When Oskaloosa High opens today as the No. 1 seed of the Tonganoxie Invitational, the Bears will be facing a non-Delaware Valley League team for the first time this season.
The top-seeded Bears (7-1) will meet Kansas City (Mo.) Van Horn (3-8) at 7:30 tonight at Tonganoxie High School.
"This is the tough stretch of our schedule," OHS coach Rod Stottlemire said. "We play in the Tonganoxie tournament, then play Jefferson West and Eudora the next five games."
Through eight games, Oskaloosa is averaging 63.1 points while surrendering 55.3 points a game. The Bears have won three in a row since a 61-44 setback to Jackson Heights in the semifinals of the DVL tournament.
Oskaloosa's offense is balanced with Kyle Kelsay, Matt Browning, Blake Reed and Travis Newell averaging in double figures. In a 63-57 victory over Wathena on Friday, Browning, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored a team-high 22 points while three of his teammates scored more than 10 points.
"About every game we've had at least three guys sometimes four score in double figures," Stottlemire said. "It makes it tougher to prepare for us."
In the other semifinal tonight, No. 4-seeded Bonner Springs will play No. 5 Pleasant Ridge at 6 p.m.
On Tuesday, No. 6 Eudora (4-5) will play No. 3 Lansing (6-3) at 6 p.m. Host Tonganoxie (4-5) will play Olathe Christian at 7:30 p.m.
The first-round losers will play Thursday. The first-round winners will play Friday. The championship is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Baldwin Invitational
Defending tournament champ Ottawa (6-3) will meet Wellsville (3-6) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the first round of the Baldwin Invitational, now in its 33rd year.
First-round stunners have been common in the Baldwin tourney.
"Somebody always gets knocked off in the first round and half the time it's us," said Ottawa coach David Grover, whose squad had its five-game winning streak snapped Friday with a 74-59 loss to Atchison.
Ottawa is led by 6-7 junior forward Ross Thompson, who averages 19.6 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. Thompson had his string of seven consecutive 20-plus scoring games end on Friday when he scored 15 points. He has six double-doubles in scoring and rebounding this season.
The OHS-Wellsville winner will meet the Santa Fe Trail-Kansas City Turner winner at 7:30 p.m. Friday. SFT is 6-3.
On the other side of the bracket, host Baldwin (4-6) will meet Jefferson West (7-2) at 7:30 p.m. BHS, coming off a 68-53 setback to Gardner-Edgerton, has lost four in a row.
The Baldwin-Jeff West winner will play the Augusta-Anderson County winner at 6 p.m. Friday. Augusta (7-2) is the top seed.
The tournament final is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
McLouth Invitational
No. 8 seed McLouth (2-7) will play No. 1 Valley Falls at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the first round of the Bulldogs' tournament. McLouth, coming off a 81-33 loss to Jackson Heights, has lost seven in a row since opening with two wins. The McLouth-Valley Falls winner will play the Topeka Cair Paravel-Topeka Heritage Christian winner at 6 p.m. Friday.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 6 Perry-Lecompton (3-6) will play No. 3 Shawnee Maranatha at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Perry-Maranatha winner will play the Effingham-Jefferson North winner at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The championship game is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.
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