final 2025-2026 basketball guide

Basketball Guide STEPHENS COUNTY

STEPHENS COUNTY ATHLETES

HITTING THE HARDWOOD

2025-2026

A PUBLICATION OF THE DUNCAN BANNER

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The Empire Girls took on Wayne in the early part of the 2025-2026 campaign.

Empire won 53-30 after concluding its homecoming celebration. The Empire Girls will now look to make it a 3-peat at the Stephens County Tournament, set for Jan. 19-24 in Velma-Alma, and try to reclaim their county championship title for the third consecutive year.

06

THE DUNCAN

12

THE MARLOW

DEMONS

OUTLAWS

18 THE COMANCHE

INDIANS

THE EMPIRE

32

BULLDOGS

38 THE VELMA-ALMA

COMETS

44 THE CENTRAL HIGH

BRONCHOS

48 THE BRAY-DOYLE

DONKEYS

PICTURED ON THE COVER:

Teams in Stephens County are ready to hit the hardwood for the 2025-2026 basketball campaign.

WATCH

FOR BASKETBALL ACTION SHOTS

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE

PUBLISHER / AD DIRECTOR

a publication of

MANAGING EDITOR/

STORIES / PHOTOS

DESIGNER

Charlene Belew

Charlene Belew

Andy Morphew

Crystal Childers

SALES / MARKETING Crystal Childers Jason Hodges

Jason Hodges Kelly Wray

and

DUNCAN

MAGAZINE

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Sherrie McCormack

DISTRIBUTION Sherrie McCormack Mike McCormack

THE STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE purposes to promote Duncan and Stephens County area basketball teams.

All content featured in this magazine was made available to The Banner staff as of press time. Any teams missing will appear in later editions of The Duncan Banner when information becomes available. Recaps of game play will also appear in The Duncan Banner newspaper. Photos are courtesy of Jason Hodges, Kelly Wray and The Banner’s photo archives.

We welcome ideas and suggestions for future publications of this magazine.

Contact either the editorial or advertising departments at 580-255-5354.

If you are wishing to start or renew a subscription, contact the circulation department at 580-255-5354.

FROM THE

P

EDITOR

GETTING BACK ON THE COURT IN STEPHENS COUNTY

hew, ya’ll! This year stories and numerous photos went by fast! So fast, in you’re about to read and fact, that our Stephens see, this project couldn’t County Basketball Magazine have reached completion. is already back with its third Morphew’s work, alongside annual installment.

Jason Hodges, our account Just two years ago, readers executive and longstanding asked us for our Stephens photographer, made this County Basketball Guide after book into everything it has a very successful Stephens to offer. You’ll likely see County Gridiron Guide. We Morphew and Hodges listened, and delivered. When courtside this season, working we did, we promised that this CHARLENE BELEW to cover our teams and product would continue to photograph their outstanding grow –and grow it has. moments to encapsulate it in history Inside this book, you’ll find stories about forever. Unfortunately, we can’t post every each of the boys’ and girls’ teams. You’ll photo taken, but you can find almost any also find a complete history of each of the basketball photo you want on the Hodges Stephens County Tournaments hosted right Photography Facebook page. Give him a here at home and the teams who made it follow because his heart truly is in this for to the finals and their ending scores. the kids.

The Banner staff looks forward to this Finally, I’d like to thank all of our basketball season and wishes each and advertisers who make this publication every single one of our county athletes possible. Without your support for not headed to the court the best of luck for a only The Banner and our mission, but also successful campaign this year. our student athletes across the county, we We hope this book will guide you wouldn’t be able to recognize our county through the winter months and that basketball teams the way they deserve. our newspaper and website will keep Strap in and settle down, because it is you up-to-date on the latest basketball officially time to let our athletes play their happenings within our county. hearts out and leave it all on the court.

I’d like to give a special shout out to We’ve got a long season of basketball our sports department – Andy Morphew, ahead of us and we can’t wait to see who and Jason Hodges – for making this takes home this year’s county tournament book possible. Without their hard work and dedication to turning out the 14 trophy.

4

MEET OUR

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

EDITOR CHARLENE BELEW Charlene, also known in the community as Charlie, is the Managing Editor for The Duncan Banner and Duncan Magazine. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Cameron University, where she also held multiple positions with The Cameron Collegian, which ended with her serving as the Managing Editor in 2014-2015. Charlie has served two tenures with The Banner. Her first began in 2014 with an internship through Oklahoma Press Association and culminated in 2017 as News Editor.

Her second began in 2018 when she returned as a staff writer and she resumed her editorship in 2020.

Although she has spent much of her life growing up in Lawton, Charlie has always felt a special call to the Duncan and Stephens County community. She adopted a dog from Stephens County Humane Society’s Take Out Tuesday program with The Banner in 2019 and was a member of the Duncan Rotary Club. In 2021, Charlie led The Banner to the first Sequoyah Award from the Oklahoma Press Association since its last in 2012. She has taken home multiple awards for editorial writing, news writing and design. She had her first child, Anja, in January 2024, and her second, Astraea, in September 2025.

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER CRYSTAL CHILDERS Crystal joined The Banner staff in 2013 as an advertising executive. She was promoted to Advertising Manager in 2017 before becoming General Manager in 2020 and then Publisher in August 2023.

Crystal has won numerous awards from the Oklahoma Press Association in ad design, most recently a first and third place win for large ad space design along with second place for small ad space design.

Born and raised in Duncan, Crystal graduated from Duncan High School in 2001, joining a long line of Duncan graduates in her family. Crystal is an active member of Faith Church along with several community groups, including the Duncan Noon Lions Club. She is a proud supporter of the Stephens County Humane Society and all Duncan Demon sports from the many years her children participated.

Crystal has three children, Alyssa, Jacob and Jordan and enjoys spending time with family and her many dogs.

Duncan Magazine’s goal is to create a publication local to Stephens County that’s fun to read and view and created entirely by the hands of people you know. Here are the creators who use their time and talent to tell your stories.

TAMARA GREGOR

JASON HODGES

ANDY MORPHEW

KELLY WRAY

Born and raised in California, Tamara joined the staff at The Duncan Banner in March 2020.

