SBLive Oklahoma Top 25 girls basketball rankings: Surging Norman moves up to No. 5
By Ty Loftis
Photo of Norman's Kayla Jones by Michael Kinney
High school playoffs are well under way for teams in Classes A and B, as well as those in Classes 2A, 3A and 4A.
Regional play starts up for the higher classifications this week. Here is a look at the SBLive Oklahoma Top 25 girls basketball rankings with things heating up in February.
1. Edmond North
The Lady Huskies finished the regular season at 23-0 with a win against Edmond Santa Fe this past Friday. This comes after defeating crosstown rival Edmond Memorial, 60-23, on Feb. 14.
Edmond North plays Capitol Hill in the first round of regionals this week and will take on unranked competition in either Mustang or Edmond Santa Fe before advancing to area.
2. Lincoln Christian
Lincoln Christian finished the regular season at 21-1 and opened district play with a statement win by defeating Tulsa McLain, 99-35.
Moving forward, the Lady Bulldogs begin regional play with Harrah and there are no other ranked teams in their area that would prevent them from getting to state.
3. Sapulpa
Sapulpa moves back into the third spot this week after last week’s wins against Bixby and Tulsa Union.
The Lady Chieftains end the regular season at 19-2 and will get to host a regional this week, starting with Nathan Hale and not going up against any ranked competition until they advance to area.
4. Putnam City West
The Lady Patriots had a stretch in mid-January where they had 17 days off, but PC West has finally gotten back in a rhythm, possibly at just the right time of the year. Since an early-January loss to top-ranked Edmond North, PC West has won eight straight, winning seven of those games by at least 14 points.
The Lady Patriots could face a test in Norman North on Saturday, but win or lose, they will advance to area.
5. Norman
The Lady Tigers have improved to 17-4 on the year after finishing the regular season with a 75-62 road win against Edmond Memorial. Norman now won seven straight following their loss to top-ranked Edmond North.
Norman hosts a regional and opens play with Muskogee on Thursday.
6. Bixby
As some teams do, the Lady Spartans went through a little bit of a lull, losing five of eight games in late December going into January. Since then, Bixby has won eight of their past nine games.
In six of those victories, they have won by 25 points or more. The other wins were a narrow two-point win against Owasso and a Top 25 win at Booker T. Washington. Their 16-7 record might not be the most impressive, but they get to host a regional.
7. Edmond Memorial
Edmond Memorial had won 15 straight before suffering back-to-back losses to end the regular season. Granted, those losses were against top five competition in Edmond North and Norman.
The Lady Bulldogs don’t have much momentum heading into regionals this week, but with their 18-4 record, they still get to host a regional. Even with that, they could face Moore on Saturday, a team they beat by three a few weeks ago.
8. Bethany
The Lady Bronchos remain one of the top title contenders in Class 4A. To end the regular season, Bethany had wins against Anadarko, Elk City and Oklahoma Christian School by a combined score of 223-113.
The Lady Bronchos defeated Bishop McGuinness in their district championship game, 94-56. When looking ahead, Bethany plays host to a regional this week, but could run into a solid Weatherford team in area next week.
9. Dale
The Lady Pirates lost their first game of the year to Preston, but haven’t lost since and are now 25-1 after a recent 65-30 win against Wynnewood in the district championship game.
Looking ahead, the Lady Pirates are hosting a regional and could face a Cashion team on Saturday that they recently beat by 17. There are no other ranked teams in their area.
10. Tuttle
Tuttle is one of three Class 4A teams to crack the top 10 in this week’s poll in what is sure to be an exciting battle for the gold ball. The Lady Tigers finished with a 21-2 regular season mark and defeated Cache, 70-33, in the district championship game last week.
Expect Allie Rehl and Landry Allen to carry the weight for the Lady Tigers as the playoff stretch rolls along.
11. Bethel
The Lady Wildcats are the first Class 3A squad in this week’s top 25 poll. Their 21-3 record is marred with losses to Dale and Caddo, but they are also 6-0 against Class 4A competition and higher.
They won their district championship game against Okmulgee, 62-24. Looking ahead, Bethel will have a challenge against Silo and Purcell, but they should be able to make it to the state tournament.
