Final SBLive Oklahoma Top 25 girls basketball rankings: Decisive win in 4A championship game gives Classen SAS No. 1 ranking to cap season
By Buck Ringgold I Photo by Josh Cleary
Though Classen SAS was No. 1 in the SBLive Oklahoma high school girls basketball rankings, the Lady Comets weren't No. 1 in their class.
They were determined to be the top team in Class 4A, and in a showdown with the actual No. 1 team, the Lady Comets were determined to show the state they deserved to be ranked at the top in 4A.
Due to that win, as well as their win earlier this season against eventual 6A champion Edmond North, that sealed the No. 1 overall ranking for the Lady Comets in the final SBLive Oklahoma high school girls basketball rankings for the 2021-22 season.
1. Classen SAS (24-1)
The Lady Comets emphatically put a stamp on their first title in program history with their dominating performance in the 4A championship game against Tuttle, winning 55-22. In the three games at the state tournament, Classen SAS won by margins of 29, 16 and 33 points. The Lady Comets' lone loss was in the title game of a holiday tournament in Arizona, and they ended their dramatic season with 14 straight wins.
2. Edmond North (28-1)
Only a loss to Classen SAS in a hastily arranged showdown on Feb. 17 kept the Lady Huskies from achieving a perfect season. But since that loss, they won their next six games decisively to reach the 6A title game. Then, Edmond North rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime before defeating Bixby, 59-57, on a buzzer-beating layup from Toni Papahronis.
3. Pocola (28-1)
The Lady Indians' lone defeat was to Heavener, three nights after an emotional overtime win against Howe for the LeFlore County Tournament title. But to claim their first state title since 2008, Pocola pulled off a dramatic 63-62 overtime win against Dale in the 2A semifinals before defeating Howe again, this time 40-36 for the 2A title.
4. McAlester (22-5)
A run of seven straight wins propelled the Lady Buffaloes to their first state title in more than a decade. McAlester held off Midwest City in the 5A quarterfinals (42-39), then rolled past Tulsa Rogers in the semifinals (56-40). In the 5A title game, the Lady Buffs fended off El Reno, 53-49.
5. Jones (24-4)
Three of the Lady Longhorns' four defeats were by a combined seven points. They ended the season with 13 straight wins, including a 3A semifinal win against Perry (51-33) and repeating as 3A champs in the title game against Idabel (65-41). Jones also didn't have a single senior on its roster, so the Lady Longhorns have a great chance of winning their third straight title.
6. Bixby (24-4)
After starting the season 3-2, the Lady Spartans turned things around, winning 21 of their next 22 games, including reeling off 16 straight wins to reach the 6A title game. But despite holding a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, Bixby fell in overtime to Edmond North, 59-57, the second straight season the Lady Spartans finished as the 6A runner-up.
7. Tuttle (25-2)
A 23-game winning streak for the Lady Tigers came to a sudden halt with their loss to Classen SAS for the 4A title. Their other loss also came at the hands of an eventual state champion, as Tuttle was defeated by Greenwood, Ark., which won the 5A championship in Arkansas.
8. El Reno (24-5)
The Lady Indians dethroned defending 5A champion Sapulpa in the semifinals, 59-50. El Reno also brought an eight-game win streak to the 5A title game, but the Lady Indians weren't able to seal the deal against McAlester.
9. Sapulpa (20-7)
Sapulpa survived Lawton MacArthur, 54-50, in the 5A quarterfinals for its seventh-straight win. But the Lady Chieftains' bid to repeat as 5A champs ended with a semifinal loss to El Reno.
10. Idabel (26-3)
Following a 2-2 start to the season, the Lady Warriors reeled off 24 straight wins. That included impressive wins in the 3A state tournament, 60-46 against Bethel and then 58-50 against No. 1 ranked Lincoln Christian to reach the title game. But after jumping out to a 12-2 lead, Idabel soon fell behind and eventually saw its win streak and title hopes come to an end in the loss to Jones for the 3A championship.
11. Tulsa Union (19-7)
Union ended the season winning seven of its last 10 ballgames. Those three losses in that span came to the same opponent, Bixby, by a combined 10 points. The latest came in the 6A semifinals, when the Lady Spartans hit three foul shots in the final seconds to grab a 35-34 win.
