The Vian High School basketball teams played their first games of 2026 last Saturday afternoon against the Heavener squads at the Heavener Gym.
The Wolverines held off the Wolves 56-50 to get their first win of the season as well as get new coach Randy Ragland his first victory with his new team.
The Lady Wolverines made a third-quarter rally but ultimately came up short in a 6544 loss to the Lady Wolves.
In the boys’ game, the Wolverines (1-1) jumped out to a 10-6 lead on Jeremiah Marshall’s basket with 3:53 left in the first quarter en route to a 20-11 lead with 43 seconds remaining in the period on a basket by Trace Sanders. Heavener’s Julian Sanchez hit a bucket with five seconds left in the quarter to cut Vian’s advantage to 2013 after the first eight minutes.
After Heavener’s Saul Silva hit a free throw with 6:14 remaining in the first half to cut Heavener’s deficit to 21-16, the Wolverines ended the first half on a 9-2 run, capped by Trey Antwine’s basket with 2:13 left before halftime, to give Vian a 3018 halftime lead.
The Wolverines built as great as a 17-point lead as Rylan Lane’s basket with 5:28 left in the third quarter put Vian ahead 37-20 en route to a 42-26 advantage heading into the final period.
The Wolves (4-6) made things interesting in the fourth quarter as they cut their deficit to two points at 50-48 on a basket by Brandon Sanchez, but the Wolverines ended the game with a 6-2 run to prevail.
For the game, the Wolverines put a trio of players into double figures with Marshall leading the way with a game-high 16 points, while Lane and Dee Antwine had 10 points apiece. Masyn Wright scored nine points, followed by Sanders and Trey Antwine with four points each and Joe O’Neal with three points.
In the girls’ contest, it looked as if it was going to be a rout from wireto- wire as the Lady Wolves (5-4) jumped out to a 17-0 en route to a 24-8 lead after a quarter en route to a 36-19 halftime advantage.
The Lady Wolverines (0-2) came out on cylinders in the third quarter as they opened the period with a 13-1 run, capped by Gracie Buttery’s basket with 3:37 left in the quarter to cut Vian’s deficit to 37-32. However, the Lady Wolverines would not get any closer.
The Lady Wolves ended the period with a 9-2 run to take a 4634 lead into the fourth quarter, where Heavener outscored Vian 19-10.
In defeat, Shelbie Glass scored 16 points and Olivia Lovell added 10 points to lead Vian, followed by Kiah Richardson with six points, Aliyah Tucker and Emry Smith with four points each, Buttery with three points and Bostyn Rodgers with a free throw.
After playing their home openers against Central on Monday night at B.J. Traw Gymnasium, the Vian teams will play in the 2026 Sequoyah County Tournament, which will take place Thursday through Saturday at Muldrow’s Roger Sharp Activity Center.
Vian’s Masyn Wright, center, looks to make a move against Heavener defender Brandon Sanchez as new Vian Wolverines coach Randy Ragland looks on during Saturday afternoon’s game at the Heavener Gym. The Wolverines won their first game of the season with a 56-50 victory, which gave Ragland his first win with his new team.
