SPARKING TRADITION: Caney Valley tourney set to tip-off Thursday
Caney Valley High School’s Roxy Hawkins (1) tries to get past Dewey’s Chanley Herren (3) in a recent game in Dewey. Caney Valley hosts their annual tournament starting Thursday.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
It’s been 31 years since Caney Valley High School administrator Holly Ward initiated the Caney Valley Basketball Tournament.
The then-week-long event quickly blossomed into an annual sports highlight, renown for its fierce competition, eclectic field of participants, sumptuous hospitality room and overstuffed parking lot and grass field within a quarter-mile radius or more of the Holly C. Ward Gymnasium.
This year’s field includes:
Caney Valley (Okla.), Dewey, Caney Valley (Kan.), Barnsdall, Liberty, Porter, Cleveland and Riverfield.
Liberty is the two-time defending boys champion while Caney Valley (Okla.) is the returning girls’ ruler.
Liberty has captured three of the last four boys’ crowns.
It is actually a dual tournament played simultaneously— a girls bracket and a boys bracket, both with eight teams.
The 31st tourney edition (the tourney was cancelled in 2021 due to virus-related concerns) is set to tip-off Thursday (Jan. 23).
__________
CV TOURNEY SCHEDULE
THURSDAY GIRLS
10 a.m.: Caney Valley (Kan.) vs. Liberty
1 p.m.: Porter vs. Barnsdall
4 p.m.: Dewey vs. Riverfield
7 p.m.: Caney Valley (Okla.) vs. Cleveland
THURSDAY BOYS
11:30 a.m.: Liberty vs. Porter
2:30 p.m.: Riverfield vs. Barnsdall
5:30 p.m.: Caney Valley (Kan.) vs. Caney Valley (Okla.)
8:30 p.m.: Dewey vs. Cleveland
__________
As with most successful long-term endeavors there have been major changes.
For most of its history, the CV tourney spanned five days with four games each the first four days — Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays Fridays, followed by an eight-game marathon on Saturday’s.
But a few years ago the tourney modified to a three-day, eight-games-a-day format, Thursday through Saturday.
Ward handled public announcer duties the first 20 years-plus of the event, but that task has been handled by others the past few years.
Many long time participants — such as Copan, Oklahoma Union, Nowata, Sperry, Kellyville, Chelsea and others — are not back this season or have been non-participants for the past few years.
But other teams have stepped up to fill those vacancies in what remains a tremendously competitive and entertaining hoops pageant.
BOYS
Liberty (8-2) — Class A, PS-PA: 571-439
Riverfield (8-3) — Class A (No. 20), PS-PA: 652-367
Dewey (5-6) — Class 3A, PS-PA: 552-543
Barnsdall (5-8) — Class A, PS-PA: 583-677
Caney Valley (Kan.) (4-2) — Class 3A, PS-PA: 403-328
Cleveland (3-7) — Class 4A, PS-PA: 481-594
Caney Valley (Okla.) (3-8) — Class 2A, PS-PA: 423-539
Porter (1-10) — Class A, PS-PA: 413-615
GIRLS
Caney Valley (Kan.) (6-0) — Class 3A, PS-PA: 342-229
Porter (9-3) — Class A, PS-PA: 546-423
Caney Valley (Okla.) (7-4) — Class 2A, PS-PA: 419-374
Riverfield (7-5) — Class A, PS-PA: 415-336
Barnsdall (6-7) — Class A, PS-PA: 454-511
Dewey (4-6) — Class 3A, PS-PA: 415-382
Cleveland (3-8) — Class 4A, PS-PA: 470-603
Liberty (1-8) — Class A, PS-PA: 241-392
__________
CV TOURNAMENT WINNERS-RUNNERS UP
BOYS
2023-24: LIBERTY 67, Riverfield 50
2022-23: LIBERTY 55, Riverfield 32
2021-22: RIVERFIELD 62, Dewey 61
2020-21: Tournament cancelled
2019-20: LIBERTY 66, Caney Valley 60
2018-19: OKLAHOMA UNION 68, Barnsdall 63
2017-18: OKLAHOMA UNION 65, Barnsdall 63
2016-17: SPERRY 71, Depew 39
2015-16: SPERRY 71, Salina 52
2014-15: SPERRY 66, Chelsea 34
2013-14: SPERRY 67, Oklahoma Union 57
2012-13: T. WEBSTER 66, Oklahoma Union 46
2011-12: CANEY VALLEY 64, Porter 50
2010-11: CANEY VALLEY 56, Nowata 55
2009-10: NOWATA 63, Barnsdall 62
2008-09: NOWATA 75, Kelleyville 64
2007-08: LIBERTY 39, Nowata 36
2006-07: NOWATA 71, Copan 68
2005-06: NOWATA 52, Collinsville 47
2004-05: COLLINSVILLE 59, Kelleyville 48
2003-04: KELLYVILLE 55, Collinsville 48
2002-03: KELLYVILLE 62, Nowata 51
2001-02: CANEY VALLEY 108, Salina 66
2000-01: CANEY VALLEY 77, Salina 68
1999-20: CANEY VALLEY 61, Nowata 60
1998-99: NOWATA 54, Oklahoma Union 40
1997-98: CANEY VALLEY 46, Berryhill 43
1996-97: BERRYHILL 85, Copan 70
1995-96: NOWATA 64, Copan 58
1994-95: Nowata vs. Caney Valley (NA)
1993-94: KELLYVILLE 62, Caney Valley 54
__________
GIRLS
2023-24: CANEY VALLEY 51, Dewey 31
2022-23: OKLAHOMA BIBLE 53, Caney Valley 44
2021-22: OKLAHOMA BIBLE 44, Caney Valley 31
2000-21: Tournament cancelled
2019-20: OKLAHOMA UNION 39, Caney Valley 14
2018-19: OKLAHOMA UNION 47, Caney Valley 37
2017-18: CANEY VALLEY 58, Oklahoma Union 25
2016-17: CHELSEA 52, Caney Valley 50
2015-16: SALINA 62, Chelsea 52
2014-15: CHELSEA 46, Caney Valley 39
2013-14: CHELSEA 50, Caney Valley 46
2012-13: CANEY VALLEY 65, Chelsea 62
2011-12: CHELSEA 48, Oklahoma Union 46
2010-11: OKLAHOMA UNION 52, Copan 50
2009-10: COPAN 50, Oklahoma Union 40
2008-09: CHELSEA 53, Copan 28
2007-08: COPAN 60, Chelsea 58
2006-07: COPAN 33, Kellyville 32
2005-06: COLLINSVILLE 61, Kellyville 47
2004-05: LOCUST GROVE 56, Caney Valley 50
2003-04: CANEY VALLEY45, Broken Bow 44
2002-03: NEWKIRK 51, Barnsdall 43
2001-02: SALINA 38, Newkirk 33
2000-01: CANEY VALLEY 55, Oklahoma Union 27
1999-00: CANEY VALLEY 43, Oklahoma Union 19
1998-99: CANEY VALLEY 66, Collinsville 44
1997-98: BERRYHILL 55, Oklahoma Union 43
1996-97: BERRYHILL 56, Copan 48
1995-96: BERRYHILL 46, Oklahoma Union 45
1994-95: OKLAHOMA UNION 41, Nowata 39
1993-94: KELLYVILLE 41, Caney Valley 39
Note: Caney Valley has appeared in 16 of the 30 girls’ finals. The next most is Oklahoma Union with 11 finals’ qualification. The most by a boys’ team is Nowata (10).