SBLive Oklahoma Top 25 girls basketball rankings: Sapulpa still pursuing Edmond powers for top spot

Class 4A contender Lincoln Christian maneuvers into the top 5

By Ty Loftis 

Photo of Sapulpa's Raegan McQuarters by George Mitchell

As the playoff season nears, Classes 5A and 6A have been split up into east and west divisions.

Here, we take a look at how the SBLive Oklahoma girls basketball Top 25 stands as we move into February.

Note: Rankings and records are from games through Jan. 28.

1. Edmond North

The Lady Huskies remain an unquestioned number one, as they are one of three teams across the state with an undefeated ranking at 17-0.

They have beaten state championship contenders Edmond Memorial and Bixby earlier this year en route to that 17-0 record.

Edmond North has only played two games in the past two weeks, but one of those was against a ranked Norman team and the Lady Huskies rolled to a 59-35 win. The other was a 78-20 win at Southmoore.

Edmond North has won the Bixby Invitational, Mustang Holiday Classic and Putnam City Invitational. The Lady Huskies have the talent to win it all, and it all starts with Laci Steele and Elle Papahronis.

2. Edmond Memorial

After a winning weekend at the Titan Classic two weeks ago, crosstown rival Edmond Memorial continued its winning ways last week with a convincing 69-35 win against Stillwater.

The Lady Bulldogs haven’t lost since early December and shouldn’t be tested until they play at Edmond North in two weeks. The play of sophomore guard Avery Hjelmstad could determine if the Lady Bulldogs are able to go from title contention to title front-runner.

3. Sapulpa

Appearing as the first Class 5A school is the Sapulpa Lady Chieftains, who stand at 15-1 on the year having had a great win against Tulsa Booker T. Washington last Friday.

Their lone loss was against a Lincoln Christian team at the Tournament of Champions in Oklahoma, but they got revenge via a seven-point win at the Lincoln Christian Invitational. A recent game against Bixby was canceled, but the Lady Chieftains are scheduled to play them again in two weeks.

Sisters Tyla and Stailee Heard will be the key for how Sapulpa carries itself as the year rolls along.

4. Putnam City West

Having had 17 days off, the Lady Patriots finally played a game against Ponca City on Friday and won, 79-36, to improve to 13-3 on the year. Two of their losses have come against out of state competition and the other was against top ranked Edmond North.

A 22-point win against Choctaw is the notable win PC West was looking for, and a win against cross-town rival Putnam City North could be a momentum-building win the Lady Patriots were looking to get heading into the final month of the regular season.

In the next week, PC West will clash with top 10 schools in Choctaw and Midwest City with a chance to climb even higher in the polls. Sophomore Jazzlin Brown will be expected to be a key contributor.

5. Lincoln Christian

Moving into the top five and keeping the top spot in Class 4A are the Lady Bulldogs, who likely have the most impressive resume on this list.

They have wins against Bixby, Sapulpa, Will Rogers and Norman. Lincoln Christian’s lone loss came in a rematch against Sapulpa a week after beating them at the Tournament of Champions.

Since that loss to the Lady Chieftains, Lincoln Christian has won five straight and won by 26 points or more each time. With Maddi Stewart, Jordan Faulkner and Adyson Roberts playing at full strength, Lincoln Christian will be a favorite to win the Class 4A title.

6. Bixby

As some teams do, the Lady Spartans went through a little bit of a lull, losing five of eight games in late December going into January.

Since then, Bixby has won three straight against subpar competition. In those games, they have outscored opponents, 208-104.

If the Lady Spartans can play with that intensity for the rest of the year, expect them to be a force to be reckoned with.

Bixby will have a true test in the final week of the regular season when they face Sapulpa and Booker T. Washington. With Gracy and Kate Wernli at the helm, along with Gentry Baldwin, it is expected that the Lady Spartans will be in title contention.

7. Midwest City

Midwest City is holding steady this week after a 60-31 win at Del City last week.