As an award winning journalist, Tamara has placed for her feature, education, business and news stories, as well as her photography and column writing over the past five years.

Tamara previously gathered her experience by interning at the South Gibson Star Times in Fort Branch, Indiana, as well as working as the editor for her college newspaper, The Collegian in Oakland City, Indiana.

Her experiences continued while writing and publishing a magazine, Evoke, with a group of friends in Turlock, California.

With family local to Stephens County as well in the surrounding areas of Oklahoma, Tamara moved to Duncan from Stanislaus County, jumping right into community events as a reporter.

She loves to connect and engage with the community members to tell their heartfelt stories each day.

A Comanche resident since the age of 10, Jason graduated from Comanche High School in 1991. His wife, Jennifer, followed a year behind, and the family has strong roots in the area. They have raised three daughters here, each of whom graduated from Comanche. They also have grandchildren attending school there.

Jason began his career with The Banner in 2016 as a freelance photographer.

Later, he accepted a full-time position in the advertising department, but he still enjoys taking photos, both for The Banner and his personal business, Hodges Photography. Jason loves his connection to the community he has now working at The Banner. He can be contacted for photography work on Facebook at Hodges Photography.

Andy Morphew has been writing sports for The Duncan Banner since 2011 when he began his first tenure with the paper. He has over 14 years of experience in covering high school athletes in Stephens County.

Morphew has lived in Stephens County since September of 2010 and is a graduate of The University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma.

He has covered over 1,000 high school games and close to 1,500 games between the pro and college ranks.

During his full-time tenure at The Duncan Banner, Morphew won many awards, including the 2021 Oklahoma Press Association top prize for Sports Coverage in the division.

Just recently, Morphew was the runner-up in the Best of CNHI Contest for Sports Columnist of the Year.

Kelly S. Wray wrote his first articles for The Banner in September 1992 when Velma-Alma opened its football season with road wins over Washington, Oklahoma, and Dibble.

Current V-A head coach Randy Norton played in those games, and Wray covered Central High when current head coach Dusty Ketner was an offensive lineman for the Bronchos.

Wray has followed Stephens County sports and written about them, off and on, since 1992. A graduate of Empire High School and winner of the 2004 Society of Professional Journalists First Amendment Award, Wray has worked full-time for newspapers in Duncan, Chickasha, Newcastle and Lawton.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in behavioral health from Cameron University, and a master’s in school counseling from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He has taught communications at six different colleges and universities, including the University of Oklahoma. He is a therapist for the Absentee Shawnee Tribe.

Most recently, Wray swept Oklahoma Press Association’s column writing division for Semi- and TriWeekly newspapers.

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

5

THE DUNCAN

DEMONS

Tight knit Demons shoot for improvement on last year’s mark

C

BY ANDY MORPHEW

oach Zac Knox is touting his team’s tight knit bond as a positive. Now, the squad has a goal to improve on last year’s mark as Duncan contends with district play in 2025-2026.

A season ago, the Demons finished seventh in the district with one district victory early in the season.

Knox, in his third season with the Demons, said the goals are the same as they have always been: to improve on district standings and get into double digits wins.

“Our goals haven’t changed. We want to improve on last year’s district finish — we ended up seventh — and we want to reach double-digit wins,” Knox said. “Both of those are still very attainable for this group. We’ve shown flashes of playing good basketball. The next

“We’ve shown flashes of playing good basketball.

The next step for us is consistency — putting together complete games on a nightly basis as we move into the second half of the season.”

– Zac Knox Duncan Boys Head Coach step for us is consistency—putting together complete games on a nightly basis as we move into the second half of the season.”

Knox believes the team plays its best when the players have balanced scoring. In the two victories so far this season as of press time, that has shown as those games saw multiple players in double figures.

Duncan has seven seniors on the team with three of them in the starting lineup as Carson Carrio.

Jayce Ramirez and Kadyn Armstrong each have several minutes on the court.

Junior Brandt Stocking comes in at the forward position while Sam Lipscomb, a sophomore, is the fifth starter and provides some speed on the court.

Knox said all five starters and one newcomer in freshman Jaestin Todd have potential to go into double figures on any given night and believes the future is bright with Todd.

“He’s shown that he can be a playmaker and has great instincts for the game,” Knox said. “He’s still learning and growing, but we’re excited about what he brings

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THE DUNCAN LADY

DEMONS

Lady Demons gaining valuable experience this season

A

year ago, the Lady Demons were one game away from the State Tournament, however most of that team graduated or moved leaving players who haven’t seen many varsity minutes.

Fast forward to the beginning of the season and Coach Amanda Lard, who has been an assistant for several of the past head coaches, got the call to lead the team.

Lard, a graduate of Duncan High School, has taken on a team that has only two seniors and a multitude of juniors, sophomores and freshmen to try and gain valuable experience for the athletes.

“Our goal is to improve in some area each and every day. We have had glimpses of moments in each game we have played,” Lard said.

“We want to string more of those

8

BY ANDY MORPHEW

“I think we are seeing glimpses of them growing as basketball players and I think we look at each game as an individual game and not try to group all the games together as a collective success or failure.”

– Amanda Lard Duncan Girls Head Coach

moments together for sustained periods of time.”

During their hosting duties of the Southern Oklahoma Invitational Tournament, some of the newcomers stood out according to Coach Lard.

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

Those players were Layla Talley and Ellie Petersen, along with her sister Averi Petersen, who set the tone by staying after practice to get more work in.

“Layla Talley and Ellie Petersen have really stepped up as leaders.

They aren’t always the most vocal, but they lead by example,” Lard said. “Ellie and her sister, Averi, stay after practice every single day to work on free throws and shoot extra shots. Layla stepped up defensively in our SOI tournament and set a toughness tone for the rest of the team.”

Despite their record, the Lady Demons will look to build on their experience going into the final games of 2025 and the remaining district play in 2026.

Duncan will have two tournaSee LADY DEMONS Page 11

Demons: From Page 6

right now and what his future looks like in this program.”

Duncan’s final two games in Stephens County came as part of a four-team, two-day festival at Marlow High School.

