J. Johnson, a senior guard for Central, is hospitalized in Tulsa after suffering a serious spinal cord injury in a Dec. 27 car wreck.
Johnson is Central’s leading scorer this season and was one of the standout players of the 2008 event, when he averaged 18 points in the Tigers’ three county tournament games.
The Tigers will be playing with heavy hearts this week, though, as they compete without their fallen leader. The Central boys will open play at 8 p.m. Monday against Vian at Sallisaw’s Paul Post Fieldhouse.
Sallisaw will be the main site of this year’s tournament with Gore serving as the sub-site. This year’s version will have a new look with seven schools competing instead of eight. Webbers Falls played the first eight years and Cave Springs rounded out the field a year ago.
Five-time champion Roland received the No. 1 seed in the boys’ division and will get a first-round bye. The Rangers posted a 6-1 record before the holiday break and will be looking to regain the championship from Sallisaw.
The Black Diamonds beat Muldrow 44-40 in the 2008 final and will begin their title defense on Tuesday night against Gans. Sallisaw brings a 4-3 record into the tournament.
In the other first-round boys’ game, Muldrow will face Gore at 8 p.m. Monday on the Pirates’ home court at Brooks Cawhorn Gym.
The undefeated Muldrow Lady Bulldogs are the top-seeded team in the girls’ bracket. Muldrow is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by OKrankings.com and has a 5-0 record, including wins over Sallisaw and Roland already this season. The four-time county champions have a first-round bye.
Vian (5-2) is the No. 2 seed and will play Gans at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the first round at Sallisaw. Defending champion Sallisaw will try to make it two titles in a row, and the Lady Diamonds will start their quest with a first-round clash on Monday at Gore against the Gore Lady Pirates.
The other first-round girls’ game will have Central taking on Roland at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Sallisaw. The Lady Tigers are 4-2 and ranked 19th in Class 2A, while Roland is 6-1 and ranked 14th in 4A.
A number of key players from the 2007 tourney will be back in action for their teams this year as seven all-tournament selections return on the girls’ side. Sarah Snider and Caitlyn Hall are back for Sallisaw, while Roland has Ericka Edwards and Jasmine Kirkwood back from the Lady Ranger team that was the runner-up in 2008. Other all-tournament players coming back are Muldrow‘s Sarah Martin, Gans’ Becca Brannon and Gore’s Kera Smith.
Three all-tourney players return in the boys’ division. Matt Oberste is back for county champ Sallisaw, while Devan Rineheart returns for Gore and Jamey Day for Muldrow.
The tournament schedule has been altered to accommodate fans who want to watch the BCS National Championship Game between Oklahoma and Florida on Thursday night. Semifinal games have been moved to Friday and the consolation championship games will be played on Thursday, girls at 3:30 p.m. and boys at 5 p.m.
The tournament will wrap up on Saturday with the third-place games at 1:30 and 3 p.m. and championship games at 6:30 and 8 p.m. at Sallisaw.
Sequoyah County Basketball Tournament
Jan. 5-10 at Sallisaw, Gore
Girls Bracket Monday, Jan. 5: First Round - Central vs. Roland, 6:30 p.m. at SHS; Sallisaw vs. Gore, 6:30 p.m., at GHS.
Tuesday, Jan. 6: First Round - Gans vs. Vian, 6:30 p.m., at SHS.
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Consolation Semifinal - Sallisaw/Gore loser vs. Gans/Vian loser, 4 p.m., at SHS.
Thursday, Jan. 8: Consolation Championship - Central/Roland loser vs. consolation semifinal winner, 3:30 p.m., at SHS.
Friday, Jan. 9: Championship Semifinals - Sallisaw/Gore winner vs. Gans/Vian winner, 4 p.m., at SHS; Muldrow vs. Central/Roland winner, 7 p.m., at SHS.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Third Place Game (semifinal losers), 1:30 p.m., at SHS; Championship Game (semifinal winners), 6:30 p.m., at SHS.
Boys Bracket
Monday, Jan. 5: First Round - Central vs. Vian, 8 p.m., at SHS; Muldrow vs. Gore, 8 p.m., at GHS.
Tuesday, Jan. 6: First Round - Gans vs. Sallisaw, 8 p.m., at SHS.
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Consolation Semifinal - Muldrow/Gore loser vs. Gans/Sallisaw loser, 5:30 p.m., at SHS.
Thursday, Jan. 8: Consolation Championship - Central/Vian loser vs. consolation semifinal winner, 5 p.m., at SHS.
Friday, Jan. 9: Championship Semifinals - Muldrow/Gore winner vs. Gans/Sallisaw winner, 5:30 p.m., at SHS; Roland vs. Central/Vian winner, 8:30 p.m., at SHS.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Third Place Game (semifinal losers), 3 p.m., at SHS; Championship Game (semifinal winners), 8 p.m., at SHS.