12. Midwest City Carl Albert (23-3)
The Lady Titans entered the 5A state tournament on a roll, having won 11 straight ballgames. But after building a 13-point lead in the second half of its quarterfinal, Carl Albert relinquished it and ended up on the wrong end of a shocking 49-37 defeat to Tulsa Rogers.
13. Holland Hall (22-4)
Holland Hall had won 15 of 16 following its 43-27 triumph against Fort Gibson in the 4A quarterfinals. The Dutch then jumped out to a big lead early in the 4A semifinals with Classen SAS, but was unable to hold it as the Lady Comets roared back to eventually end Holland Hall's season.
14. Sand Springs (23-4)
Two of the Lady Sandites' four losses were to Edmond North, including the 6A semifinals. They also lost to 6A runner-up Bixby and 5A semifinalist Sapulpa. Sand Springs did get a big quarterfinal win against Choctaw, prevailing 48-38.
15. Weatherford (24-4)
All four of the Lady Eagles' losses were to top three ranked teams, including 4A No. 1 Tuttle twice. After beating Kingfisher, 50-41, in the 4A quarterfinals, Weatherford faced Tuttle in the semifinals but the Lady Tigers got their second win against the Lady Eagles, 62-37.
16. Perry (24-3)
Perry began the 3A state tournament with a decisive 52-36 win against a Sequoyah-Tahlequah squad that had beaten several highly ranked foes. That set up a rematch in the 3A semifinals with Jones, which lost to the Lady Maroons earlier in the season. But Jones got its revenge on Perry, ending what had been a fantastic season for the Lady Maroons up to that point.
17. Choctaw (22-3)
The Lady Yellowjackets started the season 13-0 and later was 21-1 at one point. But they lost to Mustang in the area round, and in the 6A quarterfinals, fell 48-38 to Sand Springs.
18. Howe (24-6)
The Lady Lions began the 2A state tournament with convincing wins against Fairland (65-36) and Hooker (49-32), setting up a revenge game with Pocola. But for the second time this season, the Lady Indians got the better of Howe with a 40-36 win for the 2A title, ending the Lady Lions' bid to win three straight state championships.
19. Pittsburg (30-0)
Pittsburg had never won a state tournament game until this season. The Lady Panthers then ended up winning three straight at state, capped by their 53-51 win against two-time defending champion Lomega for the Class B title.
20. Lincoln Christian (20-6)
The No. 1 ranked team in 3A entering the state tournament, Lincoln Christian picked up a 51-25 quarterfinal win against Hooker. But the Lady Bulldogs ran into a red-hot Idabel team in the semifinals, and weren't able to make it to Championship Saturday for a chance to claim the gold ball.
21. Mustang (22-5)
Mustang reeled off nine straight wins to reach the 6A state tournament, highlighted by a dominating win against Choctaw in the area round. But the Lady Broncos' ride ended with a loss to Tulsa Union in the quarterfinals.
22. Seiling (27-4)
A dramatic 47-46 win in the Class A state title game against two-time defending champion Hydro-Eakly capped a memorable season for the Lady Wildcats. Now, it's their turn to go for a repeat entering the 2022-23 season.
23. Hooker (26-2)
The Lady Bulldogs won their 20th straight game with a 44-39 triumph against Latta in the 2A quarterfinals. At that point, Hooker hadn't lost to an in-state school, but that trend ended in the semifinals with a defeat to Howe in the 2A semifinal round.
24. Hydro-Eakly (29-1)
Hydro-Eakly was one game away from achieving a perfect 30-0 season as well as winning a third straight Class A championship. But the Lady Bobcats fell by one point to Seiling, 47-46, for the Class A title earlier this month.
25. Tulsa Rogers (17-9)
After a loss to Grove in the 5A regionals, the Lady Ropers won two straight games in the area consolation round to reach state. Then, they erased a double-digit deficit in the second half to stun Carl Albert in the quarterfinals, 49-37. Though Rogers lost to eventual 5A champion McAlester in the semifinals, several players return next season for the Lady Ropers to possibly take the next step.
