Class 6A

PC North 49, Broken Arrow 52
Union 41, Norman 39
Deer Creek 53, Owasso 51
Westmoore 48, Moore 52

TULSA – As the organizer of the state’s largest holiday tournament, and an all-around basketball guy, Tulsa Public Schools Athletic Director Mick Wilson couldn’t be happier with the fact that his participants are continuing a tradition of postseason success.

Comparing the TOC’s brackets from earlier in the year to the brackets coming from The Big House in Oklahoma City, it is many of the very same programs.

In girls’ action, Class B Hammon won the state tournament in their division on Saturday. In Class 6A, Broken Arrow and Edmond Memorial made the cut while Class 5A is seeing Booker T. Washington as a favorite to win it all. In Class 4A, Fort Gibson and Lincoln Christian are seeking the crown. The Dale Pirates won the championship in Class 2A, while in Class A, Quinton exited in the first round.

The boys side doesn’t feel much different. Owasso is the early favorite in Class 6A action after winning the Tournament of Champions in December. Booker T. Washington and Weatherford are there, along with Crossings Christian and Millwood. In the smaller classifications, Wilson made their appearance while Okay ended up making it to the finals eventually falling to Okarche.

Whether you watched the games live on television, or could feel the electricity in person at the BOK Center, the high stakes games are a feeling that can’t be replicated anywhere else – except maybe the state championship.

Wilson says the Weatherford Eagles are a great example of a team that showcased their talents in Tulsa at Christmas, and now have a chance to win it all.

“Back at the tournament, Weatherford was the one team in the state that gave Owasso a really good game,” Wilson noted during a halftime interview with T-Town Sports last week. “They are a phenomenal team and Derek Bull is a fantastic coach.”

It would be the Millwood Falcons however that played Owasso in the finals of the Tournament of Champions. They’ll open their state tournament run Thursday morning at the Big House, while Owasso is in action tonight.

Regardless, as he finalizes invitations for next year’s event, Wilson is hopeful that his annual event will continue to be a predictor of postseason success for decades to come.

OKLAHOMA CITY – As the Durant Lady Lions continue to reel from the tragic death of their head basketball coach and his eight-year-old daughter over the Christmas holiday, there will be one piece of stability that continues at least into the next year.

Earlier in the year, legendary former Southeastern Oklahoma State University Head Coach Tony Robinson was continuing to help his son Will out as an assistant coach as both led the way for Durant. After heading into the Christmas break with a win over the Edison Eagles on a Thursday, Will Robinson and his family set out for a vacation. While making the drive from Durant to the Dallas area, their vehicle encountered flash flooding and was swept off U.S. Highway 75.

The body of the Lions’ head coach was recovered. His eight-year-old daughter Clara was never found. For the town of 20,000 where Will Robinson had grown up and played, the void is still understandably unspeakable.

If there was a bright side of the story, it would have to be the loving actions of the elder Coach Robinson. It was announced shortly after Will’s passing that Tony Robinson would return to the sidelines for one more ride as a head coach, this time filling in for the rest of the 2024-2025 basketball season. Monday, as the Lady Lions’ season came to an end at the Big House in Oklahoma City, Tony Robinson told the media he would continue his commitment to the program.

“I’ve committed to next year for the simple reason that my son started this from the ground floor. When he took it they had one win, and he built it up,” Robinson told KTEN Television after the game. “This is selfish, but I don’t want somebody coming in and taking the credit for what he worked so hard for, so I’ve committed to another year.”

Robinson is no stranger to high school sports, having played at the Big House for Northwest Classen some 55 years ago. Prior to joining the college ranks he guided Norman High School to a 53-3 record over two years, and ended up winning the Class 5A State Championship in 1991. From there, he was hired as head men’s coach at Southeastern Oklahoma State, completing a career that left him inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.

At least for the next year, he’ll still be shaping the careers of young ladies in his care, and finishing what his son started.