Oklahoma 2A boys basketball semifinals: Dale and Cashion coast to easy victories, set up bitter rivalry for title game

The game will be played at 6:45 Saturday.

By Ross Lovelace I Photo by Carlos Flores 

OKLAHOMA CITY - Morrison versus Cashion was set to be something special in a 2A No. 3 versus No. 4 matchup but it never quite got there.

The Wildcats and senior Jonah Jenkins took over in the first quarter and never looked back, as Cashion punched its ticket to state, downing Morrison, 57-37, in Friday's 2A semifinals at State Fair Arena.

Cashion will face rival Dale for the title at 6:45 p.m. Saturday. It will be the third game this season between the two squads, with Dale beating Cashion in the title game of the Wildcats' own tournament; then the Wildcats returned the favor by beating the Pirates in Cashion late in the regular season.

Jenkins led the Wildcats with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists. The senior did it all for Cashion, leading the offense the whole night.

Austin Frazier helped out with 13 points and four assists. Frazier drilled two triples on the night.

Cashion was all over this one early on, hopping out to a 21-7 lead behind Jenkins’ nine first quarter points. Cashion was committed to running in transition and it paid off.

In the second frame, it was more of the same as Morrison couldn’t slow down the offensive attack from Cashion or score with them to stay in the game. Cashion took a 35-13 lead into halftime.

It was more of the same in the third quarter. With just under six minutes left in the quarter, Frazier drilled another triple to extend the Cashion lead to 38-18.

At the end of the third quarter, Cashion had built an insurmountable lead. The Wildcats, who don’t substitute often, cleared the bench late in the third quarter and the bench extended the lead.

Heading into the final frame, Cashion held a commanding 47-22 lead. Cashion continued to pull away late, punching its ticket to the state championship game.

Dale 66, Silo 38

Dale and Silo took the floor Friday night in a battle of stars between the Pirates' Dayton Forsythe and the Rebels' Ethan Wilkerson.

Forsythe and the Pirates got the better end of the deal, coming away with a 66-38 victory and punching a ticket to the state championship game.

A sophomore guard, Forsythe had another big night, chipping in 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Deken Jones also added 15 points of his own.

For the Rebels, Wilkerson tried his best to keep this one interesting. The big man had a monster outing with 24 points and seven rebounds.

In the first quarter, it was a tightly contested game. The pace was back-and-forth, and both teams were scoring at a high clip.

The Pirates received help from Ethan Edmonson, who caught fire from deep.

In the second quarter, the Pirates went on a huge run. With 40 seconds left, Levi Kelly drilled a triple to give the Pirates every bit of momentum heading into the break.

Dale was able to slow down Wilkerson en route to a 33-18 halftime lead. Wilkerson was able to add 12 points and four rebounds.

In the third quarter, Dale was able to keep the momentum behind a big 7-point quarter from Forsythe. With time running down, Edmonson drove down the middle and threw a flashy no-look dime to Kelly in the corner, who drilled it.

Dale’s crowd and bench exploded after the 3-pointer, giving the Pirates momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, Dale was able to put the game on cruise control. Forsythe and the Pirates played a complete game, penciling in their name in the championship game.