Sluggish start dooms Sterling’s hopes

OKLAHOMA CITY—Basketball can be a cruel sport. After hundreds of practices, thousands of shots and hours of hard work, all that can vanish in a matter of a few minutes.

Going into the quarterfinals of the Class A State Basketball Tournament, Sterling boys entered with confidence after advancing through the winner’s bracket to be one of the top four seeds. Coach Jayson Wilson and his assistants had done a good job scouting Rattan, the first-round opponent, and the Tigers knew what was coming.

But knowing what’s coming and handling it are two different matters as Rattan’s full-court press and trapping defense were simply more than the Tigers could handle as the Rams coasted to an 81-42 victory Tuesday morning at the “Big House” on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

“We knew exactly what was coming, but executing is often tougher than it might seem,” Wilson said after the loss. “They just put so much pressure on you to advance the ball that you get to rushing and turn it over. It just comes down to getting the job done and we didn’t do it.”

The pressure of the state tournament has sent many teams to the sidelines and with none of the members of the Tigers having that state tournament experience it makes it even tougher.

“Everything moves faster and with a press that’s as good as Rattan’s is, they speed you up and that’s when you make mistakes,” Wilson said. “But this group has nothing to be ashamed about. They earned their spot up here and they’ve been a great group to work with. I told them after the game that I loved them and am proud of what they accomplished.”

What the Tigers accomplished was reaching the eight-team state field while being unranked and unappreciated by coaches from outside Southwest Oklahoma who rank the teams each week during the season.

The Rams hit an opening trey and after the first few minutes they had pushed the lead to 14-4 as the Tigers turned the ball over five times in the first 3:28 of the game. By the time the first quarter ended the Rams had surged to a 25-9 lead and had firm control of the game.

The Tigers turned the ball over 21 times and were unable to get shots to drop, even those that came close to the rim.

The Rams ended up shooting 53.4 percent from the field (31-of-58) while the Tigers coaxed down 16-of-37 shots for 43.2 percent, plus Rattan dominated the boards, grabbing 29 to Sterling’s 16.

While the basketball season ends for the Tigers, they will hit the baseball field later this week and work toward making a trip to another baseball state tournament.

Wilson’s baseball teams have been a strong contender in the fall and spring seasons and are expected to be very competitive once again with several talented pitchers including Riley Lile who pitched a 1-hitter last fall in the state semifinals.

“You never know, these same two teams could mix it up again in baseball,” Wilson said.