GAME RESULTS

It was a long drive from Sand Springs for a weather make up game. The game started off with a shooting clinic from Hudson Franz that pretty much set the tone for the entire game. Franz scored 20 of the Bulldog’s 24 points in the first quarter and never looked back. The Sandites adjusted their defense in the second half or Franz may have gone complete Kobe scoring on them… 2-8-24 Kobe day… It was a complete game for the dogs. It was a special treat to see all 6 seniors kiss the dog at center court as they checked out for the last time at home. These seniors have left a legacy of toughness and leadership that the Juniors next year can build on. Two games to go in the regular season before playoffs and our dogs look to be peaking at just the right time. Lets all hope for good things to come in the coming weeks.

Senior night didn’t disappoint as the dog pound showed up in full force to ‘welcome’ the Bartlesville Bruins. The bulldogs had a short bench with 5  varsity players out with illness but that didn’t slow down the defensive clinic that the dogs put on throughout the game. The visitors kept within reach for the first quarter but after that the dogs shooting percentage went through the roof and it looked like the Globetrotters and the Washington Generals after the first half. Drelen Nero had three successive rim rocking dunks and a behind the back dime to Hudson Franz that could have made SportsCenters top 10 if we posted it. In the end it was a lopsided dub for the home team but what a way to celebrate our 6 senior leaders that have invested much blood sweat and tears over the last few years. We are blessed to have a heritage of strong young men to build on each year and the solid example they all set for our future.

Our guys got back to their winning ways on the road against the US Grant General as the dogs notched their 12th victory of the year. The Bulldog came out strong and never looked back as pretty much everybody with a jersey was able to contribute. The scoring was evenly spread across a number of bulldogs and everybody went home feeling good about their game.  We return home next week for three games two of which are at home.  Don’t miss Senior night on Tuesday against Bartlesville. 

The Owassso Rams have had a pretty strong season so far with few teams even keeping it close.  They have dropped a few to some out of town teams but coming into the road district game the Rams looked like they were intent on just walking over the Bulldogs.  Our dogs came out strong and didn’t back down from the long and athletic rams.  The rams got a lead going into half but a strong push in the first few minutes of the second half lead by sophomores DJ Pedulla and Jack Sheriff evened the score and kept it close until the end.  The bulldogs defense was as strong as ever and Brady Hancuff made the rams 5 star look pretty mortal with as strong a defensive stand as he will probably see all year.  In the end the Rams hit some solid buckets down the stretch and handed the bulldogs their sixth loss of the year. 

The Putnam City Pirates hosted the bulldogs on Friday after they had won 2 on the road. The bulldogs were looking to reverse a 2 game skid.  During the first quarter the pirates hadn’t found any treasure at all with the bulldogs leading 24-0 at the break.  The good guys never really looked back after that. Coach was able to get every jersey checked in and it was a total team win as the dogs returned to their winning ways and are prepped and ready for a solid challenge against their upcoming turnpike district leaders from Owasso.

Edlam is always a fun night regardless of which gym it happens to land in, and Tuesday’s non-district matchup was a packed house. The Huskies came into the gym with a solid record and some new faces making a solid impact for them this year. Our bulldogs were coming off a weather delayed game and a loss to Union and were looking to surprise some critics. Unfortunately, the huskies were hitting on all cylinders from the jump. The huskies, not known for their perimeter shooting had the bulldogs starting the game by packing the lane and testing their shooters while thwarting their strong inside game. The recent transfer Tramble had a good shooting night and hurt our guys in the early going. The lead they amassed ended up being more than we could overcome after a few good runs.  Our dogs drop to 10-5 with a two game skid. We will look to get back in the dub column later this week at Putnam City.

The winter weather almost threw a wrench in the Friday game with Tulsa Union but fortunately it held off long enough for the visiting Redhawks to make their way down the turnpike. The first meeting of these two teams started off very lopsided as Union got out to a big lead in their meeting in the final game of the Edmond Open. This time around the Bulldogs were trading early buckets with them and it never got more than a few buckets advantage for either team. Our bulldogs shots weren’t falling at the same regularity as they have been the last few games and it ended up hurting us down the stretch as Union ended up carrying a lead into the forth quarter that we shrunk back to a couple buckets but never could quite get it over the edge. The Bulldogs five game winning streak came to an end but we have one more shot at Union in February in Tulsa.

The game right after a big tournament championship can be a tester and the first quarter against our new district opponent Enid looked like it may be just that early. Enid has some athletic guys that can get downhill and finish at the rim. Our dogs started out a little slow but really got going in the second half and had some high energy possessions and some solid defense that pushed the lead into double digits and out of reach for our friends from the northwest. It was a team win that puts our total wins for the year into double digits too. Go dogs!

The first quarter of the championship game against Choctaw looked like the Bulldogs were on a mission. Choctaw came into the final game of the tourney as the favorite but the dogs poured in bucket after tuff bucket and gritty defense to take a commanding lead in the first quarter and send a clear message.  The Bulldogs are tuff! Choctaw took several runs at our boys but each time the dogs answered with great ball movement, sharing the ball and Memorial style defense. Memorial led from buzzer to buzzer and sent a clear message to Oklahoma basketball as the Champions of the 64th Annual McGuiness Classic.

