Stratford girls enter conference tournament as top seed for first time

VANOSS — For the first time in school history, the Stratford Lady Bulldogs will enter the Pontotoc Conference Tournament as the top seed.

The 2025 tournament tips off Monday and runs through next Saturday at Vanoss High School.

At a meeting of Pontotoc Conference coaches earlier this month, Stratford was voted the No. 1 girls seed, followed by the Vanoss Lady Wolves and the Allen Lady Mustangs.

“We are very honored to get the 1-seed,” Stratford head coach Mark Savage told The Ada News. “We know that there are great teams in our conference and have to be our very best in every game to uphold that honor.”

Stratford opens tournament play at 4 p.m. Monday against Konawa. Asher meets Stonewall at 6:40 p.m. in another first-round game.

Tuesday’s first-round girls games include Allen versus Roff at 4 p.m. and host Vanoss versus Tupelo at 6:40 p.m.

On the boys side, Vanoss landed in a familiar spot atop the bracket. Allen finished second in the voting, with Stonewall third.

GIRLS PREVIEW

Stratford is led by an experienced senior core that includes Trinity Bess, Ryleigh Ardery, Callee Hobson and Jaelee Korzan. All five starters return from a team that finished 22-5 and advanced to the Class 2A area tournament a year ago.

“We have high expectations and know how good we can be,” Savage said. “Our goals are to give our very best, to fear no one and to respect everyone. We’re looking forward to a great year.”

The Lady Bulldogs opened the season with a convincing 49-25 home win over Comanche.

Savage said the team has dealt with a handful of injuries throughout the preseason but is gradually getting healthier.

“It was good to get a game played before the tournament. We’ve had a lot of nagging injuries and are just now getting somewhat healthy,’ he said. “Comanche was a very physical team with good length. I thought we played with a lot of energy and were able to pull away with consistent effort.”

Savage said the Ponotoc Conference Tournament rarely offers an easy path to victory.

“We have a great conference with great coaches, so if you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, you won’t win. It should be a great tournament,” he said.

Vanoss is the defending conference champion and has claimed six of the past seven tournament titles.

BOYS PREVIEW

The Vanoss boys are off to a 3-0 start, highlighted by a 44-36 win over rival Latta just before the Thanksgiving break.

The Wolves have showcased a deep, balanced roster early in the season. Head coach Jonathon Hurt said that depth will be crucial as tournament play approaches.

“The boy’s field is really deep with a lot of good teams. We will need to rely on our defense and hope different guys can step up on offense for us to repeat,” he said.

Vanoss opens the boys tournament at 5:20 p.m. Monday opposite Roff. Konawa faces Stratford in the late game.

Tuesday’s first-round boys games include Stonewall versus Asher at 5:20 p.m. and Allen versus Tupelo at 8 p.m.

Vanoss has won eight conference tournament titles in the past 11 seasons. The Wolves advanced to the Class 2A area tournament last year and finished 21-5.

Like the Stratford girls, Vanoss returns all five starters, including Noah Golish, Dyllan Brown, Quenton Jackson, Kanon Bradley and Karver Trentham. Several freshmen have also contributed early this season.

“If we can stay healthy and continue to mature, we should have a shot at getting back to the state tournament,” Hurt said.

Allen to send JV team

Because of Allen High School’s extended run in the Class A-II football playoffs, veteran boys coach Greg Mills has entered his junior varsity squad in the tournament.

The Mustangs are scheduled to face Hominy at 7 p.m. Friday in an A-II semifinal game at Edmond North High School.

Allen’s JV basketball roster includes Landin Tenequer, Quohlee Bautista, Garrett Delany, Kamden Adams, Gavin Hamilton, Thomas Williams, Gauge Lockhart and Walker Cudd.

The Pontotoc Conference Tournament bracket was revised so no Allen boys games would be played Friday night during the football semifinal contest.