A couple of close calls came up short for the Durant basketball teams during a rough week in the stretch run of District 5A-4 action.
The Lady Lions looked like they might have a win sewn up against Holland Hall but a buzzer-beating three pointer provided the dagger in a 50-49 loss. They then fell on the road to Tulsa Memorial, 40-31, to slip to 9-13 on the season.
On the boys’ side, Durant couldn’t get much going against powerhouse Holland Hall in a 69-30 defeat but put together their best quarter of the season in a road trip at Tulsa Memorial but came up just shy in a 59-54 setback while their record dipped to 6-16.
Both teams will begin the playoffs on the road in the Tulsa area next week.
Girls
It was a tight one throughout against Holland Hall with a tie score at 13 through one period and the Dutch holding a 28-27 edge at the half.
Holland Hall pulled out to a 41-36 edge after three stanzas when Durant answered with a 10-0 run to go in front. Missed opportunities down the stretch, however, proved costly for the Lady Lions, including three free throws in the closing minute.
That left the door open for Holland Hall and Ava Casper drained a trey at the horn to win it by a point.
Maya Dodson canned four treys on the way to a team-high 17 points as Ella Sorrells also reached double figures with 11.
Durant also picked up six points apiece from Emma Green and Rachel Cordell, Abrianna Freeman tossed in five while Kennedy Lafevers tallied three.
After a 5-5 deadlock through one stanza against Memorial, it appeared as if the Lady Lions had begun to take control with a 10-2 scoring edge in the second period spurred by Lafevers and Cordell treys.
That would not be the case, however, as Durant managed only a single point in an ice cold third frame while the Lady Chargers posted 18 to go in front 2416. The Lady Lions found its offense again in the final quarter but just seven of 17 shooting from the free throw line was too much to overcome.
Dodson was again the scoring catalyst with nine points. Sorrells pumped in six, Lafevers had five, Freeman four, Cordell tallied three and Emeri Morse finished with two.
Boys
Athletic Holland Hall once again put on a clinic in racing to a 20-4 cushion after one period and 44-14 at intermission while never looking back to improve to 17-3 on the season.
Jaylon Saxon tossed in three treys in the game and was the lone Lion to reach double digits with 13 points. Ryder Jones contributed nine, Tashawn Williams tossed in four as Kolton Mason and Calloway Nabors added two apiece.
The Memorial contest looked like it might be a similar story after a 21-4 third quarter run gave the Chargers a commanding 4724 cushion.
Despite managing just those four in the third frame, Durant caught fire in a big way in the fourth by sinking eight three pointers on the way to a season-best 30 points in a wild frame that included an impressive 15-0 burst.
Durant crawled to within five but was unable to get any closer.
Saxon hit five of the fourth quarter treys and finished with a game-high 24 points. Jones pumped in nine, Joseph Flores tossed in eight, Tashawn Willimas had six, Leon Stone notched three as Kolton Mason and Braylen Lyday ended with two each as Nabors contributed one.
