The regular season for the Ponca City varsity basketball teams is over and the next phase is ready to start.

The next phase is the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association playoffs which begin Thursday for the Ponca City Lady Cats and Friday for the Wildcat boys team.

The Lady Cats open Regional play with a game at 6 p.m. Thursday against Jenks at Booker T. Washington. Friday the boys are scheduled to play Putnam City North at 7:30 p.m. on North’s home gym.

Ponca City’s girls take an 11-12 record into the postseason. Jenks finished the regular season with a 13-9 record. The Lady Cats have been playing stronger as the year has progressed.

The two teams have four common opponents. Ponca City lost a 44-38 decision to Owasso, while Jenks split in two games against Owasso, winning 74-58 early in the season and losing 56-50 later on. Ponca City defeated Shawnee 41-36, while Jenks won an early-season game 56-28 over Shawnee. Ponca City has beaten Putnam City Original twice, 69-37 and 49-18 while Jenks defeated Putnam City 71-34. Jenks split with Muskogee, winning 55-48 early in the season but losing 52-47 later. Ponca City lost early in the season 45-39 to Muskogee.

The winner of the Jenks-Ponca City game Thursday will advance to Saturday’s Regional finals against the winner of Booker T. Washington and Tulsa Union and on to the Area Tournament. The loser of Thursday’s game is eliminated.

Putnam City North is a familiar opponent for the Ponca City Wildcats. The Wildcats are 4-19, while Putnam North is ranked No. 2 in the 6A East Region and is 22-1. Putnam North defeated Ponca City 59-37 in the first meeting between the two schools and then whipped the Wildcats 89-46 Feb. 3 in Ponca City. Should Ponca City pull off an upset over Putnam North it would advance to the Regional Finals on Saturday night and to the Area Tournament next week. A loss would mean elimination from the postseason.