It was a happy Saturday night for the Roland High School basketball teams as they swept the titles at the 2024 Sequoyah County Tournament on Saturday night at Sallisaw High School’s Paul Post Fieldhouse. It was the first SCT championship sweep for Roland since 2015.

The Running Rangers repeated as county champions as they knocked off their archrival Muldrow Bulldogs 54-40 in the finals after opening the tournament with a 69-42 openinground victory over Gans on Jan. 2 at Gans High School’s Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Fieldhouse and a 73-57 semifinal win over Stigler on Thursday at Paul Post Field House.

The Lady Rangers spoiled a three-peat attempt by the archrival Muldrow Lady Bulldogs with a 39-25 win in the championship game. The Lady Rangers opened the tournament with a 52-7 rout of Gans on Jan. 2 at Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Fieldhouse, then defeated Stigler 51-41 in the semifinals Thursday afternoon at Paul Post Field House.

In the boys’ title game, a 3-pointer by Muldrow’s Kasha Bukhari put the Bulldogs ahead 1816 with 4:30 left before halftime, but that ended up being Muldrow’s last lead.

The Running Rangers (11-1) scored the first half ’s final seven points to take a 23-18 halftime lead, but the ’Dogs rallied in the third quarter to get the game tied at 29 on Parker Sevenstar’s conventional threepoint play with 4:17 left in the period.

However, from there, Roland outscored Muldrow 25-11 to seal the deal and secure the Running Rangers repeating as county champions.

For the game, Roland put a trio of players in double figures, led by a game-high 17 points from DaVohn Hall, followed by 12 points from Paul Johnson and 10 points from Kade Shook. Mason Kemp added seven points, while Cason Perryman and Carson Wiggins had four points apiece.

In the boys’ semifinals, the Running Rangers broke a 2-all tie by ending the first period on a 25-13 run, capped by Johnson’s 3-point basket with three seconds remaining, to give Roland a 27-15 lead going into the second quarter.

The Running Rangers built their lead to as high as 16 points in the second period as a Hall basket with 6:11 left before halftime put Roland up 33-17, but the Panthers ended the first half wit a 16-7 run, capped by Cade Parker’s free throw with 60 seconds left in the half, to cut Stigler’s deficit to 40-33 at halftime. However, that was as close as the Panthers would get to the Running Rangers the rest of the way.

A 15-4 run to open the third quarter, capped by Hall’s basket with 3:24 left in the period, put Roland ahead 5537, which would end up being a 64-44 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

Roland’s biggest lead of the night was at 22 points as Hall’s basket with 4:47 remaining to play put the Running Rangers ahead 72-50.

For the game, For the game, Hall earned game-high honors as he torched the nylon for 25 points — including one slam dunk — to lead Roland, followed by Wiggins with 18 points and a slam dunk, Kemp with 11 points, Johnson with eight points, Cason Perryman with seven points and Buck Triplett with four points.

In the boys’ openinground win, the Running Rangers jumped out to a 13-2 lead on a 3-point basket by Wiggins with 4:38 left in the first quarter en route to a 23-8 lead after a period, which was exclimated by Hall’s slam dunk at the buzzer.

A 3-pointer by Gans’ Mayson Clifton to open the second quarter cut the Roland lead to 2311 with 7:29 left before halftime, but the Running Rangers went on a 17-0 run, capped by a pair of Triplett free throws with 90 seconds remaining in the first half, to up Roland’s advantage to 40-11. Roland took a 42-14 lead into the locker rooms at the break.

The Running Rangers built as much as a 32-point lead in the second half as a basket by Nate Criswell with 1:17 left in the period put Roland ahead 53-21. Roland took a 55-24 lead into the fourth quarter on a buzzer-beater by Johnson.

For the game, Triplett scored a game-high 19 points and Wiggins added 11 points to lead Roland, followed by Criswell with nine points, Raesean Perryman with seven points, Kemp with six points, Hall and KeJuan Youngblood with four points each, Asa Ulrich and Kayden Hartt each with three points, Johnson with two points and Cason Perryman with a free throw.

In the girls’ finals, the only lead enjoyed by the Lady Bulldogs came at 3-0 on a conventional three-point play by Kennedi “Kiki” Wight with 7:28 left in the first quarter.

Roland’s Haven Freeman converted an oldfashioned three-point play with 6:07 left in the opening period for a 6-3 lead for the Lady Rangers (10-2), which Roland never relinquished from thereon.

Roland’s Ryanne Nelke hit a basket with 7:14 left to play for her team’s largest lead at 26-10 with 7:54 left in the third quarter.

Muldrow got its deficit trimmed to five points at 26-21 on Cailey Grinstead’s 3-point basket with 45 seconds left in the period, but the Lady Bulldogs got no closer.

For the game, Haven Freeman scored a gamehigh 14 points and Lilly Medicine Bird added 11 points to lead Roland, followed by Nelke with nine points, Kynlei Earnhart with four points and Halle Freeman with a free throw.

In the girls’ championship semifinals, While being tied twice, the Lady Rangers led from start to finish, leading 11-7 after a quarter and 29-17 at halftime thanks to a buzzerbeater by Nelke.

However, the Lady Panthers made the Lady Rangers get a bit nervous in the third quarter as Stigler cut its deficit to 40-33 heading into the final period.

Stigler’s Hiahni Howard hit a basket with 5:27 left to play in the game to cut the Roland lead to 4039, but the Lady Rangers closed out the game with a 11-2 run to seal the deal.

For the game, Medicine Bird led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Nelke and Haven Freeman with 14 points each and Earnhart with three points.

In the girls’ openinground win, The Lady Rangers came out of the chutes with all pistols firing as they had a 22-0 first-quarter lead and scored the game’s first 24 points before the Lady Grizzlies scored their first points on a pair of free throws by K’Cee Osburn with 5:22 left before halftime. Roland had a 31-4 halftime lead and a 49-7 advantage going into the final period.

For the game, Halle Freeman scored a gamehigh 12 points and Medicine Bird added 10 points to lead Roland, followed by Nelke with nine points, Jazzlynn Teehee with eight points, Julianna Trujillo and Haven Freeman with six points each and Lillian Cole with a free throw.

••• 2024 Sequoyah County Tournament All-Tournament Teams Boys

Roland — Carson Wiggins and DaVohn Hall.

Muldrow – Parker Sevenstar and Teaguen Collins.

Stigler – Jayden Gould. Central – Devan Baggs. Sallisaw – Cooper Jackson. Gore – Tate Brooksher. Vian – Yonsi Grass. Gans – Nakota White.

Girls

Roland – Haven Freeman and Lilly Medicine Bird.

Muldrow – Kennedi “Kiki” Wight and Cailey Grinstead.

Stigler – Jordan Johnson. Sallisaw – Kayli Macon. Central – Cambree Bair. Vian – Maisie Wells. Gore – Emily Daily. Gans – Reina Gaona.