It was a happy homecoming for the Roland High School basketball teams on Dec. 20 at the Ranger Dome as they swept the visiting Ozark (Ark.) Hillbillies and Lady Hillbillies.

The Runnin’ Rangers began the night with a 68-50 win over the Hillbillies, then the Lady Rangers corralled the Lady Hillbillies 54-15.

The Runnin’ Rangers (8-0) never trailed on the night. After a 3-point basket by Ozark’s Slayde Williams cut the deficit to 3-2 with 5:47 left in the first quarter, Roland ended the period with a 16-8 run to take an 18-10 lead after a period.

The Hillbillies (8-8) stayed within striking distance of the Runnin’ Rangers, but a late Roland spurt to end the first half enabled the Runnin’ Rangers to take a 38-25 halftime lead.

The Hillbillies got the Runnin’ Rangers attention in the early stages of the third quarter as Ozark opened the period with an 8-3 run, capped by a 3-point basket by Cooper Duerr with 5:27 left in the quarter to cut the Roland lead to 41-33, prompting veteran Roland boys coach Eddie Lewis to call a timeout.

The Runnin’ Rangers got their advantage back into double digits at 5139 with 1:19 remaining in the period on a basket by Mason Kemp, but a 3-pointer by Koby Wilbanks with six seconds left in the quarter cut Ozark’s deficit to 51-43 after three periods. However, that was as close as the Hillbillies got.

Roland outscored Ozark 17-7 in the fourth quarter to put away the game.

For the contest, Buck Triplett scored a gamehigh 23 points to lead Roland, followed by Damonte Owens with 19 points, Kemp and Landon Fowler with eight points each, Kade Shookwith six points and Raesean Perryman with four points.

“We had some guys really step up in those runs,” Lewis said. “The whole ball game, Buck Triplett had a heck of a game. I thought Mason Kemp came off the bench and did a really good job for us. Defensively, I thought we played pretty good. They tried to screen us, and we got through a lot of them.