Upon the return from those games, Duncan’s final two tournaments include the Lindsay Tournament and the Bridge Creek Tournament in the month of January.

In between those tournaments will be the final part of district play and for Knox, the second half potential of the season looks good because of how close this team is.

“This is the closest group I’ve coached since I’ve been here, and that cohesion matters, especially as the season goes on,” Knox said. “I’m not big on making predictions, but I do believe this group can continue improving and be very competitive down the stretch.

We’re focused on getting better every day, and I feel confident that we’re moving in the right direction.”

District play determines the playoff bracket. The Demons they have two matches against Altus and Santa Fe South while one game remains for the rest of the district rivals.

The remaining home games for the 2025-2026 season are: Jan. 16 vs. Santa Fe South, Jan. 20 vs. Newcastle, Jan. 30 vs. Bishop McGuniess, Feb. 3 vs. Del City, Feb. 6 vs. MacArthur and Feb. 10 against Altus.

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Lady Demons: From Page 8

ments remaining. They will play at Lindsay Tournament and Bridge Creek Tournament all in the month of January.

While the season is a long one, Lard believes this team is on the right side of growing together as a team and building success.

“I think we are seeing glimpses of them growing as basketball players and I think we look at each game as an individual game and not try to group all the games together as a collective success or failure,” Lard said.

The Lady Demons two seniors are Riley Miller and Karley Alvarez.

However, the starting lineup usually focuses around Talley, Ellie Petersen, Zara Ozaltin and Maren Turkett. Lex Delgado also gets clutch minutes.

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

11

THE MARLOW

OU T L AW S

Outlaws hope offense gets better in second half

BY ANDY MORPHEW

A

nytime you lose seniors who scored a lot during the previous season due to graduation, there is a coach hoping everything he does will bring the offense to pace.

For the Marlow Outlaws, one of the most consistent winning programs in the last several seasons, they will go into the second half with some confidence and time to build.

After winning the Latta Tournament, the Outlaws then dropped three straight games but ended 2025 with a victory over Lone Grove to go into 2026 with a record of 4-3.

The Outlaws are led by veteran head coach Kirk Harris, whose most recent win was a physical 31-22 victory over the Longhorns. On the year, the Outlaws have only passed the 50-point margin once.

“I felt like both teams were being really aggressive and they were really trying to deny our cuts and grabbing and holding,” Harris said. “We were doing a

lot of pushing at the post and it was a very physical game. The key in the stretch was that two guys had four fouls, but their best one fouled out and that made a difference in the stretch.”

Harris said there is a need to get better at scoring because winning with 31 points will not happen on a regular basis.

“We’ve got to get better offensively, bottom line,” Harris said.

“We need more practice time and had them for a while, but when you have a game every other day it is hard to put anything new in. We have lost three close ones. Lindsay was a little worse and we lost a couple of tough ones against Chickasha and Duncan, where we had a chance to win both games.”

One of the bright spots for Harris is the defense and he believes they will keep the team in games. Still, coach will preach offense as he believes they won’t move to next level without it.

“We need to find what fits,” Harris said. “We are doing some

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of the things they knew from the previous year, because it was easier for them to pick it up, but it also has fit our personnel.

“We are more post orientated and we kind of keep putting in different things and see what works the best for us,” he said.

“We don’t have the perimeter shooting that we had the last two or three years. We will have to be more of an inside out team where guys get down to the rim.”

This Outlaws team has one senior starter in Major Fleetwood. The rest of the starters are juniors and two are sophomores.

Marlow’s top scorer in the last several games has been guard Brodie Bishop, who had 18 points against Duncan and 14 in the win against Lone Grove.

With their record at 4-3 on the season as of press time, Marlow will resume the season with a road matchup against Pauls Valley and then play in their second tournament of the season at Kingston.

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THE MARLOW LADY

OUT L AW S Lady Outlaws use depth to advantage in new season

T

BY THE BANNER STAFF

he Marlow girls basketball squad returned four starters from a team that finished 10-15 last season and made it the first round of regionals.

The Lady Outlaws opened the season at the Latta Tournament against Prague, although they lost 45-35. Since then, the Lady Outlaws have claimed victories over Sulphur, Byng and Duncan.

Now, they’ll turn their attention to the Stephens County Tournament, set for Jan. 19-24 at hosting Velma-Alma.

Megan Robbins, a Bray-Doyle graduate, entered her third year as the Lady Outlaws’ head coach.

The former Oklahoma State standout has compiled a 25-26 mark in her first two seasons at Marlow.

She now owns a 76-51 career record.

The Lady Outlaws have utilized a three-guard lineup after return-

ing point guard Carson Lovett and shooting guards Kinley Castle and Gracee Ottinger. Grace Lovelady returned at center.

Lovett poured in 11.5 points per game last season to lead the Lady Outlaws in scoring. She also led Marlow in steals with 2 per contest and assists with an average of 3.3 per game. Lovett shot 37.2 from the field and 67.3 from the line.

Castle was the Lady Outlaws’ second leading scorer and averaged 10.1 points per game. She led Marlow in rebound with 5.8 per game.

Ottinger averaged 9.4 tallies a game and 4.1 rebounds. Lovelady scored 4.1 points per game and grabbed an average of 4.5 rebounds.

The Lady Outlaws graduated Kory Scott, who averaged 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 points per contest.

One of their key strengths is

depth, according to Coach Robbins, who said a 15 suited player lineup makes it easier all around.

“It makes us better and allows there to be no drop off during the game when making substitutions,” Robbins said. “It also allows us to play faster, being able to get girls some rest and keep fresh legs in the game.”

Since the beginning of the season, the team has gelled well together, Robbins said.

“We have nine underclassmen this year, so a lot of our success will be determined by how long it takes them to adjust to the speed and level of high school competition,” Robbins said. “I think it also takes them a little longer to grasp concepts of what we are running offensively and defensively. So, the sooner they really start to understand that, the better we’ll be.”

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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THE COMANCHE

INDIANS

Indians’ identity found by playing together

BY ANDY MORPHEW

C

omanche had a small preseason to get ready for the 2025-2026 season and luckily a coach who has been with them for a couple of seasons. Now, the Indians are looking to find their identity by playing as a team.

