By Coach Mike Banfield
MHS Basketball Update Since 1-24-16 Edition.
Mannford 49 Catoosa 52 (1-19-16)
N. Garner- 18
Whittenburg- 11
C, Wasson- 8
L. Wasson- 8
Brinker- 4
The Mannford Pirates traveled to Catoosa for an out of conference game to face the 16th ranked in class 4A Indians.
The Pirates got in an early hole trailing Catoosa 10 to 4 at the end of the 1st quarter. Mannford outscored the Indians 31 to 25 over the 2nd and 3rd quarter. It was a back and forth game in the fourth quarter with the Indians prevailing 52 to 49. Noah Garner paced Mannford with 18 points 4 rebounds. Braden Whittenburg chipped in 11 points and 8 rebounds while brothers Chandler and Landry Wasson scored 8 points a piece.
“We handled Catoosa’s full court pressure better than we did the first time we faced them. They just made a few more plays down the stretch than we did. Catoosa has very good squad.”
NOC Tonkawa Tournament
Mannford 74 Frontier 35 (1-21-16)
Whittenburg- 27
N. Garner- 13
Brinker- 7
Carvajal- 6
Keizor- 6
L. Wasson- 4
Cline- 3
C. Wasson- 2
Hulsey- 2
Taylor- 2
Beesley- 2
Mannford’s first round opponent was the Frontier Mustangs ranked #20 in Class A.
The Pirates jumped on the Mustangs early leading 37 to 13 at halftime and cruising to a 74 to 35 victory. Braden Whittenburg lead the Pirates with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Noah Garner chipped in 13 points and 4 assist. The Pirates hit 9 3 pointers in the victory.
“It was a good opening round win. We shot the ball well and defended well throughout the game. We got to play a lot of our younger guys in the 2nd half and that’s always a good thing when you can get those guys some varsity experience,” Banfield said.
Mannford 62 Tonkawa 40 (1-22-16)
Garner- 26
Whittenburg- 11
Keizor 9
L. Wasson- 5
Brinker- 4
Taylor- 4
C. Wasson- 3
Mannford’s 2nd round opponent was Tonkawa. The pirates jumped out to a 31 to 13 halftime lead and never looked back in the 62-40 victory. Noah Garner lead the Pirates with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assist. Braden Whittenburg chipped in 11 points and Freshman Daniel Keizor scored 9 points to go along with 7 rebounds.
“I thought we played well on both ends of the floor. Noah had a big game and Daniel came off the bench to give us some good minutes,” Banfield commented about the game.
Mannford 41 Pawnee 56 (1-23-16) Championship game:
Garner- 20
Whittenburg- 11
C. Wasson- 5
Brinker- 3
Hulsey-2
Mannford faced perennial power Pawnee in the championship game of the tournament. The class 2A 2nd ranked Black Bears are 17-0. The Black Bears were too much for the Pirates in the championship game prevailing 56 to 41. Noah Garner lead Mannford in scoring with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Braden Whittenburg chipped in 11 points.
“I knew going in to this game we were going to have our hands full. I didn’t think we played very well on either end of the floor. Defensively we didn’t contain and rebound like we should and offensively we didn’t shoot very well,” Banfield said.
The Pirates went home with the runner-up trophy for the second time this season in a tournament.
Mannford 83 Cushing 39
Whittenburg 34
Garner 13
Carvajal- 8
C. Wasson- 6
Brinker 5
Bales 5
Hulsey 4
C. Garner 3
Taylor 3
Keizor 2
The Pirates got back in to Tulsa 7 action with a big 83 to 39 victory over the tigers. It was homecoming for the Tigers and the Pirates spoiled it for them. The Pirates lead 25 to 8 after one quarter and 45 to 19 at halftime. Mannford hit 14 three pointers in the game. Braden Whittenburg had an exceptional game with 34 points 4 assist and 4 steals including hitting 7 three pointers. Noah Garner chipped in 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
“Braden obviously had an exceptional game with 34 points and played at a high level. I thought our intensity and urgency were really good throughout the game. We forced Cushing in to 24 turnovers. The kids played hard and I really thought Jorge Carvajal gave us a good energy spark early in the game with his defensive pressure,” Banfield said.
The Pirates are now 12-6 and 5-1 in the Tulsa 7 Conference. They continue Tulsa 7 action this week with Berryhill at home on Tuesday and travel to Perkins on Friday.