BACK IN THE HUNT: OUHS boys power into area basketball tourney
Sometimes the prettiest horse in the race is the one with the most scars.
He’s the one that’s already battled through the sanguine gauntlet of bloody wars, survived the grisly in-fighting and continued unstaunched, nostrils flaring, into the next lap.
Somehow, this warrior keeps on picking off its challengers as it pounds on … on … on … on the vibrating ground forward where awaits the laurel of glory.
In loss, it is inspiring. In victory, it is magnificent.
I’ll admit it, when the high school basketball season began you could have called me a Thomas when it came to Oklahoma Union High boys basketball’s chances of making a deep run toward state. A long ways into the campaign, I still was on the doubter’s side.
The Cougars had been to the state tournament the previous two years, winning the crown in 2020-21, and playing in the quarterfinals in 2021-22.
But, Oklahoma Union bid good-bye to its primary leaders off both teams — Jace Hollingshed and Nate Collier from the Class of of 2021, and Kade Hollingshed, Jaiden Kennard and Baylor Nash from last year’s squad.
These players, plus a few other standouts, were an awfully big load of talent and gumption for a program to graduate in just two years.
So, how would the 2022-23 team fare — stars hidden somewhat in the shadow of the seniors of the last two distinguished teams, and carrying the weight of tradition of trying to get back to the area and state tournament in perhaps the most competitive division in Oklahoma?
And, they had to try to it with new leadership — sort of — at the top.
In recalled the analogy of the battling horse, the Cougar program returned former head coach Brad Hall back as the jockey. And, perhaps none other replacement could have steered this squad to its current course.
By knocking off Pawhuska High, 46-41, on Saturday, the Cougars burst into the backstretch into the OSSAA area playoffs.
In fact, Oklahoma Union is the lone area boys squad — out of nine teams — to make it this deep into the playoff chase.
During the regular season and first two rounds of the postseason the Cougars didn’t have the best record, didn’t win very pretty in some games and didn’t garner the respect that shone on the program’s last two teams.
Mostly what these Cougars have done is get better, compete and win — win when it really, really counted.
It really counted Saturday afternoon against a very athletic and very red hot Pawhuska team.
But, six weeks ago, or so, one might not have picked either team to be alive in the final 16 in Class 2A.
Following a four-game losing streak about a third-of-the-way through the season, Oklahoma Union’s record stood at 5-6. In the first week of February the Huskies still owned a losing record (10-11).
But they blitzed back, bursting to a 14-2 record before meeting Pawhuska.
Plagued by injuries coming out of football and a late season start, featured a 4-8 mark through January. But, the Huskies then plowed to six-straight wins. Their record resided at 11-9 going up against Oklahoma Union.
The teams rode a cycle of streaks. Oklahoma Union stretched a 17-14 halftime lead to 34-19 by the end of the third period. But, Pawhuska ripped five three-pointers in the fourth quarter to close within three points.
Oklahoma Union had to then hold on.
Levi Kreider and Kaide Hill scored 13 and 10 respectively, to lead the Cougars’ balanced scoring sheet for the game.
“It was a good we could win,” said Hall, adding he knew there doubters about whether this year’s squad would push the team to the area tournament — for the fifth-straight year — and have a shot at getting back to state for the year consecutive season.
“I think some of it is what we’ve done in the past,” Hall said. “Our senior boys have been a part of it. They’re use to getting to the playoffs and winning.”
He pointed to Hill as an emotional and talented senior leader, whose been an important part of the team’s success the last three seasons.
“He’s been our leader,” Hall said. “He was the Offensive Player of the Year in our conference. He does so many things handling the ball.”
Kreider is a force inside rebounding and scoring and Jack Campos is another post power, Hall said.
For Hall, this season is kind of an unexpected second chance. Now in his 41st year of coaching, Hall had stepped after last season as an assistant to Lee Ott. Ott had taken on the head job in the early 2010s after Hall had turned over the whistle the first time, but went on to serve as Ott’s assistant.
When Ott unexpectedly resigned after last season in order to accept a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work at his alma mater Claremore-Sequoyah High School, Hall agreed to return for one final season as head coach.
So far, Oklahoma Union has gotten more than its money’s worth from Hall’s return — and there be something special yet to come.