The semifinal game against Deer Creek was a one or two possession game back and forth all the way into the 4th quarter where the Antlers had a 6 – 0 run and went up by 8. It looked like the momentum was headed their way until an intentional foul by Deer Creek and a timely 3 pointer by Hudson Franz put the good guys right back in the thick of it. Another late 3 by Franz gave the Bulldogs the lead and a game winning steal by Brady Hancuff sealed up a trip to the final for the boys.

The Bishop McGuinness tourney is always stacked with talented teams and a great way to start the new year. Our Bulldogs came into the opening round with a solid Christmas break full of intense practice and ready to compete and that is certainly what they did. Norman has a solid group of very athletic ballers and it was a nail biter most of the way. Neither team really got much offense going and it came down to a handful of possessions at the end. Hudson Franz hit a pair of key free throws down the stretch to give the Bulldogs a ticket to the second round on Friday against Deer Creek. 

 The Bulldogs were on the road for their longest road game so far this season and they looked prepared. The game started off a little slow but the intense defense the bulldogs are known for took a toll on the bruin guards and our guys broke it out fairly early with a double-digit lead going into the half. The entire squad got good minutes and the boys headed home with their sixth win of the season as they look forward to the holiday break and another great tourney at Bishop McGuiness after the first of the year.

The district changes for the 23-24 season have separated the three Edmond teams into different divisions but that didn’t stop the desire for the Edlam tradition to continue. The Friday night game hosted by Santa Fe promised a strong matchup between two winning programs that know each other very well and are both off to a healthy start to the season. The wolves jumped out to a big lead and it looked like their 15 point lead at halftime would be enough to get them to the W but the Bulldogs had a thing or two to say about that. Our dogs fought back mightily in the second half to even the score in the final seconds and almost pulled out the win in regulation but not for a 50/50 call that sent the game into overtime.  It was back and forth and after a second overtime the wolves snuck in a sliding layup to inch past our guys by 2 as time expired. Both student sections were on fire throughout the game and lit up the gym with energy as these two giants battled it out. Proud of our boys for not folding up at half time and making it a close one.

The US Grant Generals visited Edmond for the first time as new district competitors and the Bulldogs got going fast. The Bulldog defense was pressing full court for the first part of the game, and it looked a little lopsided. The Generals struggled early and never really got going. A good district win for our guys and now we move on to our cross town friends from Santa Fe on Friday.

The championship game of the Edmond Open was a great way to spend your Saturday afternoon.  As a Bulldog fan you may have thought otherwise after the first quarter, as the Bulldogs dug themselves a pretty deep double-digit hole.  Fortunately, they fought their way back to make the final game a very competitive battle. In the end our guests from Tulsa Union ended up with the big trophy but not without a heart pounding 4th quarter that nearly saw the dogs pull back in front. Several bulldogs hit key buckets and made big time steals down the stretch but came up just a little short. It was a very productive weekend and a great event featuring some of Oklahoma’s top prospects. No celebrations for 2nd place but much progress for this Bulldog team as they jump back to district play on Tuesday against US Grant.

The second round of the Edmond Open saw an increase in intensity for the Bulldogs with a solid matchup against the Midwest City Bombers. The Bombers were coming off a very competitive win against Santa Fe in round one. Although Midwest City started off very strong against our Dogs it wasn’t long before the scoreboard was evened up and the momentum was headed our way.  The dogs went into the locker room midway with a 2 point lead. The second half amped up the intensity and our dogs really came to play.  It was a fantastic battle of will and in the end the good guys came home with the W!

The first round of the Edmond Open ended with a strong win for the bulldogs. The Storm looked like they may give them a game early but the relentless and always solid bulldog defense along with some good shooting from behind the arc proved to be too much down the stretch. The storm showed some heart with a couple of runs that kept the crowd engaged throughout. It was an overall team win with every player getting an opportunity to contribute. The tournament bracket is stacked with talent and winning programs and the second round of the tourney should be a great battle between the Midwest City Bombers and our favorite Bulldogs on Friday night at 7pm.

Owasso is one of the most physically talented teams in Oklahoma currently and they played well against the travelling bulldogs.  The game was close until the last buzzer but the Rams walked away with the win.  Our bulldogs put up a great fight against one of the top picked teams in any division.  We look forward to our next battle in Edmond in a couple months. 

Our home opener was a defensive battle for four quarters.  PCO came ready to play and kept the game close.  The always ready bulldog defense came on strong in the second half allowing just a handful of buckets in the 3rd and 4th quarter.  It was a low scoring game, but the Bulldogs came away victorious and notched their first home win of the year.  The dog pound came out in full force and showed why Edmond memorial has one of best student sections in the state.  Go dogs!

The 2023 season opener in Sand Springs highlighted the new changes to our district play this year.  Our first turnpike run was a success, and we are excited to get the season underway.  Our team this year is a great mix of upper and underclassmen that are showing signs of a special team bond.  In our first outing they played hardnosed defense and played for each other on both sides of the ball. The Sandites showed great resolve and scrappiness but in the end our boys came home late with their first win of 2023.  Go dogs!