February 21, 2026 Issue, Page 3 of 12

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SPORTS The Elk City News SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2026 • 3 College & High School Basketball By Alex Alvarez due 21-4, Kansas 19-6, Nebraska Last three games: 2-1. Wins vs Record: 16-9 overall, 4-8 Con- Conference Position: 5th Last Three: 2-1. Loss vs Mangum 22-3, Illinois 21-5. Vanderbilt 92-91 and Georgia 94- ference Conference Leader: TCU 48-68, wins vs Arapaho/Butler 44- Road to The Final Four getting WOMEN: UConn 27-0, UCLA 78. Loss vs Kentucky 78-94 Last three games: 0-3. Losses vs Horned Frogs 23-4 34, Hobart 43-40 crowded: 25-1, South Carolina 25-2, Texas Coming up: Tennessee (Feb- Arizona (47-84), Arizona State (76- ELK CITY BASKETBALL #4 MERRITT CLASS 2-A Some teams have begun a good 24-3, Vanderbilt 22-4, Michigan 18), Texas A&M (Feb-21), Auburn 85) and TCU (92-95) Elk City Boys broke their losing GIRLS “come from behind” road and are 22-4, LSU 22-4, Louisville 24-4, (Feb-2-24) Coming up: Kansas (Feb-18), streak of 17 by winning versus El- Coach Jeff Daugherty. Record beginning to crowd the favorites. Duke 19-6, Ohio State 22-4, Okla- Conference Position: 13th. Con- Colorado (Feb-21), West Virginia gin and then extended their win- 20-3 Arizona lost for the first time this homa fell to #11. ference Leader: Florisa Gators 19-6 (Feb-24) ning streak to two games by beat- Last Three: 3-0. Wins vs Arap- season to the well-coached team of The teams, as by NCAA rules, #11 OKLAHOMA SOONERS. Conference Position: 12th ing Clinton. aho/Butler 60-34, Hobart 50-38, the Texas Red Raiders, who were will play a maximum of 32 regu- WOMEN. SOUTHEASTERN Conference Leader: Arizona #11 CANUTE CLASS A Mangum 78-23 #16 at the time, with a final score lar season games, and after their CONFERENCE Wildcats and Houston Cougars at BOYS: ELK CITY CLASS 4-A BOYS of 78-75. With that, Michigan is conference championships, the top Coach: Jennie Baranczyk 23-2 with Cougars having an edge Coach Brock Steffes. Record Coach Tyler Foale. Record 2-19 now the #1 overall pick as the top 68 teams in both, men and wom- Record: 19-6, Conference 7-5 in conference play at 11-1 vs 10-2. 14-9 Last Three: 1-2. Losses vs Cache team in the NCAA Division I of all en, will be chosen, with 62 teams Last three games: 2-1. Wins vs OKLAHOMA STATE COW- Last three games: 2-1. Wins vs 32-52 and Kingfisher 30-64, Win vs conferences. The Wildcats had a re- seeded and four teams having a Florida 81-74 and Alabama 79-71, GIRLS. WOMEN. BIG-12 Burns Flat/Dill City 58-46, Snyder Clinton 47-45 cord of 23-0 until they lost 82-80 to shootout for the last two spots in Loss vs Vanderbilt 86-102 CONFERENCE 86-29 and Loss vs Hammon 79-84 #20 ELK CITY CLASS 4-A Kansas, and then to the Texas Red March Madness. Coming up: Georgia (Feb-19), Coach: Jacie Hoyt #2 CANUTE CLASS A GIRLS: GIRLS Raiders on their next game. Tennessee (Feb-22), Arkansas Record: 21-7 overall, Conference Coach Tatum Ridling. Record Coach Mason Jones. Record Here are the Top 10 in Men and OKLAHOMA COLLEGES (Feb-26) 10-5 22-1 14-8 Women, where Oklahoma Sooners BASKETBALL Conference Position: 7th Last three games: 2-1, Wins vs Last Three 3-0: Wins vs Ham- Last 3: 2-1. Wins vs Clinton 61- continue to be in contention for the Oklahoma Sooners. Men. South- Conference Leader: South Caro- Texas Tech 75-65 and Utah 73-55, mon 67-22, Burn Flat/Dill City 35 and Cache 0-34. Loss vs King- top 10! eastern Conference lina Gamecocks 25-2 Loss vs Kansas St. 61-70 88/7, Snyder 72-14 fisher 33-48. MEN: Michigan 24-1, Houston Coach: Porter Moser OKLAHOMA STATE COW- Coming up: West Virginia (Feb- MERRITT CLASS 2-A BOYS Sources: ESPN, MSN Sports, OS- 23-2, Duke 23-2, Arizona 23-2, Record: 13-12 overall, 3-9 in SEC BOYS. BIG-12 CONFERENCE 21), Iowa St (Feb-25), Kansas (Feb- Coach Tyler Snowden. Record SAA, On-Line media sports. UConn 24-2, Iowa State 22-3, Pur- Conference. Coach: Steve Lutz 28) 9-14 By Alex Alvarez GOLF: Sports Tidbits Being 23 minutes from campus, he Morikawa. Oh well, he will win this still knows more about basketball er’s role next season. Collin Morikawa joins a select knows the area and Pebble Beach… Pro-Am sooner rather than later. than anyone of us. John Harbaugh, new coach of NBA group of major champions who and the stores as well! (the two-time the New York Giants says that he New Format of “All Stars” draws have won the AT&T Pebble Beach major champion now has a little NCAA BASKETBALLS NFL can’t wait until the celebration of great reviews, and youth comes up Pro-Am. Then goes shopping with more money than he had during his As soon as Jay Bilas, “I think Ar- Patriots’ wide receiver Stefon the U.S.A.’s 250th anniversary: “I with the win! Unexpected MVP is wife Katherine Zhu, who is preg- college days!) izona and Michigan are on a colli- Diggs arraigned on charges of stran- think people should keep in mind Anthony Edwards from the Tim- nant with their first child. Collin Scottie Scheffler shoots a final sion course for the Final Four, Ar- gulation! Jikes! that this is the greatest country, berwolves. played for the Berkely Golden Bears round of 63, including two eagles