Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman Sports

Tonight, for the first time since saying "I do’s” with the Thunder, Oklahoma City fans welcome back their old flame.

This Torn-Between-Two-Lovers storyline is the stuff that drives ratings for Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer, and ESPN couldn’t resist, either. But OKC fan Mary Harris doesn’t see a conflict with tonight’s 8:30 game between the Thunder and the New Orleans Hornets.

"I’ll always love the Hornets, even though I have a new team to love and support,” said Harris, 62. "If they had not played here we would not be in the NBA right now. I hope everybody gives them a loud, enthusiastic welcome.

"During the game, I can yell for both teams if I want to.

Most intriguing matchup Guthrie at Tulsa Washington

1:30 p.m. Saturday, S.E. Williams Stadium

→Why bother: Because it’s the best matchup of the second round. Both teams come in with just one loss.

Tulsa Washington has one of the most explosive offenses in the state, having scored 59 or more points four times this season. Guthrie features one of the best defenses in the state, having recorded four shutouts and holding four other opponents to seven points or less.

→Getting there: Take Interstate 44 East to Tulsa. Take I-244 East. Take exit 4B for U.S. Highway 75 North toward Broken Arrow/Bartlesville. Exit Peoria Ave. Turn left at N. 13{+t}{+h}/Peoria. Turn right at Reading. Turn left at Rockford. Turn right

Oklahoma City lightweight boxer George Colbert never knew his day job would help him in the ring.

Working as a train operator, Colbert has learned to block out extra noise and only focus on the task at hand.

Colbert is going to need that type of focus when he takes on Noah Zuhdi of Oklahoma City for the vacant Oklahoma lightweight title Monday night at Remington Park.

Colbert and Zuhdi have fought on the same card before and are used to being the overwhelming crowd favorite. Squaring off against each other might divide the crowd, and Colbert is OK with that.

"Once I hit the ring, I’ve learned from being on the train to only worry about my opponent,” Colbert said.

NORMAN — Hard to remember, but the Heisman Trophy once was the domain of tailbacks.

Thirty-four of the first 49 winners were runners. Twelve straight tailback winners from 1972-83. Eleven of 12 from 1950-61.

Even not so very long ago, 1994-99, just one quarterback won in a six-year span.

Heck, just look at Mr. Heisman himself. The trophy is in running mode; the Heisman pose has no room for a pass.

But the century turned. The game changed. Quarterbacks became the stars.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the Big 12 Conference. Nowhere is that more evident than Saturday night on Owen Field.

Cutting-edge football has come to the Big 12 thanks to Pyrotechnic quarterbacks, and the two most prolific battle Saturday

Obi grabs 11 rebounds After North Texas dominated Oklahoma State on the boards earlier this week, the Cowboys got an earful about it from coach Travis Ford.

Ford, who has said OSU might not be an outstanding rebounding team, said the guards need to contribute at least 20 rebounds a game for OSU.

Junior Obi Muonelo did his part for the cause in the win over Tulsa on Thursday night. Muonelo grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. OSU outrebounded Tulsa, 39-32.

"I told them the two MVPs of this game are Obi and (Ibrahima) Thomas,” Ford said. "Obi, for sacrificing his scoring to rebound and play defense.”

Sophomore James Anderson continued his trend of playing more aggressive. He grabbed eight rebounds to

This is what Blazers coach Doug Sauter had in mind when he brought Bill Vandermeer and Chad Hinz to Oklahoma City.

Vandermeer scored 27 seconds into the third period to give Oklahoma City a 3-2 Central Hockey League win over Amarillo before 5,357 fans on Thursday night at the Ford Center.

Vandermeer and Hinz were supposed to be the nucleus of a revamped Blazers club. When Hinz returned to Austria before the season began, the two never got to showcase their skills together.

But with Hinz returning to the Blazers last week and a second-period injury to D.J. Jelitto, Hinz and Vandermeer were on the ice together in the third period. Vandermeer was assisted by Hinz and Brian Passmore on the game-winning goal.

First RacePurse $17,300, Maiden Claiming $30,000-$25,000, 3, 4, & 5 yo’s, Five Furlongs (turf)

8 Havana Special (Murphy G.) $5.40 $3.00 $2.60

4 Foxie an Fun (Eramia R.) $11.20 $7.40

9 Cruzin Courtney (McNeil B.) $16.40

Late Scratches: Johannes Run

Also Ran: Minardi Gold, Slewessence, Foxxy Pearl, Happier Than Thou, Amazing Beat, Tricky Music, Sweet Fuddhabilly, Hi Dee Ho.

