January has been a long month for Irish basketball. Tournament after tournament has shown how good the Irish can be, and how hard it is to compete at the 5A-6A level.

Coach Durham’s boys have proven they can compete with the best in their class. The Irish have knocked off five of the current Top 15 teams, but sometimes teams just can not hit anything.

McGuinness used up everything they had in the tank to beat Ardmore on Tuesday; a game that went in to overtime thanks to a last second tip-in by freshman Will Lienhard. Then went into Stillwater three night later to spoil the Pioneer’s homecoming game in a close one.

However, Ponca City on Saturday night was supposed to be a guaranteed win. The Ponca Wildcats gave the Irish a quarter at their place, but they won a game that had no business winning.

It was a stunning upset to the Irish on Senior Night, but in high school basketball, it is obvious you can not take anyone lightly.

The Irish could not get a shot to fall when they need it most, and their free-throw line problems came to haunt them.

One week stands between the Irish and their homecoming game against archrival Bishop Kelley. Much will need to be answered if the Irish want to knock off the Comets again, who clame close to beating McGuinness in Tulsa at the Hoops For Hope Festival.

It would be wrong not to give Guthrie any credit. They walked in to McCarthy looking to hand the Irish their third loss of the year, and the way the game was going, it was very possible.

McGuinness started slow, and trailed heading in to the locker room at halftime. Guthrie was getting pressure on the Irish, and if it was not for some sloppy plays and missed opportunities, the Jays could have been up big. However, the only thing big about this game was the size McGuinness had on Guthrie.

The Irish crashed the boards well, and the Blue Jays got swatted on occasion. However, the Jays probably did not expect such a great shooting night from senior Matt Ross. Do not get me wrong, Ross is a threat down-low and has the upper-hand on most high school players. However, he is not the type of guy who will put up 20 a night. The way he performed tonight, though, it is not out of the realm of possibility against the more undersized teams.

One of the problems with having size is lacking speed. From what we’ve seen this year, it appears the Irish are not going to wear anyone down with any kind of up-tempo offense. They make up for this by being alert on the defensive end and will make you pay if they smell an opportunity to takeaway the ball and go the other direction.

McGuinness really turned it on in the third quarter, and showed they can close out a game yet again. And thankfully, Guthrie posed as a challenge. However, this is one more day left in the tournament.

McGuinness will take on Norman High for the McGuinness Classic title, and it should be a fun game. Tip-off is set for 7:30, and the student section needs to be just as loud as they were tonight. See ya there, Irish fans.

Some of the best high school basketball teams in the state gathered in Tulsa to compete in the Tournament of Champions. Ranging from Class 6A to Class B, it was a three-day event that showcased some of the best boys and girls teams that Oklahoma has to offer.

The McGuinness boys were undefeated heading in to the tournament, but found out quickly, not everyone can be perfect.

The Irish took on 2A’s Pawnee at 1:30 last Wednesday, and got out to a comfortable lead and held on for the rest of the game. McGuinness would have to wait until 7 PM the next day to take on defending 5A state champion Booker T. Washington.

The first half of the game, McGuinness was able to hang with Juwan Parker and the BTW Hornets. The second half was a different story.

Booker T. took all the momentum in the third quarter, and there was not enough time to recover for the green and black. The Hornets handed the Irish their first loss of the season, and sent the Irish to the third-place game with a double-digit loss to think about.

The last day of the tournament, the Irish faced a foe that not too many people could probably place on a map. Coach Durham’s boys took on the Forgan Bulldogs of Class B. Do not be fooled by their school’s size. Forgan can hang with some of the state’s top teams.

Forgan stunned 4A’s Vinita on day one of the tournament, and even gave 6A’s Tulsa Union a tough time in the second round. Union knocked off Forgan, but the Bulldogs had one of the state’s deadliest duo. Twin brothers Ryan and Rhett Radcliff led their team to a state championship last year, and beating a team like McGuinness would only add to their list of accomplishments.

