Sallisaw senior sad to see basketball winding down
Sallisaw welcomes Muldrow for Senior Night
Sallisaw Black Diamonds senior basketball player Cooper Cox is sad knowing that his prep hoop career is winding down. His last regularseason home game will be at 7:30 tonight against Muldrow at Paul Post Field House after the Lady Diamonds play at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
“There’s a little bit of sadness knowing that this will probably be my last game here, playing in front of the student section,” Cox said. “It’s definitely sad being the last night here, but we’re still going to be playing some more (basketball in the Class 4A playoffs). In football, we knew we were going to play there (Perry F. Lattimore Stadium) again (meeting Grove in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs).”
There is a chance for at least one more game at Paul Post Field House in the Class 4A Regional Tournament, but with Muldrow as the main site, Cox said he would rather be in the winner’s-bracket side and play at Muldrow than have to play at Paul Post Field House once more but on the loser’sbracket side.
“There’s a chance we can play here again, because we’re a sub-site for regionals,” Cox said. “Hopefully, we don’t play here again because if we lose districts (at Wagoner next week), we play here. If we win, we’ll play at Muldrow. We 100 percent want to win (at Wagoner in the Class 4A District Tournament).”
Regardless, Cox said if the Black Diamonds, entering Thursday night’s road game at Stigler at 8-13 overall, are to make some noise in the Class 4A playoffs, the time to get started is now.
“Now is definitely the time to get hot,” Cox said. “(On Tuesday night), we lost to the No. 5 team (the Stilwell Indians) in (Class) 4A by three points (by a score of 57-54). We were beating them in the fourth quarter. Now is the time to get hot. Everybody goes to the playoffs and makes districts. If we start winning right now, we can do something. It’s the time right now. If we’re going to win (in the postseason), it’s got to be right now. This team can make some noise. We’ve lost a bunch of close games. Whoever wins right now is the team that will make it (to the Class 4A State Tournament).”
Cox is all but positive whenever the 2024-25 basketball season ends, so, too, will his prep basketball career.
“I really love basketball, but I don’t think I’m going to play college basketball,” Cox said. “There’s sadness for sure in that. I can’t speak for all the seniors, but this will probably be it for us (in basketball).”
