KOAM to carry Oklahoma City Thunder games

(From KOAM)

Friday nights will soon be filled with the sound of Thunder on KOAM, FOX 14 and The 4-States’ CW.

The NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder has reached an agreement with the KOAM’s parent company, Morgan Murphy Media, allowing for the local broadcast of eight Friday night games this season.

“We are thrilled to be part of the OKC Thunder local broadcast team to bring these games to fans for free with over-the-air TV,” said Brook Arnold, VP & General Manager. “For 70 years, KOAM has been passionate about providing local information and entertainment, making our stations the most watched in northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. This is a perfect fit."

The decision to team up with local broadcasters is a recent effort by the OKC Thunder to give fans a new and exciting way to watch their team.

“This is a tremendous opportunity that allows us to increase our fans’ ability to watch Friday games free and over the air this season,” said Dan Mahoney, Thunder Vice President of Broadcasting.

Clay Bennett, Chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder agrees. “The Thunder is grateful for the loyal support we receive from our fans across Oklahoma and the region. We look forward to providing them this additional access to our game broadcasts.”

KOAM will broadcast the eight games across its network of local stations. The first game will air on KOAM on January 26th. The CW will carry the next two contests. And the final five games can be seen on FOX 14.

“The Thunder is one of the top teams in the NBA this season. In addition to their regional popularity, they are just a fun team to watch,” said John Dales, KOAM Sports Director. “I’m excited that our stations will be bringing these games to area fans.”

Here is the complete schedule of the eight broadcasts.

KOAM Friday, Jan. 26 at New Orleans Pelicans 7 p.m.

CW Friday, Feb. 2 vs. Charlotte Hornets 7 p.m.

CW Friday, Feb 23 vs. Washington Wizards 7 p.m.

FOX14 Friday, March 8 vs. Miami Heat 7 p.m.

FOX14 Friday, March 22 at Toronto Raptors 6 p.m.

FOX14 Friday, March 29 vs. Phoenix Suns 7 p.m.

FOX14 Friday, April 5 at Indiana Pacers 6 p.m.

FOX14 Friday, April 12 vs. Milwaukee Bucks 7 p.m.

The Friday night games will be hosted by the Thunder’s on-air team of Chris Fisher, Michael Cage, Paris Lawson, and Nick Gallo. Along with the team’s director and producer, they will continue to provide a top-quality broadcast with expert coverage and analysis. Each of the eight games will include 30-minute pre and postgame shows.

MSSU men fall to Illinois Springfield in First Game of Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic

(From Missouri Southern Athletics)

Springfield, Mo. - After a little over a week from their previous competition, the men's basketball team was back in action Tuesday afternoon. They began their two-game stint at the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic with a matchup against the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars in Springfield, Missouri.

Sam Thompson got the Lions going with a hook shot on their first possession, giving them the first lead of the game. Cam Williams then pushed that lead with a good three pointer. A couple minutes later, Williams drained another three to make it 10-6 MSSU. Illinois Springfield fought back to make it a tie game near the midway point of the first half.

After UIS took the lead, Winston Dessesow successfully converted the and-one opportunity, cutting the deficit to 29-27. He hit another jumper late in the period, and Avery Taggart made a three, keeping the Lions close at 39-36. Just before the half, Vinson Sigmon Jr. made a bucket on an assist from Ibn Loyal, making the score 45-38 UIS.

Missouri Southern's portion of the second half was kicked off by Darius Dawswon. A few minutes later, Sam Thompson made a layup, then followed up with a three-point play on a good layup and made free throw from the foul. Illinois Springfield pushed their lead over double digits, but another basket from Thompson and a layup from Vinson Sigmon Jr. cut the deficit back to 10 at the 9:55 mark. The Prairie Stars built on their lead for the remainder of the game, ending in a 96-77 final.

Sam Thompson led the Lions with 15 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. He also had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal on the day. Darius Dawson had a similar stat line, finishing with 14 points on 6-9 shooting, with a team-high 8 rebounds. Cam Williams and Winston Dessesow each finished with 12 points, and Parker Long led the Lions with 3 assists.

