Prior to 2021,
Dale (Okla.) had never won a state championship in boys basketball. Now it has won four in a row and it ends the year as the No. 1 team in the Small Town Top 25 high school basketball rankings.
Dale finished 27-2 and won the Class 2A state championship by a whopping 40 points, 60-20, over
Pocola. The only two losses came against 4A state champion
Weatherford and 4A finalist
Crossings Christian (Oklahoma City). The Pirates were 9-0 against teams from the 3A level and 3-2 against 4A teams.
Overall, Dale finished the year ranked as the No. 3 team in Oklahoma by the MaxPreps computer ratings.
Dale edges out
Russia, which won the Division VII state championship in Ohio. The Raiders defeated
Cornerstone Christian (Willoughby) in the final, 74-57, reportedly earning the school's 1,000th all-time win.
Russia is 56-2 over the past two seasons with a 29-0 record this year.
New York Class B state champion
Marcellus is No. 3 in the rankings. The Mustangs edged
Woodlands (Hartsdale) 63-58 in the final but cruised through the rest playoffs winning by an average margin of 18 points per game.
Texas state champions
Kountze (Class 3A Division 2) and
Tatum (Class 3A Division 1) are next at Nos. 4 and 5. The two teams met during the season with Kountze beating Tatum.
The Small Town Top 25 is compiled based on state championships, overall record, computer rankings and strength of schedule. To be considered for inclusion in the rankings, schools must have an enrollment under 1,000 students in a town with a population under 10,000.
Final 2024-25 Small Town Top 25
1. Dale (Okla.), 30-2
Class 2A state champion.
2. Russia (Ohio), 29-0
Division VII state champion.
3. Marcellus (N.Y.), 23-4
Class B state champion.
4. Kountze (Texas), 38-2
Class 3A Division 2 state champion.
5. Tatum (Texas), 32-2
Class 3A Division 1 state champion.
6. Booneville (Miss.), 28-4
Class 3A state champion.
7. Hesston (Kan.), 24-2
Class 3A state champion.
8. Albany (Minn.), 32-0
Class 2A state champion.
9. Martins Mill (Ben Wheeler, Texas), 36-1
Class 2A Division 2 state champion.
10. Box Elder (Mont.), 23-0
Class C state champion.
11. Hawthorne (Fla.), 20-3
Rural state champion.
12. Berne-Knox-Westerlo (Berne, N.Y.), 26-0
Class C state champion.
13. Castlewood (S.D.), 24-3
Class B state champion.
14. Preston (Idaho), 25-1
Class 5A state champion.
15. Caribou (Maine), 20-1
Class B state champion.
16. MOC-Floyd Valley (Orange City, Iowa), 25-4
Class 3A state champion.
17. Bonners Ferry (Idaho), 24-1
Class 4A state champion.
18. Kindred (N.D.), 27-1
Class A state champion.
19. Sterling (Kan.), 23-3
Class 2A state champion.
20. Okarche (Okla.), 28-0
Class 1A state champion.
21. Manchester (North Manchester, Ind.), 27-2
Class 2A state champion.
22. Monroe Central (Woodsfield, Ohio), 26-3
Division VI state champion.
23. Eugene (Mo.), 35-3
Class 2A state champion.
24. Johnson-Brock (Johnson, Neb.), 29-1
Class D1 state champion.
25. Devils Lake (N.D.), 25-2
Class A runner-up.
Marcellus celebrates after a section championship victory over Skaneateles. (PHOTO: Marisa Pankow)
