SUBMITTED ARTICLE
The Mannford Pirates boys basketball team has tipped off it’s 2015-2016 campaign.
The first game of the season they visited the Berryhill Chiefs on November 24th. and came away with a 53 to 47 loss on the road. Noah Garner lead the Pirates with 17 points and Bryce Brinker added 15 points.
“I thought we had some first game jitters and struggled in the first half. Once we settled down in the second half, we played better. We just dug ourselves a hole that was hard to get out of,” Coach Mike Banfield said about the game.
The Pirates traveled to Cleveland on December 4th and came away with a 81-76 overtime victory over their rival tigers. Noah and Garner and and Braden Whittenburg had outstanding games. Garner had 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assist, and 5 steals. Whittenburg had 25 points and 6 rebounds.
The Pirates lead most of the game but the Tigers came roaring back in the 4th quarter to tie it at the end of regulation. The Pirates outscored the Tigers 17 to 12 in overtime to seal the victory.
“Noah and Braden really played well for us. It was an intense game and I thought our team as a whole played well offensively.. We could have played a little better defensively but overall it was a really good win for us. Noah, Braden, and Bryce Brinker really hit some big shots for us down the stretch,” Banfield said.
The Pirates next traveled to the Nowata Tournament the first full week of December: The results are listed below:
Mannford 51 Oklahoma Union 36 (12-7-15).
The Pirates jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. They lead 24 to 12 at the half and 40 to 22 going in to the 4th quarter and eventually pulled away and won 51-36. The victorious Pirates were lead in scoring by Braden Whittenburg’s 16 points and Noah Garner’s 14 points. Garner chipped in 6 assist to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
“It was a good opening round victory for us in the tournament. We played really well defensively and I think our defensive pressure gave them some problems,” Banfield said about the game.
Mannford 58 Lincoln Christian 55 in overtime (12-10-15)
The Pirates 2nd round opponent was Lincoln Christian who was ranked #12 in class 3A. The pirates came away with a 58 to 55 overtime win. It was a back and fourth game that went down to the wire The game was tied at the end of regulation 48 to 48.
The Pirates outscored Lincoln Christian in overtime 10 to 7 to seal the victory. Braden Whittenburg hit a 3 point shot at the end of overtime to win it for the Pirates. Whittenburg and Noah Garner lead all scorers with 20 points each. Bryce Brinker chipped in 15 points and hit a big 3 in overtime.Whittenburg chipped in 6 rebounds, 4 assist, and 3 steals in the winning effort.
“I thought this was a good win for us. We had a few late turnovers in regulation but other than that I thought we played solid against a high quality team. Noah, Braden, and Bryce all played well. Braden’s shot at the buzzer to win it was huge,” Banfield stated.
Mannford 62 Sperry 69 (12-12-15) Championship game:
The Mannford Pirates and the 5th ranked in class 3A Sperry Pirates clashed in the championship game of the Nowata Tournament. Sperry came away with a 69-62 victory. It was a back and forth heated game that lasted for over two hours. Braden Whittenburg lead the Pirates with 22 points and 10 rebounds including three 3s.
MHS Boys Basketball in Tournament action.
“It was a heated game that was very intense. We played okay but I thought we had too many turnovers and they really hurt us on the glass. They had 23 points off offensive rebounds and that along with the turnovers was the difference in the game. Sperry has a good team.
Braden Whittenburg and Noah Garner were both selected to the Nowata Tournament All Tournament Team.
The Cushing Tigers came to Mannford on Tuesday December 15th for the Pirates first home game of the season. Mannford came away with a 45-42 victory. It was a back and forth game that saw several lead changes. Noah Garner lead Mannford in scoring with 25 points while Bryce Brinker chipped in 8 points. Garner scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and hit some big shots to seal the victory.
“I didn’t think we played as well as we are capable of but it was still a solid win. Its better to win ugly than lose pretty. I thought Noah carried us throughout the game and hit some big shots for us down the stretch,” Banfield said about the win.
The Pirates concluded the 2015 portion of their schedule with a 52 to 41 overtime loss to Catoosa on Thursday December 17th. The Pirates dug themselves a hole that was hard to get out of. The visiting Indians lead 25 to 12 at halftime. The Pirates came storming back in the second half. Chandler Wasson hit a rebound put back bucket at the end of regulation as the buzzer sounded to put the game in to overtime. Noah Garner lead the Pirates in scoring with 16 points and Braden Whittenburg added 10 points, Bryce Brinker chipped in 8 points and 8 rebounds. Catoosa outscored Mannford 12 to 1 in overtime to seal the victory.
“Catoosa has a really good team with a lot of team speed. They have 4 starters back from an area team last year. We just had too many turnovers, especially in the first half. Once we settled down in the second half we played better. Chandler hit a big shot at the end of regulation.We just ran out of gas in overtime,” Banfield commented.
The Pirates are now 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Tulsa 7 Conference. They open up the 2016 portion of their schedule Tuesday January 5 against Nowata at home. They then travel to Stroud Tournament January 7,8,9. Mannford’s first round opponent will be Holland Hall on Thursday at 5:40 in Stroud.
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