reno’s 48-41 win over defending champion Sapulpa to win the 2024 Class 5A Oklahoma Girls State High School Basketball Championship.
Pauline Black-Harmon sat at the podium in the post-game press conference at Lloyd Noble Center with her cheek resting on the microphone as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.
“It hasn’t hit me yet that that was my last game,” said Black-Harmon.
Her words were spoken through those happy tears which have been decades in the making. The last four years as a starter for El Reno on the state’s biggest stage, the Class 5A state tournament, all under head coach Jennifer Douglas.
NORMAN – A halftime pep talk woke up El Reno High School's defense over the final two periods as the Indians defeated Coweta 47-19 in the semifinals of the Class 5A Girls Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.
The 28-point victory, the second of the season over Coweta, moved El Reno to 27-0 on the season and into the championship game for the third time since 2019.
NORMAN – When it needed points to get going and baskets to maintain the lead in its closest game of the season, El Reno High School's girls basketball team went back to what it does best – attacking the paint.
El Reno senior post player Pauline Black-Harmon and junior Lilly Thomas combined for 37 points, 23 of those coming in the second half, as the Indians defeated Del City 54-48 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Class 5A Girls Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.
El Reno High School’s baseball team was one of four teams to sweep District 5A-1 openers this week, taking two games from Shawnee to remain unbeaten on the season.
The Indians won their home opener over the Wolves by a 13-0 score, then completed the sweep a day later in Shawnee by a 12-4 margin. The series came on the heels of a 15-1 road win over Capitol Hill in the 2024 season opener.
El Reno went 24-of-82 (.293) from the plate for the three games, logging 40 runs and 24 runs batted in.
The Indians took advantage of 21 walks against 19 strikeouts.
Luke Lembke scored his first hat trick of the season as El Reno High School’s boys soccer team defeated Tuttle last week 7-2 at Memorial Stadium.
The win over the Tigers squad, a mix of male and female players, lifted El Reno to 1-1 on the season.
Tuttle, which has not had a soccer program in over five years, had only the one mixed squad.
Lembke got El Reno on the scoreboard first in the 31st minute of the first half when he took a rebound off a missed Alan Gonsalez shot and shot into the lower left corner of the net.
El Reno High School senior Raley Hartley earned a silver medal in the heavyweight division at the 2024 Oklahoma Girls Powerlifting Coaches Association’s state meet held in Durant.
Hartley posted a total weight of 940 pounds to finish 10 pounds behind Fairview’s Seleste Pilado for the gold.
It was an order reversal from the North Regional as Hartley beat Pilado by 5 pounds to take first.
Minutes after his high school career ended, Okarche senior Caden Schieber looked up at the stands at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena and smiled.
At that moment his eyes and mind were not locked on the thousands of fans cheering on the Warriors to the Class A Boys State Championship, but a rather empty Section 317 and a promise made to his grandfather – longtime Okarche head coach Ray West.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Okarche High School’s boys basketball team upheld the age-old adage that defense wins championships, especially if you sprinkle in some consistent offense in the process.
The Warriors (27-4) ended a 45-year title drought by defeating Caddo, the defending state champ, 56-38 in the championship game of the 2024 Class A Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.
“I’m so proud of these guys. They represent so many former players and teams. It was an awesome feeling to hear the roar of the crowd when we knew we had it in the bag.