Two weeks ago, the Lady Bombers had yet to make a statement win. With a 54-48 win against Choctaw, Midwest City finally got that win and followed it up with impressive play at the John Nobles Invitational. To win the championship, Midwest City beat Booker T. Washington, 53-41.

Midwest City will have a chance to get another good win against Putnam City West this week. Junior Saliyah Landon has helped carry her team so far.

8. Bethany

The Lady Bronchos remain one of the top title contenders in Class 4A. . After suffering their first loss of the season to Tuttle in mid-January, the Lady Bronchos have responded by rolling over top 25 competition in Weatherford and Kingfisher.

They were also crowned champions of the Kiefer Tournament by beating the host team, 83-42. Their most recent win was a 78-30 victory against Heritage Hall on Friday.

As a sophomore, Keziah Lofton has already committed to the University of Oklahoma.

9. Tulsa Booker T. Washington

Despite losing two straight, the Lady Hornets are continuing to move up the rankings. Their two losses have come against Midwest City in the championship game of the John Nobles Invitational and at Sapulpa.

The Lady Hornets have wins against Choctaw and Bixby in the previous two weeks. Booker T. Washington has also been crowned tournament champs at the ConocoPhillips Arvest Invitational in Bartlesville.

BTW's other loss came against Broken Arrow, a loss the Lady Hornets avenged in the championship game of the Bartlesville Tournament.

Sophomore post player Marcayla Johnson carries the load for her team.

10. Midwest City Carl Albert

The Lady Titans have also lost two straight after suffering a six-point loss to Edmond Memorial in the championship game of the Titan Classic and a one-point loss to Piedmont.

The Lady Titans have wins against Tuttle and Duncan. They are one of a few teams in Class 5A who can challenge Sapulpa for the title. That potential challenge for a Class 5A crown will be thanks in large part to seniors Kennedy Cofer, Ari Diaz and Kamryn Sutton.

11. Tuttle

Tuttle took care of business last week by defeating Elgin, 64-30, to improve to 16-2. The Lady Tigers recently had consecutive wins against Weatherford, Bethany and Piedmont, and the last few weeks have proven Tuttle will be one of a few teams who will challenge Bethany and Lincoln Christian for the Class 4A crown.

Tuttle’s schedule eases up before the final game of the year, when they make a return trip to Weatherford.

12. Norman

The Lady Tigers won two games last week, improving their record to 12-4 on the year. Norman had won five straight before a late January loss to top-ranked Edmond North.

After losing their first two games of the year against Edmond Memorial and Conway (Ark.), Norman has went on to win the Joe Lawson Memorial Invitational Tournament and defeated a top 25 team in Pocola.

Norman will have time to learn from that loss to Edmond North before facing Edmond Memorial in the final game of the regular season. Senior experience in Kayla Jones and Nessa Begay, combined with freshman Ady Hybl, could pay off to mean big things for the Lady Tigers.

13. Dale

Showing up as the first Class 2A school this week is Dale. The Lady Pirates lost their first game of the year to Preston, but since then have gone 20-0.

Dale faced some stiff competition two weeks ago in the Cashion Tournament, as the Lady Pirates went up against a top 25 Bethel team and a solid Silo team, and escaped with wins both times.

They will face one more test in Vanoss before the Class 2A playoffs roll around in less than a month. The Lady Pirates have won all but two of their games by double-digits this year.

14. Tahlequah

The Lady Tigers lost their second game of the year nearly two weeks ago after failing to beat the host team of the Titan Classic in Carl Albert.

Tahlequah has double-digit wins against the likes of McAlester, Glenpool and Will Rogers. The win against Glenpool gave the Lady Tigers a third place finish at the Titan Classic.

Those two teams squared off again last week, and Tahlequah came away with another win.

Junior Kori Rainwater will be a force down low, as she leads the team in scoring and recently set a single-game rebounding record with 20.

