Jackets’ Cortes is WAC MVP

Coming off yet another unbeaten season in conference play, Kingfisher High School saw four players land all-conference honors.

Bijan Cortes is the repeat winner of the Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player Award after a vote of the coaches.

The KHS senior is joined on the first team by teammates Matthew Stone and Jarret Birdwell.

Maverick Ridenour was a second-team selection.

Like last season, Cortes and Stone were the top-two vote getters in the selection process.

Cortes averaged 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals as the Jackets went 25-1 overall and won the Class 4A championship.

KHS went 7-0 in regular-season conference games. Weather and/or COVID issues forced the cancellation of four other conference games.

Stone scored 15.7 points and grabbed a team-high 7.9 rebounds while also getting 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals a contest.

Birdwell, who was a second-team pick last year, averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds this season.

Ridenour scored 10.0 points and grabbed 1.5 rebounds a contest. He was honorable mention last season.

Joining the first-team were Caleb Reed and Whit Carpenter of Blanchard; Jayden Parker of Elgin; Isaac McDoulett and Kaden Vande of Tuttle; Michael Wooldridge of Bethany; A.J. Stevenson of Weatherford; and Atrel Bryson of Clinton.

Blanchard’s Jeff Word was named the conference coach of the year.

Word led the Lions to the Class 4A state tournament before they were eliminated by KHS in the quarterfinals.

Senior Britt Taylor was a second-team selection for the girls’ all-conference team.

Taylor averaged 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds a game as KHS went 14-9 and advanced to the area tournament.

Juniors Allison Green and Ally Stephenson earned honorable mention.