Think of the 2021 Class 6A girls state tournament, historically claimed by Norman High, whose players finished their unbeaten season while encountering racism at the state tourney. Though one overworked person feverishly punched in the numbers in the quarterfinal and championship rounds played at State Fair Arena, in which Jobe grabbed 16 and 10 boards, the 14 he grabbed in the semifinal round at Yukon were kept only by me. It means if you were wondering where CCS’ Bai Jobe’s 40 rebounds over three games in the Class 3A state tourney ranks all time, there’s no way to know, because those numbers have never been kept. The utterly incomplete operation has other consequences, too. Nor is it about catering to sports writers, though one would hope the OSSAA would like them to be there. I got lucky, snagging a radio table because just one of the teams brought radio for the game I was covering. Not only were those numbers not being kept in Yukon, nor was space allotted where a sportswriter, any sportswriter, could set up and see the whole court. Indeed, the entity that stages state championships, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, may be under the impression it’s a miracle a boxscore that included all the ancillary stats is being produced at all and it may be right, because while such boxscores were being produced at State Fair Arena and Lloyd Noble Center, they were not being produced for every state tourney game. Nobody who covers high school sports in this state is surprised by this, because it’s always been like this: haphazard, on-the-fly, on a shoestring. Though there was no controversy attached to the final result, isn’t it odd the level of coordination between the scoring table and the person punching in each shot, rebound, foul, steal and assist for the benefit of covering media and perhaps posterity was zero?
Additionally, the stat-keeper sat in the middle of press row, across the court from the scorer’s table where the actual, literal and official book, which recorded points but nothing else, was being kept. It never got changed, in real time or after the game. That’s because the apparent fourth-quarter 3 CCS’ Cade Bond knocked down to pull the Royals within 49-44 was instead ruled a 2, his toe on the line, making it 49-43. Wrote about 4,000 words, but who’s counting.Īt the Class 3A championship, Millwood over Community Christian, the boxscores handed out along press row did not reflect the correct final score, 53-50, but a 53-51 final score. 2, 1993, my first day at The Woodward News.Īll that and between last Wednesday and Saturday, I covered state tournament basketball in Oklahoma City, Yukon and Norman. I’ve covered preps in this state, every sport, every class, dang near every venue, over the last 30 years, beginning Sept. Because there could be and should be so many more.
Or, perhaps, a prescription for more high school stories. Notice no space for media on either baseline, or the sideline opposite the scoring table. Both tables were reserved for radio crews. This is a photo from one of two tables from which working media could see the entire court. The gym at Yukon High School, a great venue for high school sports, the night of the Class 3A state basketball tournament semifinal round.
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