Exacta (8-4) $63.40; Quinella (4-8) $47.20;.10-Cent Superfecta (8-4-9-1) $883.09; Trifecta (8-4-9) $2,289.40

Owner: Tigertail Ranch Trainer: Pish, Danny

Time: :59.20

Second RacePurse $32,700, MaidenSpecialWeight, 3, 4, & 5 yo’s, Six Furlongs

8 Evil Magic (Berry M.) $4.40 $2.40 $2.40

3 Shania Twang (Wethey, Jr.

STILLWATER — Early in the Travis Ford era, Oklahoma State has been a team that shoots the 3 — a lot. On Thursday night, as the Cowboys took apart Tulsa 91-73, they were a basketball team that ran the pick-and-roll — a lot.

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to realize that when center Ibrahima Thomas took Tulsa center Jamont Jordan with him to set screens for point guard Byron Eaton, great things were happening. Eaton was hitting Thomas cutting to the basket — to the tune of 18 points for the big man. The point guard was finishing for himself — he had 26 points — and getting the rest of the team shots as well (he had seven assists).

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers know exactly how to beat the Cincinnati Bengals — with or without Chad Ocho Cinco.

The Steelers limited the depleted Bengals to six first downs following an early touchdown drive and found just enough offense themselves amid the snow flurries to control the clock behind Roethlisberger and beat Cincinnati 27-10 on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh (8-3) wasn’t dominating — except defensively — in winning its fifth game in a row over Cincinnati (1-9-1), its longest streak since an eight-game run in the early 1990s.

CENTRAL

Draper: Elevation normal, and clear. Elevation normal, water clear.

Overholser: Elevation normal, water murky. Crappie fair on chartreuse jigs.

Thunderbird: Elevation normal, water clear. Crappie good on minnows and small jigs at 8-10 ft. around brush.

NORTHEAST

Bell Cow: Elevation below normal, water clear. Bass slow. Channel catfish slow. Crappie good on minnows and jigs.

Birch: Elevation normal, water 55 and clear. Crappie good on jigs at 8-20 ft. near submerged structure. Report submitted by Spencer Grace, game warden stationed in Osage County. Chandler: Elevation below normal, water clear. Bass slow. Channel catfish fair on doughbaits. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs.

Eucha: Elevation

Oklahoma’s 16-day deer gun season opens Saturday and state wildlife officials say it’s just in time for the rut in much of the state.

"The rut seems to be in full swing, and weather permitting, opening weekend of gun season should be a good one,” said Joe Hemphill, southeast region wildlife supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The rut is the breeding season for whitetails and normally occurs around the second week of November.

Deer movement picks up as bucks begin to aggressively chase does, making them more susceptible to hunters.

The rut is influenced by a host of factors such as temperatures, moon phase and herd condition, state wildlife officials said.

Thursday’s GamesWednesday’s Late GamesNUGGETS 91, SPURS 81

DENVER

FGFTRebMinM-AM-AO-TAPFPTSAnthony35:275-158-100-97421Martin34:279-140-11-71318Nene32:355-76-82-91516Billups39:485-89-90-56122Jones17:550-20-00-3010Smith25:262-61-20-2435Kleiza17:470-30-00-1020Carter24:092-61-10-1215Balkman8:361-20-03-4012Atkins2:281-10-00-0002Samb1:220-10-00-0010Totals240:0030-6525-316-41212291Percentages: FG .462, FT .806. 3-Point Goals: 6-13, .462 (Anthony 3-4, Billups 3-5, Kleiza 0-1, Smith 0-1, Carter 0-2). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 20 (20 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Nene 2, Billups). Turnovers: 20 (Billups 6, Anthony 5, Carter 3, Kleiza 2, Balkman, Nene, Jones, Samb). Steals: 9 (Martin 2, Anthony, Balkman, Billups, Nene,

CHL

Standings

NORTHERN CONFERENCE

Northeast Division

WLOTLPtsGFGAOklahoma City912204021Bossier-Shreveport831174630Mississippi760144140Tulsa36172649Northwest Division

WLOTLPtsGFGAColorado1120225840Rapid City344104247Wichita47193446Rocky Mountain37172747SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Southeast Division

WLOTLPtsGFGALaredo840164028Texas731153833Rio Grande Valley612143424Corpus Christi46194144Southwest Division

WLOTLPtsGFGAOdessa751155542Arizona671135155New Mexico581115060Amarillo48083451Note: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for loss in overtime or shootout. Overtime or shootout losses are only denoted in the OTL column, not the loss column.

Thursday’s Games

Detroit at Boston

L.A. Lakers at Phoenix

Today’s Games

Orlando at Indiana, 6 p.m.

New Jersey at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Houston at Washington, 6 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Charlotte at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Boston at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Utah at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

New York at Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m.

