KHS begins quest for gold this Friday

The basketball season gets under way Friday for the Kingfisher High School teams.

The Lady Jackets and Jackets travel to Chisholm to begin their new campaigns.

Here’s a quick look at what both teams return and some notes of things to watch for in 2022-23:

Kingfisher Lady Jackets

Coach: Taylor Young (2nd year)

Assistants: Mallory Kusik, Carol Craven

Last season: 24-6 Something to build on:

The Lady Jackets qualified for the Class 4A state tournament for the first time since 2009.

Something to replace:

Among those lost to graduation are Rayland Garner and Allison Green, who accounted for a combined 26.0 points a game. Combined with Makina Frost, KHS has lost 31.1 of the 52.8 points per game it averaged last season. Green and Garner also averaged a combined 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals a game.

Who’s back: Full-time starters Peyton Walker (Jr., 6.1 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.9 spg), Emily Myers (Sr., 5.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg) and Addy Matthews (Jr., 6.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg). Also Raegan Snider (So., 2.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and Kadyn Daugherty (So., 1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg).

Notes: The team made a magical run to the state tournament. A loss to open the regional tournament combined with weather delays meant the team needed to win five elimination games in six days to move on to state. The Lady Jackes did just that in coach Taylor Young’s first season. Now in her second year, Young has a strong core returning, but the team will obviously need to find more offensive production across the board considering all that was lost. Also of note, Myers tore an ACL during that regional tournament loss, but is cleared to play. Daugherty came on strong during that late playoff push, but also suffered a knee injury at area, one that required rehabbing in the spring and summer.

Kingfisher Yellowjackets

Coach: Jared Reese (10th year)

Assistants: Chris Combs, Danny Green

Last season: 28-1 Something to build on: The Jackets won their fourth Class 4A state championship since 2017 and third in a row.

Something to replace:

Gone are seniors Chase Davis and Braxton Mecklenburg. Davis came up huge for the Jackets when big shots were needed. His playmaking ability earned him state tournament MVP honors. For the season, Davis averaged 10.6 points and 3.2 rebounds a game.

Who’s back: Xavier Ridenour (Sr., 13.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.1 apg), Caden Kitchens (Sr., 10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 spg), Maddox Mecklenburg (Sr., 7.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg), Cash Slezickey (Sr., 3.0 ppg, 2.5 apg), Drake Friesen (Sr., 3.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg), Jax Sternberger (Sr., 2.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.8 apg), Jud Birdwell (Sr., 2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)

Notes: When Kingfisher won the 2021 state title, a group of sophomores and two juniors mostly watched from the bench as the crucial plays were being made. Then, last year, it was their turn and they came up huge and won the title for themselves. Though Davis and Braxton Mecklenburg are gone, there is a core of seven Yellowjackets who are now seniors who know nothing but winning. Since the start of their freshman year, KHS is 79-3 (.963) and has won two state titles (2020 being the exception when the state tournament was canceled). Like last year, this team might go through dry spells offensively, but the defense doesn’t rest. KHS allowed opponents just 35.8 points a game last season and allowed 35.5 percent shooting from the field. Look for this group to again steadily rotate to keep fresh legs while coaches search for another player or two to give the team quality minutes throughout the season. Winning 4A is never easy and the 2022-23 season will be no exception. The class now has nine private schools (most of which have been bumped up due to recent success) and the likes of Douglass and Newcastle have considerably bolstered their rosters.