With the Class 5A district season coming down the home stretch, Durant basketballers found the going tough in a trio of games with the Lady Lions picking up the only victory of the bunch in a 51-24 decision at Tulsa Edison.
Both Durant teams will be back on the road Friday at Tulsa Memorial and then return for Senior Night on Tuesday against Tulsa Rogers.
Girls
It was definitely a tough assignment for the Lady Lions to start the week against defending state champ Sapulpa, suffering a 60-39 setback.
The Lady Chieftains cruised to a 14-5 edge after one quarter and built that margin to 33-16 at halftime. Durant answered with a 13-8 scoring surge in the third period to narrow the gap to 12 points as Maya Dodson pumped in six and Ella Sorrels added four, but that’s as close as it got.
Dodson finished with 15 and Sorrels also reached double figures with 10. Sydney Grover had five with Iyana Wilson, Kennedy Lafevers and Abrianna Freeman all adding three.
Durant got off to a much better start against Edison on the road Friday, grabbing a 15-4 lead of its own behind five points from Wilson and four apiece from Sorrels and Freeman.
It was 20-9 at halftime and the Lady Lions shifted into offensive overdrive in the third stanza, pouring in 26 points in that quarter alone to pull away. Dodson scorched the nets with five three pointers in the frame and finished with that total for the game to lead all scorers.
Sorrels and Freeman tallied 12 points apiece. Wilson had five with Emeri Morse tacking on four.
The first quarter proved key once again against Tulsa Rogers as the Lady Ropers rolled to a 21-11 lead after one period and maintained that margin the rest of the way for a 57-46 triumph.
Sorrels pumped in a season- high 20 points to spur the Durant offensive attack. Dodson contributed 13 as Freeman added seven and Wilson notched five.
Boys
Sapulpa rode an 18-8 scoring bulge in the second quarter to a commanding halftime lead and pulled away to the 63-38 win over the Lions to begin the week.
Jaylon Saxon was the lone Durant player in double figures with 13 points, notching 10 of those in the first half. Callaway Nabors posted eight, Ryder Jones and Braylen Lyday each had five, Kolton Mason had four and Tashawn Williams pitched in three.
The Lions never got untracked against Tulsa Edison as they didn’t score a point against the Eagles until the second period in a 44-23 defeat.
Edison was in front 12-0 after one period and 27-8 at intermission. Both teams tossed in eight in the third quarter.
Williams posted six points to lead the Durant scoring as Mason contributed five against the aggressive Eagle defense.
Durant bounced back from a rough start against Tulsa Rogers on Saturday, carrying a lead into the fourth quarter before seeing it slip away in a 61-53 decision.
The Lions were down 15-7 after one period but outscored the Ropers in the second frame to narrow the gap to 2523 at halftime. They continued the offensive push in the third with 21 points to grab a 44-41 advantage, sinking five three pointers with three of those coming from Jones.
Rogers connected on 10 of 11 at the charity line in the final stanza while Durant did not shoot a free throw.
Jones had a strong offensive outing with 21 points with Saxon also tallying 15. Lyday finished with seven.