The Irish and Bulldogs were fairly neck-and-neck, and the advantage looked to be the Irish with their overwhelming size. However, Forgan would pull it out in the end, despite a controversial foul called on senior guard Cody Coyle.

Overall, the Irish have a lot to work to do before they can claim any state title. While they still look like one of the best teams in the state, consistency seems to be lacking. They’ll need their seniors to rise to the occasion and get up for every game.

There was not much resting and recovering after last night’s opening games of the Deer Creek Festival.  However, the Irish were a bit more successful Saturday with both the girls and boys winning their games against the Millwood Falcons.

The night before, Elyse Hight did everything she could to create momentum for the Lady Irish, but the Lady Antlers were to strong for McGuinness.  Turnovers were killer, and at the end of the day, they looked like the better team.

Coach Clark’s girls came out against the Lady Falcons and ended their three-game losing streak with a 53-35 rout of Millwood.  A solid team performance helped put them back above the .500 mark.

The boys were faced with just as quick a turnaround, and the team looked a little sluggish in the early going.  Millwood got out to a 21-14 lead, but the Irish cut it to 21-19 heading in to halftime.

Guys like Miles Newcomb and Joe Edmonds, as usual, had a good day, but senior Matt Ross really showed off his post-up skills and helped contribute to the 45-40 win.

Coach Durham’s boys stay undefeated heading in to the Tournament of Champions in Tulsa over Christmas break.  The Irish will finally play at McCarthy Gymnasium for the first time this season on January 5, 2012 following their tournament in Tulsa.

The girls will play at the Chesapeake Tournament over the break, and will play their first home game January 10, 2012 against Stillwater High School.

The rivalry continued Friday night. After two straight blowout victories, the Fighting Irish were put to the test in one of the most hostile environments they will see this season.

Deer Creek had given the Irish a close call last season, and they did the same tonight. Despite leading by a decent margin for most of the night, Deer Creek found a way to tie it up near the end. With the clocking still ticking, Joe Edmonds drove the length of the court to make the game-winning shot and keep the Irish perfect.

Edmonds’ game-winner left no time for the Antlers, but the Irish will have to get up tomorrow and play against the Millwood Falcons in their final game at the Deer Creek Festival.

Hopefully the Irish can bring the same kind of intensity, but that will be hard to accomplish after this performance. Not only did Joe get the Irish Nation going bonkers, but an emphatic slam from not Matt Christiansen, but Miles Newcomb sent the crowd in to a frenzy.

(Click here to see Miles Newcomb’s dunk from last night)

The Irish just looked like the better team, and it was probably good for them to face some adversity. Ponca City and Enid did not provide any sort of challenge for Coach Durham’s boys, so this win should only solidify that these guys are for real.

Deer Creek clawed their way back in to the game, but it just was not in the cards. Give any D1-commit eight seconds to make a play, and more than likely he will do it.

The one thing that made this game just as exciting, though, was the student section. It was like a home game away from home, because the students showed up and made themselves heard often.

Both fanbases are very vocal, and it provided a great atmosphere that you can only find in high school basketball.

As mentioned, the Irish will be back in action at 1:30 PM against the Millwood falcons at Deer Creek High School.

Less than a month away from the season, seniors Matt Christiansen and Joe Edmonds have already crossed something off their to-do list. Wednesday morning in a packed conference room, the two Irish basketball standouts signed their letters of intent to play basketball with the San Francisco Dons.

Christiansen and Edmonds have been playing together before they were in middle school, and will now wear the same jersey for another four years.

However, one thing is still left to do for the two student-athletes. Win a state championship.

With their sights set on the west coast, there still is a season to play and Christiansen and Edmonds made it clear that is their top priority.

McGuinness failed to make it to the state tournament last season, and have not hoisted the gold ball since 2008.

Christiansen saw immediate playing time his freshmen year when former Irish star and Orlando Magic center Daniel Orton went down with an injury. Joe Edmonds would begin not begin playing varsity until the next season as just a sophomore.

The two have had great careers wearing the green and white, and will certainly be assets to the Dons’ basketball team for many years to come.