HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Boys Basketball
Mason Harrell, Carl Albert Free points don’t always come easy when you’re 5-foot-8.
One of the key factors to Carl Albert’s Mason Harrell’s epic week was the point guard’s ability to get to the free throw line, said coach Jay Price.
“It takes a willingness to go get fouled,” Price said. “We told him those are free points for you, you just gotta take it in there.”
That willingness to take on contact led to not only one 50-point outing this past week, but two in consecutive nights for Harrell.
Harrell scored 52 points in a 107-50 victory against Ponca City on Thursday, He followed that up with another 52-point game in an overtime loss to Heritage Hall 82-79.
For his performances, Harrell has been named The Oklahoman’s Player of the Week.
Harrell becomes only the second player in Oklahoma high school basketball history to record back to back 50-point games, according to iwasatthegame.com
Against Heritage Hall, Harrell also recorded six rebounds, four assists and three steals while managing to get to the free throw line to knock down 20 of 21 freebies, including three at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime.
“Mason has worked hard at becoming a great free throw shooter,” Price said. “He’s a dangerous scorer, and he gets fouled on nearly every possession. Now he’s making them pay from the line.”
Girls basketball
Sydney Manning, Cashion
Sydney Manning was shaking at the foul line as her friends yelled “38” from the crowd.
She was so stressed that she wildly missed both free throws.
“I don’t think I’ve missed free throws so bad in, like, a year,” Manning said. “I was shaking so bad.”
Manning regained her composure and followed with a 3-pointer to score a career-high 41 points in last Tuesday’s win over Oklahoma Bible Academy.
It was the first time in her career she’s scored more than 30 points. And it’s a continuation of a redhot start to the season for the senior who has signed with Missouri State.
Manning scored 24 of Cashion’s 29 first-half points. In Friday’s rout of Wellston, she had 18 points.
“I think I’m just playing more free and not worrying about making so many mistakes, and I think that’s helping a lot,” Manning said.
Swimming
Dewi Blose, Stillwater
One of the state’s top swimmers swam like it last week.
Stillwater senior Dewi Blose set a school record in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:28.47 and won another individual event to help the Pioneers roll to a big victory in a meet against Norman North, Norman and Newcastle
“She just led the girls team with easy wins,” Stillwater coach Kurt Goebel said.
Blose, who has signed to swim at Kansas, also breezed to an easy win in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:06.31, eight seconds ahead of secondplace finisher Bria Boreham of Norman North.
Blose also helped the Pioneers, Class 5A’s top team, win two relays. The Pioneers won 10 of the 11 events
Wrestling
Blake Minnick, Edmond North
At the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Tournament this past weekend, Blake Minnick wasted little time claiming first place at 220 pounds.
Against Braden Cosbey of Yukon, Minnick got the fall in just 1 minute. He followed that up by pinning Norman’s Bo Garren in 3:32.
In the finals against Stillwater’s Cameron Lisenmeyer, Minnick hit a hip toss that threw Lisenmeyer to the ground to force the pin in 1:48 to complete the tournament with three straight falls.
Minnick's performance helped Edmond North go on to win the tournament with a first-place score of 264.