12. Midwest City
Midwest City enters regional play having dropped two of their last three games against top 25 competition. The Lady Bombers have a chance to get back on track, as they host a regional and won’t have to face top 25 competition in their first two games.
13. Tahlequah
Since losing their second game of the year to Carl Albert, Tahlequah has bounced back by winning their past five games by a combined 67 points.
14. Tulsa Booker T. Washington
One of the more surprising results from last week was a 48-46 Jenks win against the Lady Hornets. BTW then lost by 16 to end the regular season against Bixby and have now lost four of eight overall entering regional play.
Looking ahead, the Lady Hornets host a regional and won’t have to go up against a ranked opponent until area.
15. Holland Hall
The Lady Dutch have won 13 of their past 14 games, with their lone loss being an 11-point loss to No. 2 ranked Lincoln Christian.
Holland Hall has yet to win against a team that is ranked inside the top 25, but with a 19-3 record entering regional play this week, Holland Hall has to be one a few teams projected to contend for a Class 5A title.
The Lady Dutch could be on a collision course to face off against Tahlequah in the first round of area, with the winner of that game moving on to state.
16. Choctaw
The Lady Jackets ended the regular season by losing two of their final four games, but they enter postseason play hosting a regional and opening against Bartlesville.
If things play out as they should, Choctaw and Booker T. Washington are en route to play against each other in the area tournament for a chance at the state tournament.
17. El Reno
Despite a recent loss to Kingfisher, the Lady Indians remain slotted in the top 20 after beating Carl Albert, 57-52, last Friday.
A 56-34 win against Bishop McGuinness has improved El Reno’s record to 15-5 heading into playoffs starting this week.
18. Washington
After suffering their first loss of the year last week, the Lady Warriors have dropped a few spots in the polls.
They got an automatic bye in districts and they may have to face the likes of Alva and Luther in the area tournament if they are to make it to the state tournament.
19. Weatherford
Even with the five-point loss to Tuttle two weeks ago, Weatherford remains in the top 25 after knocking Kingfisher out of the rankings the previous week.
Weatherford is now 20-4 on the year and made quite the statement by getting an 87-24 district championship win against Clinton. As regional play starts up, keep an eye on Jordan Hoffman, as she recently scored her 1,000th career point.
Classen SAS could challenge Bethany and Weatherford as the two teams to come out of that area.
20. Midwest City Carl Albert
The Lady Titans have lost four of their past eight games, but three of those losses are against top 25 competition and the four losses have come by 17 points.
Looking at the Lady Titan draw, they should be able to win both of their home regional games and have a good chance of making it out of area.
21. Amber-Pocasset
Amber-Pocasset enters regional play at 24-2 with their two losses coming against Dale and Tuttle. The Lady Panthers have won 19 games by double-digits.
Looking ahead, Howe and Oktaha will be true tests if they are to get out of area and make it to state.
22. Seiling
Seiling is proving that they may very well be the team to beat in Class A, having won 16 straight and winning each playoff game by at least 23 points.
The Lady Wildcats play a 19-8 Frontier team with a chance to make it to the state tournament in their area championship game on Friday.
23. Pittsburg
Pittsburg sits at 24-4 on the year and is one game away from going to the state tournament if they can beat Buffalo Valley on Friday.
Pittsburg has cruised through district and regional play, beating Kiowa and Roff, both area-qualifying teams, by a combined score of 114-65.
24. Piedmont
Making an appearance in this week’s top 25 is Piedmont, heading into its 5A regional opener late this week. The Lady Wildcats have won six straight, including a one-point win against Carl Albert back in late January.
Piedmont could be on a collision course to play El Reno in the area tournament next week, with the winner advancing to the state tournament. The Lady Wildcats won that game by four earlier this season.
25. Merritt
Staying in this week’s top 25 is Merritt. With one loss on the year, they are one of a few teams who might be able to contend for a Class 2A crown.
They have played some great lower-level classification competition and came away with wins each time, as they have won 22 straight. They opened district play with an impressive 45-22 win against Sayre on Friday.
Looking ahead, Hooker and Afton will be their top competition to get to state.