Portland at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Chicago at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

Denver at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday’s Results

Atlanta 91, Washington 87

Toronto 101, Miami 95

Detroit 96, Cleveland 89

Dallas 96, Houston 86

L.A.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

WLPctGBL10StrHomeAwayConfDenver84.667—7-3W-44-14-35-3Utah84.667—6-4W-26-02-46-0Portland75.58316-4W-14-03-54-5Minnesota28.20052-8W-12-30-51-8Oklahoma City111.08371-9L-91-60-51-4Southwest Division

WLPctGBL10StrHomeAwayConfHouston75.583—5-5L-13-24-37-4New Orleans55.50015-5L-23-32-23-3San Antonio56.4551 1/2 5-5L-12-43-24-4Dallas57.41724-6W-30-45-33-4Memphis47.3642 1/2 4-6W-13-21-53-4Pacific Division

WLPctGBL10StrHomeAwayConfL.A. Lakers81.889—8-1W-14-14-07-0Phoenix84.6671 1/2 7-3L-13-25-24-3Golden State56.45545-5W-23-32-34-4Sacramento58.38555-5W-13-32-55-4L.A. Clippers29.18272-8W-11-71-22-9EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

OKLAHOMA STATE 91, TULSA 73

Tulsa

FG3PTFTMinM-AM-AM-ARebAPFPTSWheatley f…181-20-02022144Jordan c…223-50-02-43018Uzoh g…377-123-53-572320Hurtt g…312-52-51-23217Andrews g…264-102-51-521411Idlet…144-70-00-05038Richard…181-10-02-54124Mitchell…61-20-00-01002Reese…283-82-61-25219Team…1Totals…20026-529-2112-253291973Oklahoma State

FG3PTFTMinM-AM-AM-ARebAPFPTSThomas c…288-161-31-470418Eaton g…337-131-211-1457426Harris g…314-100-00-01448Muonelo g…361-71-42-211125Anderson g…366-92-24-483118Brown…123-50-01-12057Page…243-51-32-23019Sidorakis…10-00-00-00000Team…2Totals…20032-656-1421-2739152191Tulsa

STILLWATER — NBA scouts showed up en masse to see Tulsa’s 7-footer play in Gallagher-Iba Arena Thursday night.

Instead of a strong performance by Jerome Jordan, the scouts and the other 6,774 in attendance saw Oklahoma State’s guards dominate as the Cowboys breezed by the Golden Hurricane, 91-73.

Senior point guard Byron Eaton scored 26 points, sophomore James Anderson added 18 and OSU’s big man, Ibrahima Thomas, came out looking like the better post player, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

OSU held Jordan to just eight points and rendered him almost entirely useless in the first half as he grabbed just one rebound before the break.

NFL

Standings

NFC

East Division

WLTPctPFPAN.Y. Giants910.900292170Washington640.600181182Dallas640.600230229Philadelphia541.550264193South Division

WLTPctPFPACarolina820.800222155Tampa Bay730.700219160Atlanta640.600231198New Orleans550.500266249North Division

WLTPctPFPAGreen Bay550.500274209Chicago550.500240231Minnesota550.500223234Detroit0100.000173308West Division

WLTPctPFPAArizona730.700289228San Francisco370.300230275Seattle280.200190257St. Louis280.200144317AFC

East Division

WLTPctPFPAN.Y. Jets730.700289221Miami640.600209197New England640.600219194Buffalo550.500219218South Division

NORMAN — When he walked onto the Oklahoma campus three seasons ago, Joey Halzle hoped to become the next Sooner quarterback.

When he walks off the Owen Field turf for the final time Saturday, he will have nary a start to his name and a dubious performance at Texas Tech to his credit.

That, however, will not be his legacy.

Not if a senior project goes as planned.

Halzle is developing a coloring book for kids at The Children’s Hospital at the OU Medical Center. He hopes to use photographs of Sooner players, which will be turned into pictures that can be colored, then bound together. He wants to include quotes, too, words that would encourage and inspire children battling life-threatening illnesses.

These are

Second Round

All games at 7:30 p.m.

unless noted

Class 6A

Broken Arrow at Mustang, Friday

Edmond Santa Fe at Jenks, Saturday

Stillwater at Midwest City, Saturday

Norman North at Tulsa Union, Friday

Class 5A

Miami at El Reno, Friday

Guthrie at T. Washington, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Bixby at Carl Albert, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Lawton MacArthur at Coweta, Friday

Class 4A

Sallisaw at McGuinness, Friday

Star Spencer at Grove, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Wagoner at Glenpool, Saturday

Douglass at Broken Bow, Friday

Class 3A

Metro Christian at Tuttle, Friday

Blanchard at Cascia Hall, Saturday

Seq. Claremore at Purcell, Saturday

Clinton at Checotah, Friday

Class 2A