Going into his fourth season, Anthony Bowie has his team at 3-4 with one game during New Year’s week. Now the team will head to the Indians’ second tournament of the season.

The Indians’ first tournament saw them coming in with a record of 0-3.

The team dropped the first game to go 0-4 before rallying two victories in the tournament consolation.

In the final game of the 2025 calendar year, the Indians grabbed the lead in the final two minutes and made it three straight victories to get momentum going their way.

Hollister Pollack and Easton Bowen were both scoring as much as they can in the 2025 finale and got the final points to secure the victory

as the Indians now move forward into 2026.

Bowie, who got the team together Nov. 8, and the Indians went into their schedule and after a couple of weeks, the hed coach knows the team is finally finding their groove.

“Coming into the season, I didn’t have the number of guys I used to have in the gym for the months of August, September and October,” Bowie said. “We are just trying to figure things out, because these first few games we played tough opponents.”

Bowie said the first games playing Statford, Amber-Pocasset and Little Axe provided a good measuring stick. After getting two victories against Lexington and a JV team, the Comanche Indians are starting to make up some ground.

“I think we are starting to come together and the guys have set their goal and been working really hard,” Bowie said. “I think we are in a

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Indians: From Page 18

okay spot right now … for the situation we have been dealt, sitting at 3-4 – I feel really good about it.”

Two of the players who have stood out to Bowie has been Carson Van Sickle and Cooper Epperson, who has been in the program for four years and is a senior guard for the team.

Bryson Goodheart will play a bigger role for the Indians as well and is a player who can play all five positions if asked.

Cole Pelton, a transfer from Empire, will come off the bench for the Indians and provide a spark, according to Bowie.

As the season progresses, Bowie believes this team can reach the 12-13 win

plateau and possibly get more as long as they can put together a great performance.

“We are just trying to make sure we are playing the right way and make sure that we are playing like we are coached,” Bowie said. “We want to establish an identity of how we want to play. With the core guys on the same page, there is no reason we can’t make it to 12-13 wins. I feel good about the tournament we are in and I feel good about the Stephens County Tournament. So the expectations are to show up, play hard, play together and have fun, while playing to your strengths and how they are coached.”

Comanche’s season resumed with the Dibble Tournament and the Indians’ next home game will be against Davis Jan. 13.

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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THE COMANCHE LADY

INDIANS

Lady Indians thriving under Robinson’s tenure

BY ANDY MORPHEW

T

he Comanche Lady Indians are thriving and met one of their season goals in the first tournament of the season under Coach Braydon Robinson, who entered his third season at the school.

The beginning of the year, Robinson told his team that he wanted to win two games in each tournament and at the Wynnewood Tournament, they did just that and finished third.

“Our team goals are to win at least two games in every tournament, finish with a winning record, continue to grow as a team and to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season.,” Robinson said. “I feel like we are absolutely headed in the right direction. The future of this program looks very bright and we are off to a great start to our season.”

Coming into the year, eight of the 11 suited varsity girls are either freshmen or sophomores with the other three classified as two juniors and one senior on the team.

The lone senior is Bre Gill who reSee LADY INDIANS Page 24

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Lady Indians: From Page 22

turned to the team for her senior year and will look to help lead the team of young players.

Robinson said all 11 players will contribute in their own way and he believes each athlete and all of the bench personnel are vital to success.

“Overall, the game of basketball is a team sport and it’s going to take all 11 girls in uniform, my assistant, my managers and my filmers to be bought in together in order to achieve these goals,” Robinson said.

Focusing on defense and focusing on perimeter scoring for the Lady Indians will be Raelee Ellis, Cassidy Smity, Cianna O’Connor and Shylah Nichols.

The Lady Indians will have Gill, Drai Sparks, Ellie Schreiner, Maice Combs and Kyndel Goedhart, who will all need to be physical inside, control the glass and provide inside scoring according to Robinson.

As the Lady Indians will continue the season in 2026, Robinson said the sky is the limit for this team and come playoff time, they could be a force to reckon with.

“I think this team can be a 12-15 win team and be a real tough out for anyone come playoff time. We are very young ... so we can be a bit inconsistent from game to game on the offensive end,” Robinson said. “As the season goes on, I expect the game experience to really mature this group. As they settle into their roles and get more comfortable, we’ll start to click. I’m very excited about my team this year and I think this group will accomplish some big things.”

Comanche will play in the Dibble Tournament and the Stephens County Tournament for their final two tournaments in the month of January.

24

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

25

Have a great season area athletes!

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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27

STEPHENS COUNTY TOURNAMENT RESULTS Girls Championship Results 1932: Bray 35, Alma 34 1933: Gatlin 23, Bray 19 1934: Alma 20, Burrows 7 1935: Alma 24, Burrows 6 1936: Bray 28, Alma 26 1937: Bray 31, Burrows 12 1938: Loco 14, Empire 9 1939: Bray 23, Comanche 18 1940: Bray 24, Comanche 22 1941: Bray 29, Comanche 24 1942: Bray 36, Comanche 32 1943: Comanche 25, Bray 16 1944: Bray 30, Comanche 15 1945: Bray 30, Comanche 20 1946: Comanche 46, Bray 18 1947: Comanche 28, Velma-Alma 28 game ended in tie 1948: Bray 42, Loco 36 1949: Doyle 39, Central High 22 1950: Loco 20, Comanche 15 1951: Doyle 33, Comanche 26 1952: Comanche 45, Loco 38 1953: Comanche 37, Bray 29 1954: Bray 43, Doyle 37 1955: Bray 46, Doyle 36 1956: Bray 57, Comanche 31 1957: Bray 39, Velma-Alma 31 1958: Bray 62, Doyle 38 1959: Doyle 44, Comanche 42 1960: Velma-Alma 34, Bray 29 1961: Bray 43, Marlow 31 1962: Bray 45, Doyle 40 1963: Marlow 37, Doyle 31 1964: Comanche 52, Bray 43 1965: Bray 21, Comanche 19 1966: Comanche 58, Empire 50 1967: Comanche 38, Bray 32 1968: Comanche 57, Central High 38 1969: Empire 37, Central High 27 1970: Bray 67, Central High 37 1971: Bray 54, Grandfield 41 1972: Central High 37, Comanche 35 1973: Comanche 39, Grandfield 36 1974: Comanche 44, Empire 32 1975: Comanche 60, Empire 42 1976: Marlow 36, Bray 33 1977: Central High 50, Walters 40 1978: Comanche 65, Velma-Alma 50 1979: Velma-Alma 44, Bray 37 1980: Bray 46, Marlow 38 1981: Marlow 53, Velma-Alma 47 1982: Bray-Doyle 65, Central High 45 1983: Walters 54, Bray-Doyle 42 1984: Velma-Alma 78, Empire 75 1985: Bray-Doyle 75, Empire 74 1986: Marlow 39, Bray-Doyle 37 (OT) 1987: Bray-Doyle 39, Marlow 36 1988: Marlow 55, Bray-Doyle 50 1989: Comanche 66, Central High 43 1990: Comanche 64, Velma-Alma 43 1991: Comanche 86, Empire 65 1992: Empire 67, Marlow 47 1993: Empire 63, Marlow 44

