Bishop McGuinness Three-Peats in State Basketball

Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City won its third consecutive state basketball title in Class 4A Saturday, March 8. The the three-peat is the seventh championship title in 11 years for the boys basketball team.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Top-ranked Bishop McGuinness defeated eighth-ranked Southeast 80-63 in the class 4A state championship game Saturday afternoon at Jim Norick State Fair Arena.

This is the third consecutive title for the Irish (26-4). In addition, McGuinness has now won basketball and football championships in back to back seasons.

All five starters for the Irish finished in double figures. Ryan Randolph finished with a team high 19 points.

Daniel Orton and Jeffrey Merritt both scored 14 points for McGuinness.

Orton, a 6-10 junior center, also had 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots before fouling out with 4:16 left.

“It is very satisfying,” said McGuinness head coach Tondrell Durham. “We did a nice job and had great balance tonight.”

Ben Smith had a game-high 23 points for the Spartans (18-9). Teammate Darrell Traylor added 17.

Orton's presence forced Southeast to take a lot of perimeter shots. The Spartans managed to hit just 5-of-30 from three point country.

The Irish led 22-13 after the first period thanks to making 9-of-12 shots in the frame.

McGuiness extended to a 38-26 advantage at the half. Gabe Ikard, who finished with 10 points, gave the Irish that lead with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.