PITT 8 BASKETBALL: Times changed in honor of Savanna superintendent

Gyms sat silent on Wednesday, giving way for a moment of reflection for Pitt 8 tournament teams — in more ways than one.

Tuesday night, the Savanna Bulldogs took the floor with basketball coach Matt Murdaugh sporting a bright, neon green tie in honor of Savanna superintendent Gary Reeder, who died earlier that day.

On Wednesday afternoon, Pitt 8 Conference commissioner Chad Graham announced tournament time changes for two girls games on Saturday so teams and families could attend Reeder’s funeral, which is set for Saturday morning.

“We’re just trying to do everything we can so they can pay respect,” Graham said.

The girls consolation championship will now be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Pittsburg, while the third place game will be slotted into the 10 a.m. start time. Both games will be held at Pittsburg.

The Pitt 8 Tournament reached its halfway point on Wednesday, taking its traditional midweek break to allow teams to rest, regroup, and reflect on the first half of the tournament.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a few changes, teams nonetheless readied themselves to rise to the challenge.

On Monday, the ladies of the Pitt 8 took center stage. Indianola and Canadian kicked off the tournament with an exciting back-and-forth that saw each team trading the lead and leaving it all out on the floor.

In the final seconds of the game, the Warriorettes hit a long, arcing shot at the buzzer — but it would be ruled worth two points instead of three, giving the Lady Cougars the 48-47 win.

Stuart and Pittsburg also notched a pair of wins, setting up to face each other in the semifinal round on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the boys took their turn. Pittsburg used a second-half surge to seal a win and advance to face off against Crowder on Friday, and Stuart took home a big win against Haileyville.

Meanwhile, Savanna and Indianola were locked in a heated battle for much of the game. But the Bulldogs used a second-half push of their own to take the win on an emotional night.

Here are the results and upcoming match-ups for the 2021 Pitt 8 Tournament:

GIRLS

MONDAY

At Pittsburg

G1: Kiowa, bye

G2: Pittsburg 68, Savanna 35

At Kiowa

G3: Canadian 48, Indianola 47

G4: Stuart 73, Haileyville 43

THURSDAY

At Pittsburg

G5: Indianola, bye

G6: Haileyville vs. Savanna, 6 p.m.

At Kiowa

G7: Kiowa vs. Canadian, 6 p.m.

G8: Stuart vs. Pittsburg, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

At Pittsburg

G9: Loser G7 vs. Loser G8, 10 a.m. (Third Place)

G10: Indianola vs. Winner G6, 2 p.m. (Consolation Final)

At Kiowa

G11: Winner G7 vs. Winner G8, 6 p.m. (Championship Final)

BOYS

TUESDAY

At Pittsburg

B1: Pittsburg 56, Canadian 30

B2: Savanna 49, Indianola 30

At Kiowa

B3: Stuart 73, Haileyville 43

B4: Crowder 62, Kiowa 41

FRIDAY

At Pittsburg

B5: Haileyville vs. Indianola, 6 p.m.

B6: Kiowa vs. Canadian, 8 p.m.

At Kiowa

B7: Stuart vs. Savanna, 6 p.m.

B8: Crowder vs. Pittsburg, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

At Pittsburg

B9: Winner B5 vs. Winner B6, 12 p.m. (Consolation Final)

At Kiowa

B10: Loser G7 vs. Loser G8, 4 p.m. (Third Place)

B11: Winner B7 vs. Winner B8, 8 p.m. (Championship Final)

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.