Ben Whitehead
In an effort to raise money for the cure for cancer, Duncan basketball will hold Cancer Awareness Night tonight when Duncan takes on Ardmore. The event was originally scheduled for Jan. 29 but the recent winter storm postponed it to tonight.
Both the boys and girls teams will participate in the event by sporting a different look. Black shirts with pink Demons have been made for the teams to wear during warmups and throughout the night. Pink T-shirts have been sold to raise money for the cause and the game ball will be pink and white.
“The Cancer Awareness thing is a really big thing to me,” Duncan boys coach Mikel Davison said. “It’s something that our kids can be really aware of and something that we can give back. We have a tendency to take, take, take so much. You take so much for granted and it’s just important to give back to the community after all they’ve given to us.”
As for the games, both are anticipated to be exciting match-ups. The Lady Tigers have a 6-12 record and have lost three straight games. Duncan coach Andrew McClung said the Lady Tigers are one of the most athletic teams he’s seen.
“They have size and speed and two really good outside shooters,” McClung said. “One girl is an absolute athlete who can slash and shoot jump shots. They’ll crank up some threes with those guards. I was just really impressed with their speed and athleticism.”
The Lady Demons are 4-12 and looking for some momentum heading into the final few weeks of play. McClung hopes the fast-paced game his team brings will counter Ardmore’s team speed.
“We like to run it up and down the court and when I watched them the other night, they just walked it up the court,” he said. “That’s not our game so hopefully we can make them play our game and put up a fight.”
The Duncan boys will have their hands full with an Ardmore team that boasts a 12-7 record and No. 7 ranking in Class 5A. Davison has scouted the Tigers a few times and said it should be an interesting game.
“It’s going to be a different style of basketball, but I think we’re ready for it,” he said. “They’re real guard oriented, not as big as we are. They have three outstanding guards that can get up and down the floor and transition defense is going to be an issue for us.”
The Demons and Tigers will play twice this week with the latter game taking place Friday at Ardmore. Davison said he is excited about the opportunity to play tough competition before heading down the home stretch of the schedule.
“I thought the MacArthur series was a good one and this one should be good as well,” said Davison.
“We’re ready to play at home again and these games should be a really good primer for going into the playoffs.”
The Lady Demons will tip-off at 6 p.m. with the boys game to follow. Donations will be accepted for the event during the game, which will be sponsored by Duncan Regional Hospital and Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma.
— Ben Whitehead is a sports writer for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 255-5354, Ext. 165, or via e-mail at ben.whitehead@duncanbanner.com.
