ENID — Gibson Rose has a reason to be excited about facing Capitol Hill at 2:30 p.m. today in the first round of the Deer Creek Bruce Gray Invitational.

Rose, as a junior, had his two highest scoring games of the season — 12 against Durant and 17 against Mustang — at the Deer Creek tournament.

“I like that court a lot,’’ Rose said. “It’s a shooters gym. The rims seem to be looser. You can tell in warmups whether you like the rims or not.’’

Rose is averaging 8 points a game his senior season for the 10-3 Plainsmen, who are ranked No. 11 in Class 6A. He’s had two games in double figures — 11 against Shawnee and 13 against Lawton Eisenhower.

“I can always shoot the ball better,’’ he said. “But other than that, I feel like I played pretty good. I’ve played hard.’’

Rose, primarily a 3-pointer shooter, has given up some of his shots to high-shooting Chris Fitzpatrick, who takes a 27.6 point average into the tournament.

“You got to give him the ball, he’s hot,’’ Rose said. “As long as we’re winning games, I have no complaints.’’

Rose said a good 3-point shooter needs to make around 35 percent of his shots. He’s made his share from long distance.

“After you hit a couple, you start feeling it,’’ he said.

With Fitzpatrick being used more as a shooting guard, Rose has the responsibility of bringing the ball up more.

“It’s challenging,’’ he said. “It’s something I’m not used to, but I like it a lot. I’ve had to step up. Chris is shooting the ball so well, you want him to be shooting a lot.’’

Especially against a team as athletic as the Redskins, who take a 9-4 record and a No. 8 ranking in Class 5A.

“They are going to pressure us a lot so I’m going to have to be strong with the ball,’’ Rose said. “I like playing against pressure defenses. We get set up in a press breaker and run up and down the floor. That’s when it’s fun.’’

The Capitol Hill game will be Enid’s sixth straight game away from home. The Plainsmen won’t be back home until Jan. 29.

“I kind of like playing away from home,’’ Rose said. “It’s kind of fun.’’

But there’s a reason why Enid is a perfect 5-0 at the Mabee Center, too.

“We have a great home crowd,’’ Rose said. “Our student section is great and loud.’’

A win over Capitol Hill would put the Plainsmen in the semifinals against the winner of the Putnam City North-Oklahoma Christian School game at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The losers play at 11:30 a.m.

“It’s a pretty tough tournament,’’ Rose said. “It’s a big game Thursday. We have to keep winning. I’m very happy with the season so far. I think we should go undefeated in conference and at home.’’

Rose is a standout for the Plainsmen tennis team. He and Devin Glasgow were eighth in No. 2 doubles at the state tennis tournament last spring.

“Tennis keeps me in shape, that’s for sure,’’ Rose said. “It helps me with my footwork. Coach (tennis Darrell) Herndon said when I come out for tennis, I’m always in shape because of basketball. Both sports teach you how to compete.’’

What’s harder handling a full-court pressure or returning a booming serve?

“I have to say returning a hard serve,’’ Rose said. “I’ve played more basketball than tennis so I’m a little more prepared for that.’’

Other EHS starters will be Alex Patterson (10.6), who had his second highest game of the season against Bartlesville Friday with 17 points; Clint Gamble (6.0) and Zach Siewert (1.9).



Pacers face Deer Creek



The Pacers will be seeing a familiar face when they host Deer Creek at 7 p.m. in the girls side of the tournament.

The Lady Antlers, 8-3 and ranked No. 8 in 5A girls, are led by freshman Ashley Gibson, a former Enid resident and one-time teammate of Pacer rookie Courtney Chelf.

Gibson is averaging in the 15-18 point range for Deer Creek.

“That provides a little extra motivation for the girls,’’ said Enid coach Layne Jones. “It’s going to be a tough game for us playing them on their home floor.’’

The Pacers, 7-6, are going for a season-high fourth straight victory after recent wins over the Northeastern Oklahoma Association of Homeschoolers (42-41), Skiatook (49-39) and Bartlesville (54-33).

Jones was able to scout Deer Creek against El Reno. He said a coach can see certain things in person that can’t be observed on film.

Chelf leads the Pacers attack with a 12.1 average. She had a season-high 20 points against Bartlesville. She is followed by Rani Melvin (6.7), Ty Washington (6.4), Haley Rasp (6.2), Regan Crowl (4.4) and Jayci Wehrenberg (3.1).

The EHS-Deer Creek winner will play the Star Spencer-OCS winner at 4 p.m. Friday. The losers play at 1 p.m.

KGWA Radio (960 AM) will broadcast both games today.