By BEN JOHNSON

Press Sports Editor

Let's take a stroll down memory lane. All the way back to 1977.

Jimmy Carter was our nation's president, stamps only cost 13 pennies and a gallon of gas was an economical 62 cents. The New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series, Seattle Slew won horse racing's Triple Crown and the Hulbert Riders made their first appearance in the state basketball tournament.

It may have taken 33 years to get back, but the Riders are aiming to win the gold ball for the first time in school history. And Hulbert coach Rhett Bynum said the community has rallied around the Riders.

“Everybody is really excited,” said Bynum, who is in his ninth season as head coach of the Riders. “I went to eat the other day and a patron said, ‘win the big tournament.’

“Even the elementary schools are getting involved and making signs. It’s just been a source of community pride.”

Hulbert (24-3) earned a berth into the state tournament by beating Preston 61-56 Saturday night at Coweta High School. It was the second time Hulbert beat Preston this season – the first being a 55-49 decision in the championship game of the Bedouin Shrine Classic at the Muskogee Civic Center on Jan. 9.

Up first for the Riders in the state tournament will be Dale on Thursday night at 8:30 at Norman High School. The Pirates, who are making their first state-tournament appearance since 1996, won the Area I championship by beating Chisholm, 64-54, to earn a berth into the state tournament.

And Bynum said he sees similarities between Dale and other teams that the Riders have taken on this season.

“They are a team like Keys and Lincoln Christian,” Bynum said. “They will play solid defense and defend the 3-pointer.”

However, Bynum said the formula for beating the Pirates (22-6) should be pretty straight forward.

“We have to step up and make plays,” said Bynum, whose team is 11-1 over its last 12 games. “And if we do that, we should have success.”

Bynum added that Dale likes to keep its games low scoring, so the Riders will try to push the tempo and rack up some easy points.

“If we can score over 40, we have an excellent chance to win,” Bynum said.

The Riders feature a team with seven upperclassmen – six seniors and one junior. But Bynum knows that even his veteran players are new to the postseason experience.

“The week before the area tournament, we got to hyped up,” Bynum said. “The area tournament was a learning experience, and we are more even keel this week.”

Other than Hulbert and Dale, the 2A state tournament features the reigning champion (Pawnee) and the two top-ranked schools (Watonga and Talihina). Lincoln Christian, Haworth and Mangum round out the rest of the field.

Pawnee (23-5) advanced to the state tournament by winning the consolation title in the same area that Dale was in. Watonga enters with an unblemished record of 27-0 while Talihina is 25-2.

And after breaking down the 2A field, Bynum knows it will be difficult to capture the state title.

“To win it, we’ll have to grind out three straight wins,” he said. “It’s an amazing field and everyone that goes will enjoy watching 2A basketball this year.”

2A State Tournament

Schedule

Thursday (Norman HS)

Watonga vs. Haworth, 2 p.m.

Pawnee vs. Lincoln Christian, 3:30 p.m.

Mangum vs. Talihina, 7 p.m.

Hulbert vs. Dale, 8:30 p.m.

Friday (State Fair Arena in OKC)

Watonga/Haworth winner vs. Pawnee/Lincoln  Christian winner, 9 a.m.

Hulbert/Dale winner vs. Mangum/Talihina winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday (State Fair Arena in OKC)

Championship game, 9:15 p.m.



Hulbert Riders

Record: 24-3.

Ranking: No. 8.

Coach: Rhett Bynum.

Players To Watch: Dustin Shade (15.0 ppg, 11 rpg), Brett Walker (16.0 ppg), Dillon Brown (12.0 ppg).

Notes: The Riders qualified for the state tournament by beating Preston 61-56 in the area consolation game Saturday night. ... The Riders are 13-1 in neutral-site games this season.



Dale Pirates

Record: 22-6.

Ranking: No. 10.

Coach: Jeff Edmonson.

Players To Watch: Jimmy Doolin (17.2 ppg), Darin Greene (10.9 ppg).

Note: The Pirates are making their first appearance in the state tournament since 1996.



Talihina Golden Tigers

Record: 25-2.

Ranking: No. 2.

Coach: Chris Gillispie.

Players To Watch: Taggart Lockhart (15.7 ppg), Jordan Eagleroad (14.5 ppg), Marcus Sullivan (10.6 ppg).

Notes: Talihina’s only loss to a 2A school occurred on Dec. 12 when the Golden Tigers lost 44-41 to Haworth in the finals of the Choctaw Invitational. ... The Golden Tigers’ only other loss was to 4A No. 1 Douglass (92-46) in the Chickasha Tournament.



Mangum Tigers

Record: 22-5.

Ranking: No. 13.

Coach: Jeff Carlisle.

Players To Watch: Levi Richardson (13.3 ppg), Mason Toole (10.4 ppg).

Note: The Tigers lost in the area finals to Watonga, 66-48, but Mangum earned a berth in the state tournament by beating No. 12 Cordell, 44-27, in the consolation game.



Pawnee Black Bears

Record: 23-5.

Ranking: No. 1.

Coach: David Page.

Players To Watch: Kyle Klaus (14.5 ppg), Desmond McCosar (11.8 ppg), Ralston Moore (10.2 ppg), Tate Beer (10.2 ppg).

Notes: The Black Bears already have three state titles since 2005. Pawnee won the gold ball in ‘05, ‘08 and ‘09. ... Pawnee was the state runnerup in 2007.



Lincoln Christian Bulldogs

Record: 19-7.

Ranking: No. 15.

Coach: Teddy Owens.

Players To Watch: Clay Wilson (22.4 ppg), Colton Layman (10.5 ppg).

Notes: The Bulldogs’ last loss was on Jan. 23 when Lincoln Christian lost 56-51 to 3A No. 2 Cascia Hall. ... Lincoln Christian has not lost to a team below Class 3A this season.



Watonga Eagles

Record: 27-0.

Ranking: No. 2.

Coach: Ty Hussey.

Players To Watch: Trevon Hartfield (19.0 ppg), Dominique Cooper (12.0 ppg), Jesse Brewer (10.0 ppg).

Notes: The Eagles, who are the only undefeated team in the 2A field, are returning to the state tournament for the first time since 1993. ... Watonga, who is 19-0 away from home this season, is 13-0 against ranked teams.



Haworth Lions

Record: 23-5.

Ranking: No. 7.

Coach: Burtchal Griffin.

Players To Watch: Kchris Griffin (16.2 ppg), A.J. Fields (15.9 ppg), Quinton Threadgill (13.6 ppg).

Note: The Lions, who were runnerups in 1985, start four seniors and one sophomore (Threadgill).