1994: Velma-Alma 57, Empire 50 1995: Marlow 47, Velma-Alma 32 1996: Velma-Alma 50, Bray-Doyle 38 1997: Velma-Alma 60, Marlow 36 1998: Marlow 70, Bray-Doyle 35 1999: Marlow 56, Central High 42 2000: Velma-Alma 32, Bray-Doyle 27 2001: Comanche 47, Velma-Alma 35 (OT) 2002: Velma-Alma 32, Bray-Doyle 30 2003: Bray-Doyle 43, Marlow 42 2004: Bray-Doyle 38, Velma-Alma 34 2005: Comanche 52, Velma-Alma 34 2006: Ringling 44, Velma-Alma 39 2007: Comanche 45, Empire 35 2008: Marlow 28, Velma-Alma 27 2009: Marlow 42, Velma-Alma 30 2010: Marlow 42, Bray-Doyle 25 2011: Marlow 45, Velma 35 2012: Marlow 59, Ryan 45 2013: Marlow 54, Central High 41 2014: Velma-Alma 36, Comanche 30 2015: Comanche 42, Marlow 28 2016: Comanche 70, Velma-Alma 42 2017: Comanche 58, Marlow 41 2018: Comanche 52, Marlow 26 2019: Comanche 40, Marlow 36 2020: Comanche 59, Marlow 44 2021: Marlow 38, Velma-Alma 32 2022: Comanche 35, Marlow 29 2023: Comanche 38, Marlow 30 2024: Empire 38, Marlow 34 2025: Empire 62, Ryan 38 2026: TBA

Boys Championship Results 1932: Loco 14, Central High 13 1933: Loco 26, Central High 13 1934: Duncan 53, Burrows 19 1935: Bray 24, Duncan 18 1936: Empire 27, Bray 24 1937: Comanche 26, Central High 23 1938: Central High 23, Duncan 12 1939: Central High 22, Alma 17 1940: Marlow 25, Comanche 22 1941: Marlow 47, Duncan 38 1942: Duncan 42, Marlow 29 1943: Comanche 26, Central High 23 1944: Duncan 19, Marlow 15 1945: Duncan 45, Marlow 30 1946: Duncan 51, Marlow 24 1947: Empire 35, Bray 32 1948: Duncan 34, Empire 33 1949: Loco 33, Duncan 28 1950: Duncan 65, Bray 20 1951: Empire 39, Loco 30 1952: Central High 52, Bray 42 1953: Comanche 42, Bray 41 1954: Comanche 42, Empire 31 1955: Empire 45, Bray 34 1956: Comanche 74, Empire 63 1957: Bray 59, Empire 55 1958: Comanche 52, Marlow 50 1959: Marlow 54, Bray 52 1960: Bray 47, Empire 34 1961: Comanche 53, Velma-Alma 45

1962: Marlow 44, Bray 39 1963: Marlow 43, Velma-Alma 33 1964: Marlow 53, Comanche 37 1965: Comanche 53, Marlow 51 1966: Marlow 75, Comanche 59 1967: Comanche 56, Bray 37 1968: Marlow 54, Empire 46 1969: Marlow 73, Bray 70 1970: Marlow 64, Central High 34 1971: Grandfield 54, Central High 43 1972: Marlow 71, Grandfield 54 1973: Marlow 62, Bray 56 1974: Comanche 90, Bray 83 1975: Grandfield 51, Velma-Alma 43 1976: Central High 65, Grandfield 63 1977: Grandfield 61, Marlow 57 1978: Grandfield 61, Central High 56 1979: Marlow 59, Lindsay 55 1980: Marlow 54, Grandfield 51 1981: Bray 71, Velma-Alma 47 1982: Marlow 54, Grandfield 43 1983: Velma-Alma 84, Grandfield 62 1984: Velma-Alma 84, Marlow 61 1985: Empire 37, Marlow 36 1986: Velma-Alma 76, Grandfield 56 1987: Grandfield 50, Velma-Alma 46 1988: Grandfield 83, Comanche 78 1989: Marlow 58, Grandfield 38 1990: Velma-Alma 49, Marlow 46 1991: Marlow 65, Comanche 60 1992: Comanche 56, Central High 44 1993: Marlow 60, Comanche 41 1994: Marlow 58, Comanche 56 1995: Marlow 62, Velma-Alma 48 1996: Velma-Alma 56, Bray-Doyle 30 1997: Marlow 42, Bray-Doyle 25 1998: Marlow 52, Velma-Alma 42 1999: Comanche 65, Lawton Christian 52 2000: Velma-Alma 82, Bray-Doyle 57 2001: Velma-Alma 55, Marlow 50 2002: Marlow 58, Velma-Alma 48 2003: Central High 54, Velma-Alma 46 2004: Velma-Alma 50, Marlow 44 2005: Bray-Doyle 47, Comanche 44 2006: Velma-Alma 84, Comanche 73 2007: Velma-Alma 54, Comanche 53 2008: Velma-Alma 54, Bray-Doyle 52 2009: Empire 57, Comanche 55 2010: Velma-Alma 52, Bray-Doyle 50 2011: Velma-Alma 76, Frederick 66 2012: Velma-Alma 55, Frederick 52 2013: Central High 60, Marlow 43 2014: Comanche 64, Velma-Alma 56 2015: Marlow 55, Comanche 41 2016: Velma-Alma 56, Comanche 55 2017: Marlow 61, Comanche 49 2018: Marlow 59, Comanche 41 2019: Velma-Alma 68, Comanche 63 2020: Velma-Alma 57, Marlow 50 (OT) 2021: Marlow 49, Velma-Alma 46 2022: Marlow 43, Comanche 22 2023: Marlow 58, Velma-Alma 55 (OT) 2024: Marlow 51, Velma-Alma 42 2025: Marlow 58, Velma-Alma 41 2026: TBA

