For the third straight year, basketball teams from around the area swarmed the Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton to see who would take the crown of the winner of the Great Plains Invitational. The Lawton High School (LHS) Wolverines have been the last team standing the previous two seasons, but this year, Eisenhower High School (EHS), MacArthur High School (MHS) and five other teams looked to unseat the Wolverines in 2024.
The young EHS team had a tough start to their tournament, facing Newcastle in the opening round. Sloppy play saw themselves on the wrong side of a 37-18 deficit at halftime. The Eagles more than doubled their offense in the second half, but were unable to hold the Racers in the pits, falling 76-43 to move into the consolation bracket.
In the third game of the day, the LHS Wolverines, who were looking to defend their crown, faced US Grant. Lawton High’s depth and talent was too much for their opposition as the home team jumped out to a 19-0 run before US Grant got on the board. LHS put a cap on an almost perfect half with a last second layup to give them a 43-16 lead at the break. The veteran leadership of seniors Pene Vaisagote, Tavaris Deans, Corey Barnes, and Marcus Rucker kept the team rolling in the second half as they cruised to an 82-33 win to claim a spot in the semifinal.
By far the most entertaining of the three games for LPS on day one of the tournament was MacArthur versus Northwest Classen. The two teams struggled to get their offensive game running early in the first quarter, but when the buckets started to fall it was on both sides of the floor. MHS carried the slight edge into the second period, leading 15-13. The Highlanders lead vanished in the second quarter and after a back and forth frame, they trailed 36-30 in the final 40 seconds. Fortunately, MAC seniors Key’ion Brown, AJ Vaughn, and Javall Coleman were able to get to the charity stripe, Brown and Coleman each made 1-2 at the line and then Vaughn converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to cut the lead to just one at the half. Both teams traded some big buckets in the third quarter, but a desperation three by the Knights to end the frame gave them a 2-point advantage heading into the fourth. After an offensive outburst in the third quarter, the two defenses locked in during the final frame, especially Marco Gagliardi’s Highlander squad. They held Northwest Classen scoreless for the first six minutes of the period. MacArthur did what they needed on the other side of the floor and held on for the 68-60 win to set a matchup with rival Lawton High on day two; Senior Latrell Bailey (18), Brown (16), and Vaughn (13) each scored in double figures while the Highlanders forced 27 turnovers as a team in the win.
On day two of the Great Plains Invitational, Eisenhower drew a meeting with the OKC Storm in the consolation semifinal. The Eagles kept the game close early, it was not until a second quarter run that the Storm’s lead grew to 10. Sophomore Joseph Simpson put the team on his back and scored seven points to help get the Eagles back to within one, but three in the final seconds gave the opposition a 28-24 lead at the half. The Storm’s momentum did not dissipate in the third quarter and by the start of the fourth, they held a comfortable 51-35 advantage over the Eagles that grew to 71-48 by the end of regulation. Senior Kendall Terrell led EHS with 18 points while Simpson chipped in 15.
Fast forward to the final game of the night, and one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament as the Lawton High Wolverines looked to keep their shot at a 3-peat alive against rival MacArthur. LHS came out on a mission, after beating the reigning 5A State Champion in Midwest City just three days prior, Wolverine jumped out to an 11-0 lead on the Highlanders, looking to make a big statement. MacArthur would not go away and used the whistle-happy officiating to their advantage during their comeback. By the 2:55 mark of the second quarter, MHS trailed by just two and then on the next possession Vaughn gave his team their first lead of the game on a long triple, making it 20-19. In a hectic finish to the half, the Wolverines benefited from an alley-oop finish and three free throws from Vaisagote to help give them a 27-24 lead at halftime. Coleman hit a three for MAC out of the break to tie the game, beginning a back and forth second half for the two rivals. Both teams had the benefit of a healthy amount of foul calls during the final 16 minutes and multiple players on both sides were in foul trouble way before the final frame. A big three by junior DeAuvyahn Young gave LHS a lift and they led 46-41 by the end of the third. MAC started the fourth on a 6-1 run to tie the game at 47 with just over five minutes on the clock. There would be five more tie scores until Deans drove to the basket and scored with the harm, converting the and-one to make it a 59-56 game with 46 ticks on the clock. MAC senior Alton Thomas converted a layup with 22 seconds left to get his team back within one, but a pair of free throws by LHS made it 61-58 with just seconds left for the Highlanders. MAC had a good look at the game winning off the hand of junior Joshua Rushing, but it just missed, allowing the Wolverines to survive and get their chance at their third Great Plains Invitational Championship against Tulsa Memorial while the Highlanders would face Newcastle in the third place game.
