Oklahoman staff writers' Class 2A-6A state basketball tournament picks

Justin Harper: Putnam City. Getting hot at the right time, Pirates have beaten both No. 1 (Edmond Santa Fe) and No. 2 (PC West) in the past two weeks.

Robert Przybylo: Edmond Santa Fe. If late-season struggles can't wake this team up, nothing will. Too good to not make a run.

Scott Wright: Midwest City. Sometimes at state, being the hot team is better than being the good team, and the Bombers are scorching.

Consensus: Putnam City

Class 6A Girls

Ryan Aber: Midwest City. Outside of Douglass' boys, Bombers are the easiest pick to bring home a gold ball.

Justin Harper: Midwest City. The Bombers know what it's like to let a title slip away. Their grip will be tight on this one. Aside from being so driven, being the most talented team never hurts, either.

Robert Przybylo: Midwest City. Too much talent and still burning from last year's championship loss.

Scott Wright: Midwest City. No in-state team has been able to challenge the Bombers yet.

Class 5A Boys

Ryan Aber: Tulsa Memorial. Eric Savage's team has the tournament's best player in Cameron Downing.

Justin Harper: Tulsa Memorial. Have beaten plenty of quality opponents all season and Cameron Downing is impressive.

Robert Przybylo: Tulsa Washington. The Hornets have been knocking on the door for a while and add another state title.

Scott Wright: Tulsa Memorial. A big man who can dominate, solid guard play and tough defense — a great combination.

Consensus: Tulsa Memorial

Class 5A Girls

Ryan Aber: Carl Albert. The Titans tandem of Desiree Bradley and Kylie Mayes is tough to beat.

Justin Harper: Carl Albert: The Titans fell two points short last season and have been zoned in on this week for a full year. Desiree Bradley and Kylie Mayes go out with the gold ball.

Robert Przybylo: Tulsa Washington. A strong run late in the season to go with back-to-back championships already make this a dangerous squad.

Scott Wright: Carl Albert. Unbeaten against 5A competition and often dominated in doing so.

Consensus: Carl Albert

Ryan Aber: Douglass. Easiest pick of the bunch as the Trojans might be the best in any class.

Justin Harper: Douglass. Undefeated and some say the best team in any class.

Robert Przybylo: Douglass. Haven't been tested yet as Trojans have been pretty close to unstoppable all season.

Scott Wright: Douglass. The Trojans are the total package and should finish a perfect 30-0.

Consensus: Douglass

Class 4A Girls

Ryan Aber: Cache. Taylor Thompson is gone but the Bulldogs get it done this year.

Justin Harper: Harrah. Cache is No. 1 and is unbeaten, but this Harrah team has been as good as anyone all season. And with its share-the-responsibility style, this team is ideal for tournament play.

Robert Przybylo: Harrah. Faced an incredibly tough schedule and have one of the most balanced teams in the state.

Scott Wright: Harrah. A loaded field, so whoever get the gold ball earned it.

Consensus: Harrah

Ryan Aber: Millwood. The Falcons usually wait until late in the season to get hot. This year, Millwood has been tough from the start.

Justin Harper: Plainview. Not afraid to go on the road as Indians have done well away from home.

Robert Przybylo: Millwood. The Falcons couldn't enter the tournament any better as they've been great down the stretch.

Scott Wright: Cascia Hall. Make it two straight for the Commandos, who tested themselves against a stiff schedule.

Class 3A Girls

Ryan Aber: Kansas. Comets get their third state title and first since 2004.

Justin Harper: Adair: If I could, I would go with Kansadair or Adansas. It's just too hard to differentiate between the dominance of Kansas and Adair. Alas, I like the defending champs. The two teams gave each other their only loss of the season. Round three should be unreal.

Robert Przybylo: Adair. The rubber match between Kansas and Adair should be an instant classic.

Scott Wright: Adair. Traded victories with No. 1 Kansas during the season and it's Adair's turn now.

Consensus: Adair

Class 2A Boys

Ryan Aber: Talihina. Taggart Lockhart and Jordan EagleRoad lead the Golden Tigers to a title.

Justin Harper: Watonga. Word on the street is that no one plays pressure defense more aggressively or better than the Eagles.

Robert Przybylo: Watonga. How can you be undefeated and be under the radar? That's the case for this group.

Scott Wright: Watonga. The Eagles are playing with confidence and they've outscored opponents by 29 points per game this season.

Consensus: Watonga

Class 2A Girls

Ryan Aber: Konawa. Tigers are battle tested, coming through a tough playoff bracket.

Justin Harper: Washington: Two things about Rocky Clarke's teams, 1) They always peak late; 2) They play relaxed and confident at the state tournament.

Both of those things, and of course the killer combo of Kristin Milster and Lauren Pittman, will lead the Warriors to their fourth title in the past eight seasons.

Robert Przybylo: Pawnee. Defending champions made their case with a huge win against Dale for the right to defend crown.

Scott Wright: Dale. An experienced core of players who are ready for the team's first state title since 1991.

Consensus: None