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  • Tahlequah’s Desiree Phipps (middle) goes for a loose ball against Skiatook in a game in December. Phipps and the Lady Tigers will take on Skiatook Friday night at 6:30. Photo by Ben Johnson

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  • Spencer Risenhoover (33) and the Tahlequah Tigers will take on Skiatook tonight at 8. Photo courtesy of Justin Kennedy

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February 3, 2012

Key games on tap for THS teams

Lady Tigers and Skiatook clash with regional and conference implications on the line while Tahlequah boys look to improve postseason standing.

By BEN JOHNSON Sports Editor

It’s a top that has been floating around — just not in Tahlequah’s locker room. The Class 5A No. 8 Lady Tigers are on the cusp of becoming a regional playoff host and possible Metro Lakes Conference champions.

But coach Chad Walker had avoided bringing up the subject all season.

Until this week.

“We talked about it (Wednesday),” Walker said. “It’s the first time we brought it up.”

Win against 5A No. 7 Skiatook on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Tahlequah could be one of four schools on the east side of the state to host a four-team regional tournament in late February. And Walker is well aware the implications.

“If we can go into Skiatook and get a win,” he said, “we should be the No. 3 seed and No. 4 at the worst.”

The task, however, won’t be an easy for Tahlequah (12-4), especially with Skiatook’s Correy Moyer roaming the painted area. The 6-foot forward, who is averaging close to 14 points a game, logged 16 points against Tahlequah in a 40-32 win at the TMAC in December.

Walker has a plan to counter Moyer’s presence inside, though.

“We’ve got plenty of athletes that can stop her,” said Walker, talking about his forwards, Jhonette Cookson and Casey Beaston, as well as 6-foot guard Desiree Phipps. “We just have to be able to play smart.”

And make shots, according to Walker.

“Hopefully we play better,” said Walker, whose team shot 38 percent in the first matchup. “We didn’t play real well in the first game; we had a lot of turnovers and made bad decisions. We had a lot of missed shots, too.”

Skiatook enters the contest 13-4 but with losses in two of its last three games.

The Skiatook boys, on the other hand, are riding high on a three-game winning. The Bulldogs recently buried a six-game losing streak with wins over Hale, Collinsville and Pryor.

Also entering with a modest winning streak, which includes a win over Pryor? The Tahlequah Tigers.

Tahlequah (10-6) blasted Pryor, 48-28, on Tuesday night in what THS coach Mike Leafgreen described as, “the first game we’ve closed out all season.”

“Hopefully it becomes a trend,” he said.

“I think we turned a corner against Pryor. We had a slow start but continued to play well and didn’t allow Pryor to get back in the game.”

With a win, Tahlequah will likely be able to avoid becoming a No. 4 seed in an upcoming regional tournament.

“I told the guys, ‘(Friday) night is important if we want a good seed in the playoffs,’” Leafgreen recalled. “We just can’t have a letdown.”

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