Last week ended on the best of high notes for the Vian High School basketball teams.
The Lady Wolverines won their first game of the season as senior guard Halli Russell returned to action after recovering from a hand injury to lead them to a 37-18 rout of the Pocola Lady Indians in Black Diamond Conference action last Saturday afternoon at B.J. Traw Gymnasium after the Lady Indians defeated them 47-29 on Feb. 2 in Pocola.
The Lady Wolverines also fell 53-13 last Thursday night at Talihina.
The Wolverines went 2-1 last week as they, too, split with Pocola — winning 60-57 last Saturday afternoon at B.J. Traw Gymnasium after falling 75-48 to the Indians on Feb. 2 in Pocola. Their other win last week came last Thursday night with a 56-42 road victory over conference rival Talihina.
In the girls’ win over Pocola, the Lady Wolverines (1-14) never trailed as they led 4-3 after a quarter, then used a 17-3 second period to take a 21-6 halftime advantage which became a 34-10 lead going into the fourth quarter.
For the game, Russell led all scorers with a game-high 10 points to lead Vian, followed by Rayleigh Terrell with nine points, Bostyn Rodgers with seven points, Aliyah Tucker with five points, Gracie Buttery with four points and Raylan McEver with two points.
In the girls’ loss to Talihina, the Lady Golden Tigers took control early, taking a 22-2 lead after a quarter.
In defeat, Payton Crutchfield led Vian with six points, followed by McEver with three points and Tucker and Kiah Richardson with two points apiece.
In the girls’ loss to Pocola, the Lady Indians jumped out to a 16-9 lead after a period. Pocola enjoyed a 27-17 halftime advantage and a 39-23 lead after three quarters.
In defeat, Terrill scored nine points to lead Vian, followed by Richardson with eight points, Buttery and McEver with five points each and Tucker with two points.
In the boys’ victory over Pocola, the Wolverines (10-6) rallied from a 55-52 deficit with 4:30 left in the game by ending the contest with an 8-2 run, capped by a pair of Masyn Wright free throws with 34 seconds left. For the game, Jeremiah Marshall led Vian with 20 points, followed by Masyn Wright with 13 points, Joe O’Neal with nine points, Amos Wright with five points, Trace Sanders and Dee Antwine with four points, Ledger Folsom with three points and Trey Antwine with two points.
In the boys’ win over Talihina, the Wolverines rallied from an 18-11 first-quarter deficit by outscoring the Golden Tigers 45-24 over the final three periods to get the come-from-behind win.
For the game, Vian put a trio of players into double figures, led by O’Neal with a gamehigh 17 points, followed by Marshall with 13 points and Masyn Wright with 11 points. Dee Antwine scored six points, followed by Folsom with three points and Sanders, Amos Wright and Trey Antwine with two points apiece.
In the boys’ loss to Pocola, the Indians jumped out to a 23-9 lead after a period to take complete control of the contest.
In defeat, Dee Antwine led Vian with 13 points, followed by Masyn Wright with eight points, O’Neal with seven points, Sanders and Trey Antwine with four points each, Rylan Lane with three points and Marshall and Amos Wright with two points apiece.
Last Saturday afternoon, the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) announced that the Vian teams will be the host squads against county rival Central in the Class 2A District Tournament, which will either be Feb. 20 or Feb. 21 at 6 and 7:30 p.m. at B.J. Traw Gymnasium.
This will mark the fifth time the Wolverines and the Tigers will meet, with Vian holding a 3-1 edge.
It will be the fourth time the Lady Wolverines and the Lady Tigers will square off, with Central winning each of the first three games.
Vian’s Dee Antwine dribbles the ball downcourt during Saturday afternoon’s Black Diamond Conference game against Pocola at B.J. Traw Gymnasium.
DAVID SEELEY | SPORTS EDITOR
