Outlaw Boys win 92nd annual Stephens County Tournament; Lady Outlaws bring home runner-up

If you attended the championship games Saturday at Velma-Alma for the Stephens County Tournament, then you know the excitement that had everyone either on the edge of their seats or standing up.

Marlow’s Lady Outlaws battled Comanche’s Lady Indians in the final game, and several times it appeared Marlow was going to walk away victorious. Unfortunately, the game went to Comanche with a 38-30 win.

In the boys’ game against Velma-Alma, it was fast-paced and at the last second of the fourth quarter, it was a 52-52 tie, putting another four minutes on the clock. It paid off for the Outlaws who won 58-55, but not without hard work. The final 7 points in that overtime play were made by sophomore Kaden Harris #11.

“I am pleased with our performance last week in the Stephens County Tournament,” said Head Coach Kirk Harris. “We beat a very scrappy Comanche team in the semifinal game and were able to hold them to 29 points. I thought our defense was great in that game. In the finals versus Velma-Alma we held on for a tough hard-fought win.”

Individual scoring for the Outlaws was led by Blayd Harris with 18 points, and Avrey Payne, 15 points; along with Parker Boyles adding 11 points, Brenden Brooks, 5 points and Mason Holding, 2 points, Kaden Harris 7 points.

“Velma shot the ball extremely well from the 3-point range and made us work on the offensive end. Every time I thought we might pull away they continued to fight back in it,” Coach Harris said. “I thought we played a really solid game except for our late game execution down the stretch. We have to clean up some mistakes and make our free throws if we want to make a run in the playoffs.”

Harris noted that two big conference games were set for this week. Snow cancelled the Tuesday game against Lexington and the varsity team will play at 5 p.m. Saturday at Lexington for the make-up game. Friday, the Outlaws will play at home against Lindsay.

“That will go a long way toward our playoff seeding. We really appreciate all of the fan support at the county tournament this past week.”

Earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team for the Lady Outlaws were Allye Haile, Kently Davis and Whitney Wade, and for the boys, Parker Boyles. Blayd Harris received the Hustle Award and Avrey Payne was named Tournament MVP.

Harris chose sophomore Zach Long for the Outlaw Spotlight Player of the Week because Long hit a 14-point career high in the game against Bray-Doyle during the tournament.
Coach Brett Tahah named Carson Lovett as Outlaw Spotlight Player of the Week, noting that she continues to improve her offense and defense every game.

Available Scoring for the County Tournament for Marlow and Central High games

Lady Outlaws vs Velma-Alma Comets, Thursday, Jan. 19: Outlaws defeated Comets 46-36

Individual Scoring: Whitney Wade 15 points, Carson Lovett, 9 pts, Kently Davis, 8 pts, Allye Haile, 5 pts, Erin Doughty, 4 pts, Demi Hunt, 3 pts, Kendall Kizarr, 2 pts.

Velma-Alma’s Rylee McLain was top scorer for her team with 19 points.

Lady Outlaws vs. Comanche Lady Indians: Saturday, Jan. 21, Championship Game went to Comanche, 38-30. Individual scores for Marlow: Whitney Wade, 11 points, Erin Doughty, Allye Haile and Kently Davis, 5 pts each, Demi Hunt, 3 pts, and Carson Lovett, 1 pt. Comanche’s Gracee Miller was top scorer with 17 points.

Outlaws vs Velma-Alma Comets, with the Outlaws grabbing the championship title, 58-55, Saturday, Jan.21

Individual scores for Marlow: Blayd Harris, 18 points, Avrey Payne, 15 pts, Parker Boyles, 11 pts, Brenden Brooks, 5 pts, Mason Holding, 2 pts, and Kaden Harris added 7 points in overtime. Velma-Alma’s Crue Garrett was top scorer for his team with 13 points.

Central High Lady Bronchos vs. Ryan Cowgirls, with Ryan winning 37-20, Friday, Jan. 20. CH individual scores: Andi Standridge, 14 points, Ruthie Hargrove, and Rashel Johnson, 2 pts each, and Kellie Archer and KK Delaney, 1 pt each. Top scorer for Ryan was Jasmine Villareal with 18 points.

Marlow Outlaws vs. Comanche Indians, game to Marlow 51-29. Individual scores, Avrey Payne, 18 points, Blayd Harris 11 pts, Parker Boyles, 10 pts, Kaden Harris, 7 pts, and Brenden Brooks, 5 pts. Comanche’s Myles Ellis and Corbin Bowen each scored 7 points for the leader spot for their team.

Central High vs. Comanche, Tuesday, Jan. 17, was a 43-49 win for Comanche. Individual scores for Central High: Ethan Brummett, 11 points, Caden Covington and Jace Waller, 10 pts each, Kolten Bethune and Levi Young, 6 pts each. Comanche’s Corbin Bowen was top scorer with 14 points.

Bray-Doyle Donkeys vs. Marlow, Tuesday, Jan. 17, with Marlow defeating Bray-Doyle, 85-38. Individual scoring for Marlow: Parker Boyles, 20 points, Zach Long, 14 pts, Avrey Payne, 9 pts, Cody Weber and Zach Pettit, 8 pts each, Blayd Harris, 7 pts, Kaden Harris and Isaac Wilis, 6 pts each, Brenden Brooks, 5 pts, Mason Holding and Canton Clark, 2 pts each; and for Bray-Doyle: Jaydon Phillips, 22 points, Caden Whitehead, 11 pts, Brody Whitney, 3 pts, and Carsen Whitehead, 2 pts.

Editor's Note: Many of the photos from this event were published in this week's paper, Jan. 26, 2023, but unfortunately, space limitations prevented the story and results from being published. We will be publishing a gallery of images in the near future here on our website.