On the final day of the Great Plains Invitational, Eisenhower kicked things off in the seventh place game against US Grant. The Eagles came out soaring and before Grant knew it, a Terrell fastbreak score gave EHS a 14-0 lead, forcing a timeout to try and stop the run. It did nothing for the General offense as they failed to score in the first quarter, giving Eisenhower an 18-0 advantage heading into the second. The Eagles kept their offense rolling in the second and held a comfortable 42-19 lead at the half. Nothing changed in the second half as EHS was able to cruise to a 77-34 win to conclude their weekend on the high side. The Eagles controlled the turnover battle, forcing US Grant into 33 turnovers with 22 of those coming on steals. Freshman DeArion Hamilton led EHS with 19 points with Terrell (13), Simpson (11), and sophomore Clifton Mayberry (12) all scored in double figures.
With their loss to Lawton High the previous night, MacArthur faced off against Newcastle in what was a defensive battle to start the game. It was not until a Coleman 3-pointer with 5:42 on the clock that the points started to hit the board. MHS started to get into a groove and held their opponent to just four points in the opening frame, leading by 10. The Racers finally got into double digits with about three minutes left in the half, and those 10 points were all they would have in the first half as the Big MAC defense locked in. The offense supplemented them with 38 points to give them a comfortable lead at the break. The Highlander magic continued into the second half as they coasted to a third place victory with a 70-43 win over Newcastle. Coleman and junior Amari Turner led MHS with 11 points each with junior Kenyon Gabriel adding 10 points off the bench.
Another anticipated matchup came in the Great Plains Invitational Final, which featured back-to-back winner Lawton High against a tough team in Tulsa Memorial. The game lived up to the hype. Lawton High took their first big lead of the night when they strung together 13 straight points, five from Vaisagote to take a 21-10 advantage midway through the second period. That lead was erased quickly as the Chargers stormed back to tie the game with just under five minutes left in the half. The game continued to be back and forth and a last second floater by Vaisagote tied the game at 27 as the two teams went into halftime. Fast forward to the final seconds of regulation in a back and forth contest, Lawton High trailed 59-55 with 30 seconds on the clock. Junior Champ Brewer came alive in the final seconds. He knocked down a three with 17 seconds to cut the lead to just one and then after two Memorial free throws, the sharp-shooter did it again over a pair of outstretched arms to tie the game at 61. The Chargers had a good look at a game winner, but the shot was just a bit too strong, forcing overtime for the Championship. The two teams traded threes to start the extra period and then Deans hit a free throw to put the Wolverines up 65-64 with 1:05 to play. After a Memorial bucket, “Big Shot” Brewer came up clutch again, knocking down another three with 38 seconds left to put LHS back on top. After a block by Vaisagote on the defensive end of the floor, Young gave the Wolverines a 69-66 advantage with a free throw of his own. The Chargers got to the charity stripe with just three seconds left, making the first and purposefully missing the second, which ended up with a jump ball with 0.9 on the clock. Memorial got another great look to win the game, but the shot just missed, giving Lawton High their third straight Great Pains Invitational Championship.
All three of the Lawton Public Schools boys basketball teams finished out the third annual Great Plains Invitational on a high note and if the excitement of some of those games is any indication of how the rest of the 2024-25 season will go, it will be a great one.