—
2022-23 AREA OSSSA BASKETBALL PLAYOFF RESULTS
—
BARTLESVILLE BOYS (6A)
L — Owasso 72, Bartlesville 67 (regionals)**
—
DEWEY BOYS (4A)
L — Inola 87, Dewey 62 (districts)
W — Dewey 73, Oologah 67 (regionals)**
L — John Marshall 77, Dewey 55 (regionals)**
—
OKLAHOMA UNION BOYS (2A)
W — OUHS 55, Commerce 34 (districts)
L — Ketchum 63, OUHS 51 (regionals)
W — OUHS 47, Tonkawa 34 (regionals)**
W — OUHS 46, Pawhuska 41 (regionals)**
AREA — Thursday , 3 p.m. (at Enid), vs. Fairview
—
NOWATA BOYS (2A)
W — Nowata 46, Wyandotte 43 (districts)
L — Fairland 53, Nowata 49 (regionals)
W — Nowata 52, Chouteau 36 (regionals)**
L — Warner 50, Nowata 48 (regionals)**
—
PAWHUSKA BOYS (2A)
W — Pawhuska 32, Tonkawa 27 (districts)
L — Hooker 54, Pawhuska 34 (regionals)
W — Pawhuska 51, Afton 35 (regionals)**
L — Oklahoma Union 46, Pawhuska 41 (regionals)**
—
CANEY VALLEY BOYS (2A)
L — Rejoice Christian 81, CVHS 52 (districts)
W — CVHS 59, Canadian 45 (districts)**
L — Pawnee 69, CVHS 51 (regionals)**
—
BARNSDALL BOYS (A)
L — Hominy 45, Barnsdall 37 (districts)**
—
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN BOYS (B)
W — WCS 87, Oilton 39 (districts)
L — Glencoe 73, WCS 61 (districts)
L — New Lima 66, WCS 63 (regionals)**
—
COPAN BOYS (B)
W — Copan 66, South Coffeyville 21 (districts)
L — Welch 51, Copan 45 (districts)
W — Copan 45, Schulter 42 (regionals)**
L — Varnum 78, Copan 38 (regionals)**
—
BARTLESVILLE GIRLS (6A)
L — Choctaw 71, Bartlesville 50 (regionals)**
—
DEWEY GIRLS (4A)
L — Inola 75, Dewey 26 (districts)
L — Cleveland 52, Dewey 48 (regionals)**
—
OKLAHOMA UNION GIRLS (2A)
L — Commerce 34, OUHS 30 (districts)
W — OUHS 59, Ketchum 30 (regionals)**
L — Tonkawa 39, OUHS 30 (regionals)**
—
NOWATA GIRLS (2A)
L — Wyandotte 43, Nowata 36 (districts)
W — Nowata 40, Quapaw 32 (regionals)**
W — Nowata 44, Colcord 39 (regionals)**
L — Chouteau 44, Nowata 41 (regionals)**
—
PAWHUSKA GIRLS (2A)
L — Tonkawa 48, Pawhuska 46 (districts)
W — Pawhuska, bye (regionals)
W — Pawhuska 47, Commerce 41 (regionals)**
W — Pawhuska 49, Tonkawa 26 (regionals)**
AREA — Thursday, 1:30 p.m. (at Enid), vs. Fairview
—
CANEY VALLEY GIRLS (2A)
W — CVHS 55, Rejoice Christian 55 (districts)
L — Okemah 48, CVHS 35 (regionals)
L — Pawnee 44, CVHS 41 (regionals)**
—
BARNSDALL GIRLS (A)
L — Hominy 62, Barnsdall 21 (districts)**
—
SOUTH COFFEYVILLE GIRLS (B)
W — SCHS 64, Bluejacket 22 (districts)
W — SCHS 68, Copan 29 (districts)
W — SCHS 55, Kinta 24 (regionals)
L — Varnum 60, SCHS 56 (regionals)
W — SCHS 46, LeFlore 36 (area)**
L — Calvin 46, SCHS 20 (area)**
—
COPAN GIRLS (B)
W — Copan 38, Welch 36 (districts)
L — South Coffeyville 68, Copan 29 (districts)
L — Cameron 44, Copan 37 (regionals) **
** Elimination game.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma Union boys basketball team on deep playoff run
