STILLWATER — By Scott Nulph
snulph@stwnewspress.com
If there was one word to describe the season for the Stillwater Pioneers boys basketball team, it might be frustration.
The Pioneers (8-14) have lost eight games this year by 7 points or less, including several in the final seconds.
But with the postseason comes a new opportunity for Stillwater. The Class 6A East and West Region tournaments start tonight across the state.
Stillwater will play Jenks in a Region 3 game at 6:30 p.m. at Edmond Memorial High School. The other game in the Region 3 matches Edmond Memorial against Owasso at 8 p.m.
The winners advance to the region championship Saturday, but more importantly earn a spot in the Area Tournament next week.
The Pioneers enter the tournament with a 3-3 record over its last six games, with all six decided by 5 points or less. SHS has been in just about every game its played this season. They just haven’t always found a way to finish.
“Our guys have had a great week of practice,” Stillwater coach Michael Davis said. “We feel this is a winnable region for us. We’ve been playing pretty good this month. We just have to go in there feeling like it’s our region.”
Stillwater and Jenks didn’t play during the regular season.
The Trojans (14-9) finished the regular season ranked 9th in the Class 6A poll. Jenks comes into the regional play having won nine of its last 12 games.
“Jenks is a solid team,” Davis said. “They lost a lot to graduation last year, but they’re a very solid Class 6A team. They play in the Frontier Conference, which is one of the toughest conferences in the state. They’re not going to give us anything.”
The Trojans are led by C.J. Sidorakis, the brother of Oklahoma State junior Nick Sidorakis. Jenks also boasts some of the best size in the state, with four players listed at 6-foot-5 or taller.
“Rebounding will be a key,” Davis said. “We’ve done a really good job on the boards this season.”
Davis also said he thinks his Pioneers will have a quickness advantage over the Trojans.
“We should be a little quicker than what they are,” he said. “We’ve got to get after them and not necessarily walk the ball up the floor. We’re not going to change our game.”
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