Barry Lewis: Ketchum boys basketball team poised for special season
BY BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer
Thursday, January 10, 2013
1/10/13 at 6:03 AM
KETCHUM'S BOYS basketball team could be en route to having a very memorable season.
The Warriors, ranked No. 8 in Class 2A, are off to a 13-0 start for the first time since 1988. Ketchum also is one of the state's highest scoring teams, averaging 80.6 points per game.
"We knew before the season that we had a special group of players, and this could be a special season," Ketchum coach Grant Callison said.
The Warriors, who returned five starters from last season's 19-6 team and added two impact move-ins, are coming off a 79-52 victory over 3A No. 8 Adair on Monday and will face Keys in the Locust Grove Invitational semifinals at 5:50 p.m. Thursday.
Ketchum has scored 100 points once and surpassed 90 points twice.
Jeylyn Sharpe, a 6-foot-5 senior, is matching his scoring average of last season at 23.3 points and is collecting 10.2 rebounds per game. Sharpe shoots 65 percent from the field and 77 percent on free throws. Tanner Mouse, a 6-1 sophomore guard, averages 11.9 points. Other returning starters are Brock Knoten, Quentin Inman and Tyler Cupp.
Ketchum added Trae Fairchild, a point guard who moved from Liberty when his father, Sam, was named the Warriors' girls coach and the school's athletic director. Trae Fairchild, a senior, averaged 15 points per game last season and is at 12.4 with his new team and dishes out 10.2 assists. Also moving from Liberty was 6-3 forward Tristen Pendley, who averages 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds.
"It helps that we have had three players who have been starting point guards," Callison said. "Jeylyn was a point guard as a sophomore before he grew five inches. Tanner was the point guard last year. Along with Trae, that gives us three leaders on the floor.
"We have good height for a 2A team and play bigger than we are. And we are shooting real well."
Ketchum is shooting 59 percent from the field and 69 percent on free throws.
"No one has played us really close," Callison said. "We haven't played a real tough schedule yet, but it's about to pick up. We'll know much more about our team after the tournament this week."
Tournaments start: The Skiatook Invitational, which opens Thursday and continues through Saturday, has a strong field again for its boys and girls brackets. The boys field includes 6A No. 5 Owasso, 5A No. 11 Bishop Kelley and NOAH with high-scoring sophomore Allonzo Trier. The girls bracket includes 6A No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe, 6A No. 12 Broken Arrow, 5A No. 6 Bishop Kelley and 4A No. 12 Vinita.
In the Oologah Tournament, which also starts Thursday, a potential girls title game matchup could feature 4A No. 2 Fort Gibson against 4A No. 11 Oologah at 5 p.m. Saturday.
TPS announces pre-sold games: Tulsa Public Schools has designated three upcoming basketball matchups as pre-sale games - East Central at Central on Friday, McLain at Memorial on Feb. 1 and Booker T. Washington at Central on Feb. 8. Tickets for those matchups must be purchased in advance from the participating schools. No tickets will be sold at the door.
Union's Todd selected: Union starting linebacker David Todd has been selected to USA Rugby's High School All-American Team. He is the first Oklahoma player to receive that honor since Jenks' Clint Dooley in 2001. Todd was selected after being among the 120 who attended the Rugby HSAA winter camp at Arizona State.
Top prospect: Jones quarterback David Cornwell was the only state player ranked among the nation's top 25 underclassmen football prospects by recruiting expert Randy Taylor following the U.S. Army All-American Game Combine last week in San Antonio. Taylor is director of football for NCSA (National Collegiate Scouting Association) Athletic Recruiting.
Taylor said about Cornwell, who is 6-4 and 235 pounds: "When he was on, his tools were at an elite level this past Friday. ... David has one of the biggest arms at the high school level and prototype size."
Preps by the Numbers: All basketball teams are encouraged to submit their statistics to the Tulsa World's Preps by the Numbers that is updated daily at tulsaworld.com and are published every Monday (boys) and Tuesday (girls). Each coach has been assigned a password that can be used to enter statistics on the World's website.
For questions on passwords and instructions on how to submit statistics, contact Barry Lewis at barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com or call 918-581-8393.
Nominate your players: Coaches in all winter sports are invited to nominate deserving players for the Tulsa World's athlete of the week award. Nominations for boys basketball, wrestling and swimming should be sent to Barry Lewis at barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com or at 918-581-8393. Boys basketball nominations should be made before 3 p.m. Sunday. Girls basketball nominations should be sent to Mike Brown at mike.brown@tulsaworld.com or at 918-581-8390. The deadline for girls basketball, swimming and wrestling is noon Monday.
Original Print Headline: Ketchum boys basketball team poised for special year
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