Season Surge: Perkins-Tryon Demons
Photo Credits: I Was at the Game
I’m starting a new series to not only highlight player performances, but also teams as a whole because the Perkins-Tryon Demons just made an absolute statement these last 7 days. Across the state from 6A to B2, there is always chaos occurring. With playoffs quickly coming up, this is the part of the season where we start to really see who is looking to make a deep run.
The Perkins-Tryon Demons have been proven winners the last couple of seasons. Led by head coach Dylan Parker, the Demons have a combined record of 100-27 since the 2021-22 season. Parker earned the award of Tulsa 7 Conference Coach of the Year last season as he led the Demons to a solid 18-8 overall record. They’ve been to State once, Area finals once, and Regional finals twice. This year they could easily earn their way into the State tournament again. Coach Parker has developed a handful of athletes who now play ball at the next level. For example, Tucker Shepherd, a PT alum, is at SWOSU averaging over 7 points a game this season as a Sophomore.
The current team is headlined by several seniors with Jace Myers, Wyatt Atkinson, Nate Rains, and Zane Payton all included in the starting five. The 5th man up is the electric junior guard Tyce Slusser. Jace Myers is a 6’1 guard and considered the captain of the squad. He averaged a little over 10 points last season and has continued to showcase that this year. Atkinson is a 6’1 guard as well and Payton is a 6’4 forward. Together, they bring the hard to beat competitive edge across the floor, especially in the paint. Atkinson is a well-rounded dual-sport athlete who fears nobody. Nate Rains is a 5’11 guard who thrives in challenging moments and always steps up when the time is needed. The final piece of this strong five is Tyce Slusser. He’s a 5’11 guard who has a high motor and quick first step to create seperation from defenders. He led the team in scoring last season and has replicated that this year as well. The Demons see help off the bench from two more seniors in Cale Collum, a 6’2 guard, and Carson Brown, a 6’0 guard. Both are great assets and provide great support for their team whenever needed. DeAngelo Johnson, a lengthy 6’6 forward, is another big help for the Demons. He’s only a sophomore and has high upside.
As a team, the Demons are threats on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. This season, they only allow a 41 points a game from opponents. They match up well against any offense, regardless of size, height, speed, tempo, efficiency, anything. They force turnovers with smart defense and high basketball IQ. They specialize in reading patterns and preventing easy buckets in the paint or perimeter.
These past seven days, the Demons made a huge statement. They picked up two huge wins against two Top 10 ranked teams in 4A, both in the same tournament at the Buckle of the Wheatbelt in Kingfisher. In the semifinals, Perkins-Tryon battled the 10th ranked Kingfisher Yellow Jackets who had a record of 12-3. The Demons pulled off a huge upset with a close win 59-57, thanks to a tough spin move layup from Tyce Slusser with 3 seconds to go which then led to time running out. This buzzer beater advanced the Demons to the championship game. There, they faced the undefeated and reigning 4A state champions, the Weatherford Eagles. In a heated overtime contest, the Demons pulled off yet again another huge upset, beating the Eagles 52-47. This now puts Perkins-Tryon as 14-2 this season and currently ranked 12th in the state. The remainder of their season consists of Tulsa 7 Conference opponents only, who they have already beaten in prior games. They could very easily see themselves with a 21-2 record headed into playoffs. This would even almost guarantee themselves a Top 8 spot in the rankings.
Keep an eye out for these guys. They’re looking to make some more noise next month and in March. Their momentum is through the roof and will be hard to stop, especially if they finish 7-0.