izona lost their last two games and Report: Jacksonville Jaguars will and was All American four times. but falls short by two to Collin fell from #1 to #4.” To be frank, Jay make major change to Travis Hunt- See TIDBITS page X Professional Team Sports By Alex Alvarez round robin, Stars beat Stripes 42- (Cleveland Cavaliers). Teams in both conferences will to head games, and following with two “wild card” teams per confer- 20, but the final was brutal for the It was a nice break from the reg- play 82 regular season games, so conference records and so on. ence with the next highest point NBA: Stars, who lost to the Stripes 47-21! ular season, which continued on we are at two thirds of the season totals. The standings as of now, are: This last weekend the NBA hosted Team Stars team was Anthony Ed- Tuesday the 17th. Starting this week, completed. The playoffs will begin NHL- STANDINGS AS OF LAST Eastern Conference: Tampa Bay their All Star weekend, and it was very wards, Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Devin the standings in each conference are April 18, two months from now. MONDAY Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes entertaining, where we learned a little Booker (Suns), Cade Cunning- as follows: NBA playoff qualification is deter- Just as the NBA, National Hockey 78-points, Montreal Canadiens and bit of what it is coming ahead. An- ham (Pistons), Jalen Duren (Pis- Eastern Conference: Detroit Pis- mined by regular-season winning League has 82 resular season games, Detroit Red Wings 72-points, Pitts- thony Edwards (Timberwolves) was tons), Chet Holmgren (Thun- tons 40-13, Boston Celtics 35-19, percentage, with the top six teams with the playoffs also beginning on burgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres sure on Cloud Nine after winning the der), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), New York Knicks 35-20, Cleveland in each conference (East and West) April 18, just as the NBA. 70-points. . MVP for the first time in his career. and Scottie Barnes (Raptors). Cavaliers 34-21, Toronto Raptors automatically securing spots. Teams And just like the NBA, Sixteen Western Conference: Colora- In this unique format, three teams Team Stripes was a veteran lineup, 32-22, Philadelphia 76ers 30-24. ranked 7th through 10th compete teams qualify for the NHL Stanley do Avalanche 83-points, Minne- compete: USA Stars, USA Stripes formed by LeBron James (Lakers), Western Conference: Oklahoma in a Play-In Tournament to fill the Cup Playoffs—eight from the East- sota Wild 78-points, Dallas Stars and World. They have a Round Rob- Kevin Durant (Rockets), and Kawhi City Thunder 42-14, San Antonio final two spots (7th and 8th seeds). ern Conference and eight from the 77-points, Vegans Golden Knights in, all playing 12 minutes each game, Leonard (Clippers), Jaylen Brown Spurs 38-16, Denver Nuggets 35-20, The top 10 positions are determined Western Conference—based on the 68-points, Utah Mamooth and Ed- and the top two teams play the final. (Celtics), Jalen Brunson (New Yok Houston Rockets 33-20, Los Angeles by overall win-loss records, with final regular-season standings. The monton Oilers 64-points. Stars and Stripes both beat World, Knicks), De’Aaron Fox (San Anto- Lakers 33-21, Minnesota Timber- tiebreakers used for teams with field consists of the top three teams Sources: ESPN, MSN Sports, On- 37-35 and 48-40 respectively. In the nio Spurs), and Donovan Mitchell wolves 34-22. identical records, starting with head from each of the four divisions, plus Line media sports. Professional Golf By Alex Alvarez last round is always at Pebble it grew, it needed more courses professionals want to win other Beach, and winning at Pebble and at one time, it was played than the majors. So, when you PGA TOUR: AT&T PEBBLE Beach is the best you can hope on three different courses, in- speak about the now named BEACH PRO-AM for, especially if it is a major. cluding Spyglass, which is still AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Collin Morikawa joins sever- This historic tournament used, with two of the rounds you want to win it and add your al major champions who have dates back 1937 when Bing played at Pebble Beach Links. name to the names of Nicklaus, )HE  won the historic AT&T Peb- Crosby held the Bing Crosby Now, with a reduced field, it is Watson, Woods and others in ble Beach Pro-Am (AKA Bing Clambake that paired tour pro- played on two courses, Pebble the trophy. Crosby Invitational Pro-Am) fessionals with Bing’s Holly- Beach and Spyglass, with three Here are names of major breaking a winless period from wood friends. It was first held at of the rounds being played at champions who have who have October of 2023 to last week- Ranch Santa Fe Golf Club near Pebble Beach, including both won this event since 1958, plus end. It wasn’t the U.S. Open, San Diego, and moved to north- weekend rounds. Being one of any majors played there: Ken gunshowtrader.com and you play Spyglass or other ern California, in Pebble Beach the oldest tournaments on the course once or twice, but the after World War II in 1947. As PGA Tour, it is one that many See GOLF page X