Enid’s boys are going to be looking to pick up where they left off before Christmas break when the Plainsmen host Ponca City in the second half of a girls-boys doubleheader tonight at the Mabee Center.

The girls will tip off at 6:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 8. Both games can be heard on KGWA Radio (960 AM).

The Plainsmen (6-2) will take a three-game winning streak against the Wildcats (3-4), whom they swept in Centennial Conference action a year ago (47-38 and 47-45). Enid is No. 13 in Class 6A OKRankings.com poll, while Ponca City is No. 20.

EHS has allowed only 41.5 points in its six wins, including four games in which they held opponents under 40 points.

“Hopefully, the kids realize what got them to where they’re at,’’ said Enid coach T.J. Scholz. “We have been playing with a lot of intensity on the floor. We should be fine as long as we play hard and play smart.’’

Ponca City comes into the break after a win over Lawton (44-40) and a loss to Lawton Eisenhower (49-48). The Plainsmen beat Lawton, 53-35 and Ike, 59-51.

The Wildcats, led by 6-foot-5 Chase Mongold, have allowed 53.1 points per game while scoring 53 points a game.

Mongold had 20 points against Lawton Eisenhower Dec. 19. Austin Stephenson led Ponca City against Lawton with 12 points.

“They like to slow the game down and grind it out,’’ Scholz said. “They like to play a slow down type of defense. Hopefully, we can pick the pace up and make them uncomfortable and make them do stuff they’re not used to doing.’’

That will reserve the game plan Enid has had for much of the season.

“In a lot of our games, we have had to slow it down against faster teams,’’ Scholz said. “It’s going to be a challenge to pick up the tempo against slower teams.’’

Mongold is a good outside shooter for his size, Scholz said.

The Plainsmen used the holiday break to put in some “new wrinkles’’ on offense.

“Maybe we will be a little less predictable the second time around when we play those teams,’’ Scholz said. “It was cold in the gym, but we had some good practices. We’re ready to get back there on the court.’’

Chris Fitzpatrick leads the EHS offensive attack with a 22.8 average, followed by Alex Patterson (11.4), Gibson Rose (8.9), Clint Gamble (6.4) and Zach Siewert (2.6).



Pacers eye revenge



The Pacers (4-4) won’t be lacking for motivation against the Lady Wildcats (4-3), who eliminated the Enid girls from the playoffs a year ago, 49-35. The two teams split Centennial Conference games with Enid winning at home (33-32) and losing on the road (42-37).

“We use them as a measuring stick since they reached the state tournament last year,’’ said Enid coach Layne Jones. “They have a lot of good players back. We’ll have to play well.’’

The Lady Wildcats are similar offensively than they were a year ago, Jones said. Mica Havens, a 5-11 senior, had 11 points in a 34-33 loss to Lawton Dec. 18 and 14 points in a 41-28 win over Lawton Eisenhower Dec. 19. Emily Berwaldt, a 5-9 senior, had 16 points against Ike.

“They don’t have anybody bigger than we have, but they have more girls who are big,’’ Jones said. “We’re going to have to be able to rebound and not get in foul trouble.’’

Ponca City opened the season at 3-0, but lost three straight games before beating Lawton Ike in their last game before break.

A 48-39 loss to Lawton Dec. 19 broke Enid’s two-game losing streak. The Pacers beat Lawton Ike, 55-47 Dec. 18.

“We’re coming up to a big stretch where we’re going to have to hook it up and start playing well,’’ Jones said. “We’re not good enough right now to be able to take some plays off and beat good teams.’’

The Pacers showed some improvement in their holiday practices, Jones said.

The free throw shooting — a major problem in the first half — “is improved but it’s not where it needs to be yet,’’ Jones said.

The Pacers missed 28 free throws in a 47-44 loss to Altus at the Altus Tournament Dec. 12.

“We feel like we should be 5-3 right now,’’ Jones said.

Ponca City is ranked No. 11 in 6A while the Pacers are No. 20.

“It’s definitely a good rivalry,’’ Jones said. “It felt good to beat Stillwater. When you beat Ponca City, it feels good, too.’’

Freshman Courtney Chelf leads the Pacers attack with a 12.3 average, followed by Rani Melvin (8.1), Ty Washington (5.9), Haley Rasp (5.8), Regan Crowl (5.2) and Jayci Wehrenberg (4.1).

Both Enid teams will play Owasso in the first round of the Skiatook Tournament Thursday — the girls play at 10 a.m., followed by the boys at 11:30.