Class 5A girls' basketball state tournament: Thoughts from Day 1

SAPULPA — Empying my notebook from the Class 5A girls’ quarterfinals at the Chieftain Center.

* You have to feel terrible for Kate Andrews. The Bishop McGuinness senior had a really rough final high school basketball game. She had three first-half fouls, picked up her fourth less than a minute into the third quarter and sprained her ankle in the fourth. Andrews had a fantastic career and this game shouldn’t take away from that.

* The Carl Albert-Bishop McGuinness game was fun to watch and entertaining, but both teams really struggled shooting the ball. Or maybe both teams were just really good on defense. Either way, there wasn’t a lot of scoring. The Titans shot 28 percent from the field, and the Irish shot 30 percent.

* Carl Albert coach Tim Price on his team’s struggles to score this season: “We’ve had our struggles scoring throughout the year, so we’re not going to be able to outscore somebody when a game gets to the mid-50s. We’ve got to keep the score down and battle.” Mission accomplished on Thursday, but will the Titans be able to do the same Friday against Shawnee?

* Carl Albert is playing in its eighth straight girls state tournament, but is advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Titans lost close games the last two seasons in the first round.

* Shawnee has been my pick to win Class 5A since the beginning of the season, and I saw nothing Thursday to change my mind, although a matchup with Tulsa East Central could be interesting. The Wolves didn’t look great early against Claremore, but I think that is more of a testament to the Zebras’ effort.

* Shawnee senior guard Kelsee Grovey is one of the best players in the state, regardless of class. The things she does on defense change the game and makes her team win. She doesn’t necessarily light up the box score, but if I was starting a team, she’d be one of the players I’d want on it. The last time she guarded Carl Albert’s Gioya Carter, Carter was severely limited. Will Grovey be able to do it again?