PITT 8 BOYS: Savanna powers to Pitt 8 semifinals

Jan. 16—The Bulldogs found a groove, and kept rocking.

Savanna faced off against Haileyville Tuesday at the Southeast Expo Center in the opening round of the 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament, where the Bulldogs took the 66-35 win.

Anthony Reagan got the Bulldogs going with an opening score, but Alex Richards answered with a score of his own for the Warriors. Tracyn Eldridge drove through the lane for the score, then nabbed a steal and score on the defensive side to propel Savanna out in front.

Sparked by the offensive efforts, the Bulldogs rattled off a scoring run to take a 14-7 lead after the opening quarter.

Dustin Labor drilled a triple for the Warriors in the early going of the second period and Richards later added a finger roll into the net, but the Bulldogs barreled their way to another scoring run to lead 28-18 at the break.

Both teams battled on the other side of the locker room visit, fighting to the finish. But it'd be the Bulldogs sealing away the win.

Kinyon Burge led the Bulldogs with 16 points, Reagan with 15 points, Eldridge with 13 points, Ashton Bogard with 12 points, Chants LeFlore with four points, and Keaton Harkey, Aiden Totani, and Jacob Skinner with two points each.

Richards led the Warriors with 14 points, followed by Labor with seven points, Tirik Malone with six points, Max Comstock with five points, and Nate Champion with three points.

Savanna will next face Stuart in the Thursday semifinals with tipoff at 8 p.m., while Haileyville will battle Pittsburg Friday at 8 p.m.

STUART 57, PITTSBURG 39

The Hornets brought out their stingers to advance to the semifinals.

Stuart and Pittsburg battled Tuesday in the opening round of the 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament, where the Hornets won 57-39.

Nolan Stewart nabbed a baseline jumper to break the ice for the Hornets, with Dre'Von Colbert later nabbing a post score to push Stuart in the lead. Pittsburg answered with a free throw and a swishing three from from Garrett Wood to tie things up — but Colbert responded with a triple of his own.

Wood nailed another contested three, followed by Colbert with another answer. Aiden Whitmore drove for a Panthers score, but Colbert flew threw the lane for the response. Whitmore nailed one more score, cutting the Stuart lead to 12-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Gabe Clayton extended the Stuart lead to start the second period, with Whitmore answering for Pittsburg. Stuart earned points from Clayton and Zack Luker, sparking a scoring run for the Hornets. The Panthers battled with buckets of their own, but it'd be Stuart taking a 27-21 lead into the halftime break.

Both teams came out of the locker room on a mission, fighting back and forth through the opening minutes of the second half. By the time the horn sounded at the end of the third period, it'd be the Hornets leading 49-34.

Stuart sealed the shift in momentum heading into the fourth quarter of play, and used it to rocket to the win.

Clayton led Stuart with 15 points, followed by Luker and Stewart with 13 points each, Colbert with 10 points, and Colt Carlton and Bartlett Patterson with two points each.

Whitmore led Pittsburg with 14 points, followed by Wood with nine points, Landon Patterson and Kolby Sharp with seven points each, and Will Caudill with two points.

Stuart will next face Savanna in Thursday's semifinals at 8 p.m., while Pittsburg will take on Haileyville Friday at 8 p.m.

CROWDER 78, CANADIAN 38

The Demons came hot out of the gate.

Canadian and Crowder squared off Tuesday in the opening round of the 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament on Tuesday, where the Demons rocketed out in the second half to a 78-38 win.

Both teams battled back and forth to start the game, with the Demons holding a narrow 15-12 lead over the Cougars after the opening period. Crowder rattled off a run in the second quarter, fueled by a pair of triples from Austin Motley on the way to a 27-16 lead at the half.

Jeffrie Byington got the Demons moving in the start of the second half, with points from Johnathan Lizik, Motley, Noah Bevans, and Logan Anderson adding to the lead. Canadian answered with a run of its own featuring points from Kaden Elza, AJ Tabb, Bryson Buie, and Jaden Rogers, but the Demons responded once more to lead 52-32 over the Cougars.

The run tipped the scales in Crowder's favor, with the Demons sealing away the win.

Anderson led the Demons with 19 points, followed by Motley with 17 points, Lizik with 13 points, Bevans and Byington with 10 points each, Ellis with six points, and Holden Burns with three points.

Rogers led Canadian with 19 points, Tabb and Buie with seven points each, Elza with three points, and Added Smitherman with two points.

Crowder will next face off against Kiowa in Thursday's semifinals at 5:20 p.m., while Canadian will advance to Friday's consolation semifinals at 5:20 p.m.

KIOWA 68, INDIANOLA 16

The Cowboys left no doubt.

Kiowa and Indianola tipped off boys basketball action in the 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament Tuesday at the Southeast Expo Center in McAlester, where the Cowboys took a 68-16 win to advance to the semifinals.

The Cowboys came hot out of the chute, blasting out to a 23-0 lead after the first quarter. In the second, Kiowa continued its run on the way to a 40-3 halftime lead.

Indianola fought to the end, but it'd be Kiowa rolling to the win.

Wyatt Shropshire and Eli Foris led the Cowboys with nine points each , followed by Karson Johnson with eight points, Noah Foris and Myer Medders with six points each, Hayden Toby and Chandler Kelley with five points each, Deacon Boatright with four points, Cason Church, Shooter Boatright, and Bradyn Gaither with three points each, and Cooper McClendon, Talon Shannon, and Cash Clift with two points each.

Jalen Eddington led the Warriors with five points, followed by Dawson Knapp and Gage Cox with three points each, Owen Maxey with two points, and Jackson Santine, Jimmy Beams, and Hayden Knapp with a free throw each.

Next up for Kiowa, the Cowboys will face Crowder Thursday at 5:20 p.m., while Indianola will face Canadian Friday at 5:20 p.m.

Here is the complete 2024 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament boys bracket:

TUESDAY

B1: Kiowa 68, Indianola 16

B2: Crowder 78, Canadian 38

B3: Stuart 57, Pittsburg 39

B4: Savanna 66, Haileyville 35

THURSDAY

B5: Kiowa vs. Crowder, 5:20 p.m.

B6: Stuart vs. Savanna, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

B7: Indianola vs. Canadian, 5:20 p.m.

B8: Pittsburg vs. Haileyville, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

B9: Winner B7 vs. Winner B8, 1:30 p.m. (Consolation championship)

B10: Loser B5 vs. Loser B6, 4:30 p.m. (Third place)

B11: Winner B5 vs. Winner B6, 7:30 p.m. (Championship)

This will be updated as Tuesday's games go final.