High school basketball: Del City's 10-12 record might be misleading

When the two teams met again Saturday, Del City was able to close the door, breaking a 43-43 fourth-quarter tie with an 11-0 run to seal the win.

It's the difference between a Del City squad that was struggling to find its way in January, and one that is playing more like a team deserving of the top-five ranking it had early in the season.

As the playoffs begin on Thursday, teams will see the Eagles' 10-12 record and No. 11 ranking and view them as a middle-of-the-pack team. But don't be fooled.

“We're peaking at the right time,” coach Karri Sears said. “Everybody looks at our record and says, ‘eh.' But not everybody plays the teams we play day-in and day-out like we do.

“We know that we've got a quality basketball team.”

Dionna Collins, who had 19 points in Saturday's win over Midwest City, has anchored the Eagles' resurgence as they head into the playoffs battle-tested and playing well.

“Dionna is the core,” Sears said. “If she's off or on, it doesn't matter, as long as we can get these kids playing around her. It's just little things. We continue to get offensive boards, and I want them to keep fighting.