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THE EMPIRE

BULLDOGS Experience key for ‘Dawgs this season

BY THE BANNER STAFF

T

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32

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

he Empire Bulldogs have relied on previous experience to navigate the basketball campaign this year.

Braden Hill, an Empire alumnus, entered his seventh season as head boys coach at his alma mater.

Empire returned four of five starters and the entire bench from a team that finished 13-11 and advanced to the Regional Semifinals last season.

Empire’s returning starters include small forward Cale Porter, power forward Francisco Garcia, point guard Bryce Shaver and center Johnathan McNair.

Porter is the leading scorer among the returners. As a junior, Porter averaged 13.5 points and five rebounds per contest last season.

Shaver averaged 8.9 points and 2.7 steals per contest as a sophomore last season. Garcia finished his junior season

averaging 10 points, six rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. McNair, also a senior, averaged 5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season.

Dax Hecox will start this year at off-guard.

He averaged 6.5 points per game in 2024-2025.

The team boasts a good defense and is using that to turn good defense into offense.

That relentless defense is something the Dawgs will continue to utilize.

So far, Empire has taken on Sterling and Wayne and were victorious, 53-41 and 78-47 respectively. They’ve lost to Apache 59-45.

Other competition the Bulldogs will see in the coming weeks include Ringling, Velma-Alma, Waurika, Cyril, Walters, Hollis and Temple. The team will also attend the Stephens County Tournament, set for Jan. 19-24 at hosting Velma-Alma.

THE EMPIRE LADY

BULLDOGS Back-to-back Stephens County Champions looking to make it a 3-peat

T

BY THE BANNER STAFF

he Empire Lady Bulldogs won it the last two seasons and they’ll look to go for a 3-peat this year at the Stephens County Tournament.

On the roster are four returning starters from a team that finished 21-4 and advanced to the second round of the Area Tournament last season.

The Eighth-ranked Lady Bulldogs started this season off on a hot streak, winning their first seven games in a row before taking the first loss of the campaign to Allen, 50-34, just after the Christmas Break.

Victories in the early part of the season came against Sterling, Apache, Wayne, Grandfield, Tipton, Fletcher, Chattanooga and Central High.

Jaicee Powers, at the helm of the Lady Bulldogs, returned for her seventh season as head coach at Empire. She owns a 112-39 mark at Empire and a 186-89 career record.

The Lady Bulldogs are back-toback Stephens County Tournament champions.

The Lady Bulldogs have utilized a four-guard lineup that features two sophomores, two seniors and one junior.

The four-guard lineup features returning guards Chanlie Rochell 34

(sophomore), Chazli Massey (junior), Sarah Vanderburg (senior) and Kylie Lemons (senior). Sophomore Kenzie Brackin will start at center.

Point guard Rochell was one of the best freshmen in the county last season and made 86 of 200 field goals while dishing 59 assists. She grabbed 90 rebounds and made 84 steals.

Massey shot 50.7 from the field last season, making 59 of 141 field goals.

She grabbed 50 rebounds and made 49 assists.

Lemons went 39-of-113 from the field, grabbed 50 rebounds and dished 27 assists.

Vanderburg shot 47% from the field and grabbed 63 rebounds.

Brackin led the Lady Bulldogs in rebounds with 136.

The Lady Bulldogs graduated guard Keira Pineda, who now plays for Hesston College in Kansas.

Pineda led Empire with 108 field goals made and was the team’s second-leading rebounders with 107 boards.

Despite losing Pineda, the team’s strength lies in numbers, according to Powers.

“We will have a deep bench this season, which will allow us to play fast and aggressive,” Powers said.

“As a program, we take a lot of

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

pride in playing tough and playing together. We have talented players, but our biggest strength will be working together and creasing a strong team chemistry. We will play fast and tough – but most importantly, we will pay together.”

Using the speed and strength will help build the physicality of a small team, Powers said.

“We are not the biggest team in Class A so we will have to play physical and fast,” Powers said.

“We will have to use our quickness to jump in passing lanes and keep pressure on ball-handlers, creating turnovers and difficult shots. We also must limit teams to one contested shot. We will be outsized in many games, so we’ll have to be physical on the boards. “Offensively we have to find a balance of playing fast but not forcing things,” she said. “We have to take care of the basketball while playing downhill and keeping constant pressure on the defense.”

The tactic has proved successful for Empire, which boasts one of the best girls’ records in the county.

The team will look to win once again when they return to defend their championship at the Stephens County Tournament, set for Jan. 1924 at hosting Velma-Alma.

36

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

“And Jesus said to him. ‘If you can?

All things are possible for one who believes.’” Mark 9:23 NIV Good Luck to all Area Teams!

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

37

THE VELMA-ALMA

COMETS

Comets continue to soar toward goal of State Title

BY ANDY MORPHEW

T

here has been one constant on the sidelines for the Velma-Alma Comets and that is head coach Kenny Bare, and his goal is to continue to soar toward the goal of a State Title.

Entering his 29th season at Velma-Alma High School, Bare and the Comets will be coming off a season in which they were 26-4 and lost in the Area Tournament.

During his tenure as coach, the Comets lead man has been to seven state tournaments and believes this year’s team strength is guard play and defense.

