For the first time since 2002, the Wilson Tiger varsity basketball team will make an appearance at the Oklahoma State Basketball Championships.
The Tigers ended their 21-year state tournament drought this past Saturday evening with a 63-40 victory over the defending Class B state champion Fort Cobb-Broxton Mustangs.
The double-digit win over the third-ranked Mustangs came in the consolation championship game of the Class B Area III tournament at Noble High School.
The Wilson cage squad, ranked seventh in Class B, fell into Saturday’s ‘last chance’ contest with Fort Cobb-Broxton following a 70-65 loss to the 11th-ranked Granite Panthers in last Friday’s area championship game.
The win over the defending state champions puts the Tigers (27-2) in their first state basketball tournament since 2002 and the third time in school history with the first state tournament appearance coming in 1970.
The Wilson squad is scheduled to open its Class B state tournament action Wednesday at 9 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup with fourth-ranked Frontier at the Jim Norick State Fairgrounds Arena in Oklahoma City.
A win over Frontier will put the Tigers into Friday’s semifinal round at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of second-ranked Duke and ninth-ranked Braggs, while a loss to Frontier will end the Wilson squad’s bid for its first-ever state basketball championship in school history.
Wins on Wednesday and Friday will put the Tigers into Saturday’s Class B state championship game at 1:30 p.m.
In Friday’s area championship game against Granite, the Tigers came out of the opening frame with a 16-6 advantage. Granite took a 30-27 lead into halftime after taking the second quarter by a 24-11 margin.
The Wilson gentlemen were outscored 22-19 in a high-scoring third period to go into the final eight minutes of regulation down by six, 52-46.
The Tigers tallied 19 points in the final stanza in a comeback bid, but the rally was thwarted as Granite countered with 18 points in the frame to hand the Wilson squad the 70-65 setback.
The Tigers were led in scoring by Zabrien Shelburn, who finished with a team-best 23 points. Zion Shelburn was next in the scoring column for Wilson with 19, followed by Keshon Shelburn with 15. Other Tiger scorers against Granite were Charles Shelburn with six and Andrew Wilson two.
In Saturday’s consolation title game against Fort Cobb-Broxton, the Tigers doubled up on the defending champs 18-9 and 16-8, respectively, in the first two quarters for a 34-17 advantage at the halftime break. After both teams tallied 12 points in the third period for a 46-29 Wilson lead, the Tigers put the finishing touches on the 23-point win and state tournament appearance with a 17-11 advantage in the final stanza.
Zabrien Shelburn was the top scorer for the Tigers in the consolation title win with 19 points, followed by Keshon Shelburn with 14, Charles Shelburn 13, and Esiah King 10. Zion Shelburn rounded out the Wilson scoring on Saturday with seven points.
— Class B Area Tournament Championship
Granite 70, Wilson 65
Wilson: 16 – 11 – 19 – 19 (65) Granite: 6 – 24 – 22 – 18 (70) Wilson Scoring: Zabrien Shelburn 23, Zion Shelburn 19, Keshon Shelburn 15, Charles Shelburn 6, Andrew Wilson 2.
— Consolation Championship Wilson 63, Ft. Cobb-Broxton 40 Wilson: 8 – 16 – 12 – 17 (63) FCB: 9 – 8 – 12 – 11 (40) Wilson Scoring: Zabrien Shelburn 19, Keshon Shelburn 14, Charles Shelburn 13, Esiah King 10, Zion Shelburn 7.
