Class 4A boys basketball: Kingfisher tops Tulsa Victory Christian for fourth title
The Kingfisher boys basketball program lost its entire starting lineup to graduation last year.
OU’s Bijan Cortes and North Texas’ Matthew Stone were the leaders of the group, and the Yellowjackets had a special season, losing just one game and claiming the Class 4A state title.
This year’s team included lots of different players stepping into substantial roles, but the end result was nearly identical.
Top-ranked Kingfisher defeated No. 2 Tulsa Victory Christian 51-43 Saturday at State Fair Arena for its third consecutive state title. The Yellowjackets have won four championships since 2017 and were in the 2020 state tournament before it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
They've been a 4A powerhouse recently and certainly didn't slow down this season.
“We knew we would be good even though we had nobody back,” Kingfisher coach Jared Reese said. “Just because we’ve seen them practice for two years and a lot of them are younger brothers of the kids that we’ve had. We have a big-time community as far as our team.”
Xavier Ridenour, Chase Davis and Caden Kitchens led Kingfisher offensively.
Ridenour finished with 15 points. He shot 5 of 8 from the field and was 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Davis had 14 points and also finished 5-of-8 shooting, while Kitchens had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
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Kingfisher and Tulsa Victory Christian (25-5) were neck and neck in the first three quarters of Saturday’s game.
Tulsa Victory Christian led 35-33 heading into the fourth, but it was all Kingfisher after that.
“Our defense was subpar that whole game until that fourth quarter,” Ridenour said. “We had five men working together, and we pulled it out on defense. That’s why you win championships.”
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Kingfisher's dominance down the stretch helped offset a stellar game by Tulsa Victory Christian’s Joshua Udoumoh, who had a great tournament. On Saturday, the 6-foot-4 senior had 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
With the win, Kingfisher finished the season with a 28-1 record, which was actually a little better than last year’s 25-1 mark.
None of the players on this year's team had started a high school varsity game before this season, but the state title win wasn't a surprise to Ridenour.
“I fully expected this just because we practiced every day against those guys,” he said while referencing last year's senior class. “We got better together, and our chemistry has just been amazing ever since we were young. We’ve always played together."
Reporter Nick Sardis covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nick_sardis. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kingfisher beats Victory Christian for Class 4A boys basketball title