With the first part of the 2025-2026 season complete, the Comets’ defense is allowing an average of 43.6 points per game while scoring an impressive 70.6 points per game.

Even though the team has one returning starter, that senior is Jackson Lohrer who is scoring at an impressive rate of nearly 30 points per game for the Comets.

On the lineup, the Comets have eight players who rotate in and out and contribute at a big rate , which has Velma-Alma going into 2026 with a record of 6-0 as of press time.

Of those eight players, five of them are seniors. Lohrer is joined by Joe Zavala, Slade Strickland, Zander Riffe and Riley Hudman.

The Comets lineup will also feature sophomore Carson Beck, junior Conner Bruce and sophomore Maddox Riffe.

Velma-Alma has already won one tournament in the regular season when the Comets went to Wilson and defeated the host team in the title matchup to secure the trophy.

Coach Bare, who has a chance at 600 wins at Velma-Alma, has already joined the 600-win club in his overall record, hitting the total last season with the Velma-Alma Boys team.

With the Comets coming back with two home games to start off

Have a great season Comets!

the 2026 portion of the calendar, Bare believes this team has the potential to do great things this year.

“We have to stay healthy and have good player development as a key to success,” Bare said. “By the end of January, I think this team can make a deep run into the playoffs with a goal of making the State Tournament.”

Velma-Alma’s remaining tournaments for the 2025-2206 season include the Davis Tournament and the Stephens County Tournament.

The last three seasons has seen the Velma-Alma Comets and Marlow Outlaws go for the county tournament championship with the Outlaws winning all three matchups.

Hosting the Stephens County Tournament for 2026 will be Velma-Alma and the brackets will release in the early part of 2026 with the tournament taking place the week of Jan. 19.

Let’s Go Comets!

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38

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

THE VELMA-ALMA LADY

COMETS

Lady Comets using team first attitude under new coach

A

familiar coach in Stephens County basketball has taken over at Velma-Alma High School for the Lady Comets and he is using a team first attitude, which is showing early results.

Dalton Dismuke, a Duncan graduate, was hired to take over for the 2025-2026 season. Since his hiring, he has used a strong summer and pre-season and has the Lady Comets in a good place.

“Our motto is: ‘Team first, joy always,’” Dismuke said. “We have laid a strong foundation over the summer, during fall offseason, and during the first semester of practices and games. Our past experiences are giving us confidence on and off the court. We are looking forward to a challenging month of January basketball.”

Sitting at 5-1 through their first six games of the season, the Lady Comets have seniors Presley Condit and Sterling McLain who saw valuable minutes a season ago.

Another senior who will see time on the court will be Kenlee Leonhart. The rest of the team will be balanced, according to Dismuke,

40

BY ANDY MORPHEW “Every player is key for us.

“Every player is Every conversation and practice key for us. Every repetition forms our culture,” Dissaid. “We believe this team conversation and muke can make a run in the playoffs. practice repetition Our grittiness on defense, along our unselfishness on offense forms our culture. with are huge factors.”

We believe this Other members of the team are Jillyn Killcrease, Sophia Davis, team can make a Abby Pollock, Kynlei Sanner, Isarun in the playoffs. bella Davis, Ryan Sanders, Paige Saylar Garrett, Tegan Our grittiness on Wainscott, Bowen, Mady Blalock, Kryslan defense, along with Tadlock and Brinlee Spigner.

The season resumed Jan. 2 our unselfishness against Ringling. Now, the Lady on offense are huge Comets will have two tournaments in January as they will factors.” travel to Davis and then host the

–Dalton Dismuke Lady Comets Head Coach as he has five seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen.

The culture has been set for the team and Dismuke believes that every player will contribute this upcoming year.

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

Stephens County Tournament.

In the first tournament for the season, the Lady Comets finished in third place at Wilson by beating the host to take home the honors after going 2-1 in the tournament.

Velma-Alma Lady Comets finished fourth in the Stephens County Tournament a year ago and the team will now look to continue their hot streak as the season picks up in 2026.

Let’s Shoot For The Championship!

To all of the area Basketball players, we applaud your passion for the game and your commitment to your team.

Good luck this season!

We’re rooting for you all the way.

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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Wishing the Velma-Alma High School Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Teams the best of luck, all the way to the championships!

We salute your hard work and dedication to the team. Keep up the great sportsmanship, and thanks for making your hometown proud!

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

43

THE CENTRAL HIGH

BRONCHOS Returning starters pave the way for Central Bronchos in 2025-2026 campaign

A

BY THE BANNER STAFF

handful of returning starters are paving the way for the Central High Bronchos in the 2025-2026 campaign.

The Central boys basketball team returned three full-time starters and one part time starter from a team that finished 21-6 and advanced to the Area Tournament last season.

Kenny McGough is returning for his fifth season as head coach of the Bronchos and his 21st campaign overall as a head boys basketball coach. He owns a career 315-154 record.

Luke Thrasher, Co-County Player of the Year two seasons ago, led Central in scoring (16.5 ppg.) and rebounding (8.8 rpg.) last season while starting at point guard. The 6-foot-2 senior slid to the off-guard spot this season and also play some at small forward. No one played

more minutes (675) for the Bronchos than Thrasher last year.

Wyatt Nix will also move between the off-guard and small forward positions. Nix, a 6-foot junior, averaged 10.7 points per game last season, making him the Bronchos’ second-leading scorer.

Landon Johnson, a 6-foot-2 senior, returned at power forward. Johnson averaged 10.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 2024-2025.

He played 589 minutes.

Mitchell Owens will start at point guard. He’s been a part-time starter each of the last two seasons. He filled in for injured point guard Dirk McGough two seasons ago and injured Tyler Minden last year.

Owens averaged 4.3 points and 1.4 assists per game last season and played 415 minutes.

Jamison Scott is new to the start-

ing lineup this season and plays forward. Scott played 205 minute last year and averaged 1.7 points per game and 2.3 rebounds.

McGough said Ethan Bowling and Kobe Marquis will play a lot off the bench.

Bowling played 62 minutes and scored 39 points. Marquis garnered 91 minutes and scored 40 points.

