DALE — Denton Forsythe is playing with something to prove this season. 

A junior at Dale, he won titles in his first two years with the Pirates as his older brother Dayton led the program and solidified himself as one of the best players in the state. 

But with Dayton graduating and now playing at OU, there were questions about Dale. 

Would the Pirates maintain their high level of play? 

Would they fade a bit? 

Did they have enough star power?  

Dale had a chance this week to see where it stood among the state’s best.

In the end, the Pirates erased any doubts that may have thrown their way. 

Class 2A top-ranked Dale defeated Class 3A No. 1 Millwood 64-57 inside its home gymnasium Friday.

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Forsythe had a big night as he led Dale with 22 points, while Jett Higdon had 13 and Tray Chambers added 12. Amari Barrett led Millwood (7-5) with 18. 

“We played extremely hard and extremely well,” Dale coach Jeff Edmonson said. “MIllwood is one of the top teams in the state. That’s a big-time win, so I’m really proud of our boys.” 

Dale had won 57 straight home games into the matchup, and the gym was packed Friday. 

“We knew this place was gonna be rocking,” Forsythe said. “We got to give thanks to all of our fans. We knew Millwood was gonna come, because we beat them last year, we knew they were gonna come with energy and effort. I’m just proud of these guys, the way they played and competed.” 

Dale didn’t have the greatest start and trailed 15-9 after Millwood’s Isaiah Wilks hit a jumper at the end of the first quarter. 

But with Forsythe leading the charge, Dale fought back, trailed 29-25 at halftime and dominated after the break. 

“He played with a lot of heart,” Edmonson said of Forsythe. “They all do. Everybody made big plays. Every single one of them on both ends of the floor.” 

Forsythe views this as one of the best wins of his career. 

The Pirates are now 17-2. Their lone losses were in December at the Tournament of Champions, where they fell to Class 4A top-ranked Weatherford 59-58 and to Class 4A third-ranked Crossings Christian 62-49. 

“We got a bunch of momentum going forward,” Forsythe said. “I’m proud of these guys. And the way we just celebrated in that locker room shows you how much these guys care about each other.” 

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Dale girls rout Millwood

The Class 2A top-ranked Dale girls squad blew past Millwood 66-37, improving to 18-1 on the season. 

Danika Pendley led Dale with 19 points, while Teague Muncy had 15 and Ava Bell added 11 against the Falcons (5-6). 

“We did a good job getting the ball inside,” Dale coach Eric Smith said. “They have a hard time guarding us inside. We’re pretty big and long and strong. And then defensively, it was good for the most part all night long.” 

The season is going well for Dale, the state runner-up last year. 

The Pirates’ only loss was to Class 3A top-ranked Washington at Dale’s home tournament in December, but they avenged that when they defeated Washington later in the month at the Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic in Ada. 

“It’s been a good season — 2A is as hard and as tough as I’ve ever seen it in a while,” Smith said. “Pocola is really good, Hartshorne is really good, Okemah is really good. I mean, there’s 10 or 12 teams that I think could make the state tournament, so It’s been a challenge for us.”

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Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.