Lady Lions erupt in 3rd to cruise by Memorial

Bouncing back from a narrow road loss earlier in the week, the Durant Lady Lions evened their season record with a 56-43 triumph over visiting Tulsa Memorial on Friday night.

Durant’s boys weren’t as fortunate against the perennial power Chargers, suffering a 54-32 loss to remain winless in District 5A-4 action.

Each team will close out the nondistrict portion of the schedule this weekend with their first-ever appearance in the Bridge Creek Tournament. The Lady Lions were slated to meet Class 6A Southmoore on Thursday at 4 p.m. with the boys pitted against perennial Class 4A power Tuttle at 5:30.

Girls

The Lady Lions had their chances for a sweep of the week’s action, leading Holland Hall after three quarters before things slipped away in a 44-38 defeat.

Durant trailed 16-6 after one period and 21-16 at intermission before exploding by more than doubling their first half scoring total with a 19-9 scoring edge in the third stanza. Maya Dodson was a catalyst in the run with nine points as Ella Sorrells also tossed in five during the key charge.

That offensive outburst came to a halt in the fourth frame however as the Lady Lions managed only three points, including a single field goal from Iyana Wilson as the hosts rallied to win it.

Dodson ended with a team-high 10 points while Sorrells and Sydney Grover narrowly missed double figures with nine apiece. Wilson and Abrianna Freeman each tossed in four and Emeri Morse tossed in two.

The Lady Lions got off to a blazing start against Memorial in the finale of the week, bursting out to an 8-0 advantage as Wilson poured in seven points to go along with a Grover three pointer while Durant claimed a 10-6 cushion through one period.

Dodson poured in the final two buckets of the second stanza to push Durant to a 21-16 lead at halftime.

A Memorial trey to start the second half closed the gap to just two points, but the Lady Lions reeled off eight straight points and the lead ballooned to 40-27 at the end of three quarters. Dodson tallied seven during that stretch flurry along with eight from Sorrells that virtually put the game away.

Sorrels and Dodson each finished with 14 points to spur the offensive charge. Wilson scored nine, Grover pitched in eight, Kennedy Lafevers scored seven while Freeman chipped in four.

“The last two games we have re- ally gotten the shooting going in the third quarter of each,” Durant head coach Will Robinson stated. “Sydney, Maya and Ella all hit threes in the third and helped us finish the game out. Urgency was the focus for us after feeling like we gave one away on Tuesday at Holland Hall. District games are so big, so you have to be able to finish. We did much better tonight.

“We still have so much room to grow. We have a lot of young girls that are maturing and seniors that are still growing and coming into their own.”

Boys

Things started off rocky for the Lions at powerhouse Holland Hall and never got much better on Tuesday as they dropped a 67-26 road loss after getting outscored 15-0 in the opening frame.

Jaylon Saxon tallied eight points as no Durant player reached double digits. Kolton Mason, Ryder Jones and Joseph Flores all pitched in four points.

Points were extremely hard to come by for the Lions against Memorial as Tashaun Williams’ layin with 1:30 remaining was the only Durant points in the opening period as they trailed 10-2.

Jones canned a three pointer and Flores and Braylen Lyday scored one free throw apiece in the second as they were down 18-7 in a low-scoring first half.

Durant found some offensive rhythm during a 12-point third frame but so did the Chargers as they posted 18 points to carry a commanding 17-point edge to the fourth.

Saxon ended with seven, Flores posted six and Lyday had five to pace the Durant scoring.