15. Washington

Coming in as the first Class 3A school is Washington, and they are a perfect 18-0 on the year.

The Lady Warriors don’t have a notable win on their schedule yet, and won’t be able to until the state tournament. With that being said though, they only have two games decided by single digits.

16. Choctaw

The Lady Jackets had lost four of five games in early January, but have since rebounded to win three straight by a combined 56 points.

Senior guard Raven Jackson is showing the way for the Lady Jackets, and displaying leadership to underclassmen Kate Davis and Aliyah Duval. Choctaw hosts Putnam City West next week.

17. Bethel

The Lady Wildcats are the second Class 3A squad in this week’s top 25 poll.

Their 16-3 record is marred with losses to Dale and Caddo, but they are also 6-0 against Class 4A competition and higher.

Sophomore Josie Megehee scored 23 points, including 15 straight to open the fourth quarter, to help her team beat a solid Georgetown (Texas) team. Bethel recently won the Kellyville Tournament, winning the three games by a combined score of 191-105.

The Lady Wildcats also have wins against Little Axe and Wewoka last week.

18. Amber-Pocasset

Amber-Pocasset sits at 18-1 for a second consecutive week, as their last two games have been canceled due to severe weather.

The Lady Panthers have the lone loss to Dale back in November and aside from that, have won 16 of 18 games by double digits. They have won both the Velma-Alma and the Grady County Tournament.

19. El Reno

The Lady Indians were scheduled to play a top 25 team in Kingfisher last week, but that was postponed due to the weather, so they remain at 12-3 on the year with the three losses coming by a combined 10 points.

El Reno cruised through the Shawnee Invitational, defeating opponents by 14, 16 and 37 points, respectively.

Sophomore Raegan Bugaj is set to lead her team to be a potential challenger to Sapulpa to win a Class 5A state championship. The Lady Indians are eyeing a matchup at the end of the regular season with Carl Albert.

20. Holland Hall

The Lady Dutch have won nine straight games to remain inside the top 25 for the second consecutive week.

Holland Hall has yet to win against a team that is ranked inside the top 25 and has only played a single team in the top 25, that being a four-point loss to Norman.

Holland Hall will have a chance to prove themselves against Lincoln Christian in the final game of the regular season.

21. Kingfisher

The Lady Yellowjackets sit at 15-3 on the year and have now won five straight.

Kingfisher got in a rhythm once their home tournament began, as they defeated Weatherford in the championship. Since then, they have defeated a solid Anadarko team and will face off against El Reno in two weeks.

Peyton Walker led the way in scoring in that championship game, while Addy Matthews and Walker have carried the load throughout the year.

22. Seiling

Jumping back into the top 25 this week is Seiling. This comes in the wake of Seiling winning 10 straight games.

The Lady Wildcats’ lone loss of the year is a 13-point loss against Edmond North. They will have a true test in the final week of the regular season when they travel to Lomega.

23. Pittsburg

Pittsburg sits at 17-4 on the year, but all four losses come against teams in higher classifications. Three of those schools made an appearance in this week’s top 25.

They have good early-season wins against a solid Class 2A Preston team and a Class B squad in Varnum. All but one of their wins comes by double digits.

They are one of several Class B schools who will be vying for the title.

24. South Coffeyville

Making their debut into the top 25 this week is South Coffeyville. They are one of the three remaining undefeated teams left in girls high school basketball.

With that being said, they haven’t had the opportunity to play anybody and won’t be able to prove themselves until Class B tournament play begins later this month.

Only one of their 18 wins have been decided by single digits.

25. Jones

The Lady Longhorns remain in the top 25 by having won seven straight games, but we will soon see if they are worthy of staying there, as Jones is scheduled to play Bethel and Lincoln Christian in the next week.

Twelve of their 14 games have been decided by eight points or more. During their host tournament, in mid-January, Boston Berry and Jaelen Maples were named to the all-tournament team, and Kasia Hansen was tournament MVP.