Pehrson and Elliot take the wheel in win over Bristow
MANNFORD — If you like your high school basketball with chaos, heart, and bunch of rebounds on both ends, then Mannford’s season-opening week was las juicy as the Sunday buffet at Steer Inn.
The Lady Pirates didn’t crouch and sneak into this new season — they kicked down the door, tripped over some stuff in Berryhill, then picked themselves up and beat Bristow for the seventh straight time.
Sharpening the spatula in Berryhill
The opener at Berryhill felt like the first pancake off the griddle. Lopsided, with a dark crust on one side and a bit light on the other, but you could taste potential.
Mannford fell behind 18–11 after one. Not ideal, but they were getting the ball through the hoop. The ladies started tightening the rope in the second quarter .Senior Addison Pehrson and junior Adley Elliott pretty much grabbed the Lady Pirate offense by the collar and shook, “Come on, we’re not doing this tonight.”
They trimmed the Berryhill lead to four points at the half. Then came the third. Mannford came to within one — 33– 32 — and Lady Pirate fans in the house smelled an upset. Berryhill smelled it too apparently, because the final quarter turned into a bunch of Lady Chiefs turning defense into offense and running downhill. A 14–4 fourth sealed a 59–46 Berryhill win.
But Mannford never really raised the white flag, and Lady Pirate Head Coach Nathan Reed liked that part.
“This was a tough loss to start the season, but our girls never quit and kept fighting,” he said. “We had some contributions by everyone tonight that kept us in the ballgame. A very good team on the other side, but we still had our chances. I feel like our team will only get better as this season goes on.”
Pehrson picked up right where she left off last season, filling her row in the scorebook with a lot of dots — 15 pts, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals. Elliott was a bruiser in the paint, posting a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double like she was checking Bristow defenders onto Santa's coal list. Ella Maxville dropped 8; Marin Chapman added 4 along with a little sharpelbowed hustle; Ashlyn Elliott and Lexi Lovekamp pulled in boards as well.
Bruises for Bristow
Saturday was another day. The Lady Pirates got their shoes on the right feet this time and stomped back into their own house looking for trouble.
Trouble found them in the first frame. It was ugly — like 8–4 ugly. Reed’s girls started out like someone forgot to charge the offense before the game.
The second? Better. The ladies outscored their rivals by two to make the mid-game score 17–11, Bristow. Not ideal seamanship, but the Lady Pirates were starting to catch the wind.
By the third quarter, they were under full canvas with the wind at a perfect quarter. Mannford went up 23–19, fueled by Pehrson’s outside shooting and slashing drives, and Elliott’s unapologetic rebounding and scoring… oh, and throw in a few Bristow turnovers that were probably the stars of their film session this week.
By the fourth, Mannford’s defense was a brick wall with a sign that said, “No Entry. Real Pirates only.”
Bristow was denied. The Lady Pirates closed it out 34–26 — a seventh-straight rivalry win, a redemption win, and the seal was broken on a new season.
Reed didn’t pretend like it was pretty.
“We always strive to play to the best of our abilities, and we didn't quite do that Saturday, but everyone in our locker room will always take a win,” he said. “We got off to a really slow start and never really got into a rhythm on offense. Defense will always show up with great effort and that is what it took today. It was great to get a win over a close rival, and we will look to carry the momentum into the Nowata Tournament next week.”
Pehrson once again played like the dominant player she can be — 17 pts, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals; Elliott added 10 and 6; Chapman chipped 5 points; Ashlyn Elliott tossed in 2; Lovekamp reeled in 5 rebounds and McCrackin handed out assists like holiday cookie tins with five.
Mannford’s week doesn’t get any easier. Next up is the road swing to the Ty Hewitt Memorial Invitational at Nowata — a week-long small-school grinder running Dec. 9–14 where Chelsea, Nowata and a pack of other northeast-Oklahoma programs will be angling for early-season hardware. The Lady Pirates know the place well; Mannford won the Nowata Tournament back in 2021 with a 48–43 title win over Oklahoma Union, and 2023 with a 49-39 win over Oologah. Tip of times and. Bracket pairing have not yet been announced.