While the sample size has been small, the biggest hurdle facing the El Reno High School girls basketball team at the holiday break is something head coach Jennifer Douglas can see but not grasp – time.
“Once we get our confidence in playing with each other, then we are going to be OK. We have got to figure out what that little secret aspect is for us all to be successful as a team.
“We are growing as we go so it will take a little time,” said Douglas.
Without question the holiday season has brought a wave of cooperation and sharing among residents in our state. It’s what many refer to as the “Oklahoma Standard.”
What readers have seen in recent months is that community newspapers in our state have been sharing content at a greater level due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Reno High School’s wrestling team got an early Christmas present as the Indians closed out the 2020 portion of their schedule by winning the Max Dippel Memorial Tournament.
Hosted in Weatherford, El Reno bested 11 other team to win the title by 13.5 points over Suburban Conference nemesis Carl Albert. The Indians logged 233.5 points to the Titans with 220 points.
“The most satisfying thing, from a coach’s perspective, is to see the kids bounce back after some adversity like we had in Broken Arrow.
El Reno High School post player Paige Primeaux has her arm pulled back from a rebound attempt by a Piedmont player during last week’s battle among top 10 teams in Class 5A. The Wildcats defeated EHS 50-46, but both teams remain in the top 10 of the new state poll. El Reno (1-1) is ranked ninth and Piedmont is eighth.
El Reno senior Jay Gililland shoots a jumper during the Indians 56-45 win over Piedmont. Now 2-0 on the season, El Reno jumped into the top 10 of the Class 5A poll at No. 9.
Several fall and winter hunting seasons are either open now or will open soon. Here are some details about Oklahoma’s annual ring-necked pheasant season and holiday deer antlerless gun season.
Ring-Necked Pheasant Season
Oklahoma’s 2020-21 ring-necked pheasant hunting season is under way, and hunters planning to pursue this exotic species will likely have more luck traveling farther into the northern reaches of Oklahoma this year.
With little momentum in its perimeter shooting, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team went old school in the fourth quarter in a rivalry game with Piedmont.
The Indians took only two shots outside of the paint over the final eight minutes, resulting in a 19-8 run, as El Reno broke a 37-all tie to open the frame and rolled to a 56-45 win over the unranked Wildcats.
“We thought we were bigger and more athletic than they were in the paint, so that was the plan for the ball. We just had to get it to the middle of the court,” said El Reno senior post player Kolton Hunt.
After battling back from two shooting slumps which led to a double-digit deficit, El Reno High School’s girls basketball team squandered a golden opportunity to knock off defending Class 5A state champion and No.8 Piedmont.
El Reno relinquished a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter leading to a 50-46 loss to the Wildcats. The setback dropped the Indians, ranked ninth in the state in Class 5A, to 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Suburban Conference standings.
El Reno High School’s boys basketball team dropped a spot in the latest Class 5A poll from ninth to 10th despite a season-opening 74-33 win over Harrah. The Indians are one of four Suburban Conference teams in the top 20 of the poll and five overall, with Del City holding down the fourth spot in the Class 6A rankings. Ranked ahead of EHS
in the 5A poll are Carl Albert (3) and Shawnee (5).
The team is slated to play at home Friday night against Piedmont. Games with Shawnee were canceled last week due to weather.
El Reno was ranked ninth in the latest Class 5A poll, one of six teams from the Suburban Conference holding down a spot in the top 20. The Indians are the third highest ranked conference team behind Carl Albert (4) and Piedmont (8).
El Reno was slated to host the Wildcats Friday night at Jenks Simmons Field House.