The Bronchos are shooting for another season that ends in a deep playoff run. So far, the team has taken down opponents like Snyder, Sterling and Fletcher and fallen to Verden. They’re still to face Cement, Fort Cobb-Broxton, Ringling, Waurika, Walters, Healdton, among others, and they’ll once again make an appearance at the Stephens County Tournament, slated for Jan. 19-24 at hosting Velma-Alma.

Good Luck Bronchos!

Good Luck area teams!

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

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THE CENTRAL HIGH LADY

BRONCHO S

Lady Bronchos regroup under new head coach

T

BY THE BANNER STAFF

he Central Lady Bronchos welcomed a new head coach this basketball season and hope to improve on a 3-19 campaign from a year ago.

Kenny McGough replaced Lance Osburn who left Central to become assistant boys coach at Lindsay.

McGough is certainly no stranger to Central – he’s been the head boys coach for five years – but he’s never been a head girls coach before.

McGough is a 21-year head coaching veteran and owns a career record of 315-154 as a boys coach.

The Lady Bronchos will return four senior starters, including point guard KK Delaney, shooting guard Trentley Sharp, forward Daylin Keyser and center Reese Dickerson.

Delany, 5-foot-5, led the returners in points per game with 10.8 last season. She grabbed 3.5 rebounds per game and made 1.8 steals per contest.

Sharp scored 5.6 points per game last season and made 2.2 assists.

Keyser averaged 4.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. She also made 2.2 blocks per game. Dickerson averaged 3.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

McGough said the fifth starting spot was up for grabs among Debra Stephens, Peyton Hannington, Peyton Bethune and Kimber McCarley. The three non-starters from that group will get a lot of playing time, he said.

The Lady Bronchos graduated one starter, small forward Jaylin Johnson.

As of press time, the Central Lady Bronchos owned 1-7 record on the season. They’ve played against teams including Snyder, Sterling, Verden, Fletcher, Chatty, Grandfield and Empire. The lone win came against Rush Springs in December ahead of the Christmas Break when the Lady Bronchos won the contest 46-39.

It’s going to be a slam-dunk season!

Good luck to Stephens County athletes.

We are cheering for you!

Mark, Tami & Garrett Hunt, Owners 46

STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

812 N. Hwy 81, Duncan • 580-255-7071

THE BRAY-DOYLE

DO NK EYS Donkeys focusing on fundamentals to improve

B

BY ANDY MORPHEW

ray-Doyle is currently sitting at a good spot in the season. The team boasts several returning starters and the Donkeys currently sit above .500 on the year. They entered the Christmas break on a winning streak.

With the Donkeys focusing on fundamentals, they are also playing with a motto that was brought to them by Coach Cody Whatley.

“I can, I must, I will is what our team goals are oriented around,” Whatley said. “I believe the boys program is beginning to not only grasp this concept but play with heart, integrity and grit.”

Returning starters include Bladyn Harris, Gavin Pelton, Junior Alvarez, Jackson Anderson and Ethan Fisher.

All-in-all the Donkeys have six seniors on the team and Whatley believes it is a total team effort to get to the goal of winning games.

“The entire team is vital. Not one

“The entire team is vital. Not one player is above the other because each of them share a common goal.

Win as a team or lose as a team.

Statistics do not drive these teams – their passion and dedication to each other and to this game is evident each time they all take the floor.

They truly believe in each other and are willing to share all aspects of the game.”

– Cody Whatley Donkeys Head Coach player is above the other because each of them share a common goal.

Win as a team or lose as a team,” Whatley said. “Statistics do not drive these teams, their passion and dedication to each other and to this game is evident each time they all take the floor. They truly believe in each other and are willing to share all aspects of the game.”

Whatley said the team also will

see contributions from three freshmen who have been with him all of their years on the junior high level and believes their contributions will help.

“The freshmen play a big role.

They help us by being role players in practice and they have a way of influencing team chemistry during a game,” Whatley said. “They are a very loud and proud group of individuals and I am blessed to have them on the bench and when the time comes, on the floor. All of the freshmen are hungry and will do anything they need to when asked.”

With one more tournament this season – their conference tournament – the Donkeys can make it the distance in the playoffs later this season.

“I think that if we can continue to focus on the fundamentals and play Donkey basketball that they have the capability of making a push in the playoffs.,” Whatley said.

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALLfuneral GUIDE | 2025-2026

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THE BRAY-DOYLE

DONK EYS Lady Donkeys show promise in early part of season

H

BY ANDY MORPHEW

alf of the Bray-Doyle Lady Donkeys team is seeing varsity minutes for the first time this year.

The team has eight freshmen and with the upperclassmen, the squad is showing promise in the early part of the season.

River Phillips and Kaydance Y’Barbo are the two returning players with a huge amount of varsity minutes. The duo will lead the team into the remaining schedule of the season.

The Lady Donkeys are coached

by Cody Whatley, who has coached the eight freshmen in junior high and now as they start their varsity career.

In the two victories, the Lady Donkeys have won one game in a tournament and is 1-2 on their home court.

Whatley hopes the team understands their motto.

“I can, I must, I will is what our

With the youth of the team, “I can, I must, I will is what our team goals are oriented Whatley is a firm believer that around. I believe that the no one player is worried about many points they score and girls program is beginning how instead, the athletes work togethto not only grasp this er for one common goal. concept but play with heart, “Win as a team or lose as a integrity and grit.” team. Statistics do not drive

– Cody Whatley Lady Donkeys Head Coach

team Goals are oriented around.

I believe that the girls program is beginning to not only grasp this concept but play with heart, integrity and grit,” Whatley said.

This will be the first season in a couple of years the team will not play in the Stephens County Tournament. Instead, the Lady Donkeys will play in one more tournament for the year.

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STEPHENS COUNTY BASKETBALL GUIDE | 2025-2026

these teams – their passion and dedication to each other and to this game is evident each time they all take the floor,” Whatley said. “They truly believe in each other and are willing to share all aspects of the game.”

As the season continues, the rest of the team will grow into their own and Whatley hopes the success will come with their hard work and dedication.

“I think that if we can continue to focus on the fundamentals and play Donkey basketball that the girls have the capability of making a push in the playoffs,” Whatley said.

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