Continuing play in the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic, the Lions will take on the hosts of the tournament in the Drury Panthers Wednesday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 PM on November 22.

The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.

Diamond's Grace Frazier among four MSSU women's basketball recruits

(From Missouri Southern Athletics)

Missouri Southern women's basketball coach Ronnie Ressel has announced the signing of four recruits for the 2024-25 season.

Grace Frazier
Diamond, Mo.

Frazier prepped at Diamond High School where she was coached by Marty Atnip. As a Wildcat, the 5-foot-3 guard averaged 24.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 steals in her junior year, as well as hitting the 1,000 point milestone. Frazier was named an All-Conference selection all three years at Diamond, as well as named the Player of the Year in her conference her junior year. 

Frazier assisted the Wildcats in becoming district champions in 2023, the first time they had accomplished such since 1986, as well as putting up 40 points in her final game of her junior season in the Class 3 sectional game. Frazier is four-time letter winner in basketball, at point guard, and softball, at catcher, as well as a one-time letter winner in volleyball, at Libero.

Coach Ressel on Grace, "Grace is a young lady that can score at all 3 levels. She has great range from 3, can get to the basket and finish in multiple ways and has a solid mid-range-floater game. Grace sees the floor extremely well and does a great job of getting her teammates open shots."

Grace is the daughter of Lora and James Frazier and is currently undecided on a major at Southern.

Ava Pautz
Phoenix, Ariz.

Pautz prepped at Notre Dame Preparatory for coach Patricia Hollerbach where she was a four-year letter winner for the Saints as a multi-position player. The 5-foot-10 forward averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.1 assists her junior year. Pautz was a two-time regional player of the year and All-Conference selection, as well as the offensive player of the year her sophomore year. Pautz assisted the Saints in winning two regional championships where she also joined the 1,000 point club.

Coach Ressel on Ava, "Ava is an extremely versatile player. Offensively she is very good at getting to the basket or finishing with a mid range jump shot. Ava has the ability to guard multiple positions on the floor."

Ava is the daughter of DelRae Urban and Bart Pautz and intends to major in Broadcast Journalism at Southern.

Delaney Roller
Fayetteville, Ark.

Roller prepped at Har-Ber High School for coach Kimberly Jenkins where she was a two-year letter winner for the Wildcats as a shooting guard. The 5-foot-9 guard totaled 657 points, 182 rebounds, 105 assists, 52 steals and 13 blocks in two years of action. Roller was a two-time All-Conference selection, where she assisted the Wildcats to two-straight conference championships as the varsity captain.

Coach Ressel on Delaney, "Delaney is a big time shooter that competes on both ends of the floor. She is a big time competitor with a great work ethic that continues to work and improve her game every day."

Delaney is the daughter of Kristin and Josh Roller and intends to major in Business at Southern.

Makenna Yokley
Collinsville, Okla.

Yokley prepped at Owasso High School where she was coached by Kendall Woodward. As a Ram, the 6-foot-1 forward averaged 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists in her junior year. Yokley was named an All-Conference selection her sophomore and junior year. Yokley was awarded the Joe Lawson All-Tournament team her sophomore year, and selected to the Tulsa World All-World team, Tulsa World Miss Inside, Skiatook Invitational Tournament MVP and Bishop Kelley All-Tournament team as a junior. Academically, Yokley was selected to the Academic All-Conference her junior year. Yokley is four-time letter winner in basketball, at power forward, and track, at the 400 meter.

Coach Ressel on Makenna, "Makenna is a physical kid that can score around the basket in a variety of ways. She can step out and shoot the 3 or put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. She will be a tough matchup for our opponents."

Makenna is the daughter of Laura and Brad Yokley and intends to major in Kinesiology at Southern.

"I am extremely excited to welcome these 4 young ladies to the Lion Family. They are exactly the type of young ladies that we want to represent our program and our university. They all do a great job in the classroom and on the basketball floor," stated Coach Ressel.

The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.