Sports

When the Redlands Community College women’s basketball team jumps into NJCAA Region 2 play next week, it’s going to be a shootout from the first game to capture a postseason tourney berth.

The Cougars are slated to open the 2025 portion of their schedule Tuesday at Oklahoma Wesleyan before kicking off the 16-game run through Region 2 games.

The first will be at home Thursday with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Redlands closed out 2024 with a 91-60 win over Southwestern Christian University’s junior varsity to improve to 6-4 on the season.

A high octane offense over the first half of the season has many thinking that the 2024-25 campaign could be the year the Redlands Community College men’s basketball team will make some postseason noise.

Redlands made the NJCAA Region 2 postseason tournament five of the last seven years, but head coach Jose Molina has yet to have a team post a playoff victory.

“We are aiming for our first playoff win this year,” said Molina.

With a quick scan of the team field, it’s easy to see that the Kansas City Stampede has become one of the premiere early-season tournaments for high school wrestling in the Midwest.

This year’s boys event drew 79 teams from 14 different states, with Oklahoma sending 10 squads including El Reno High School.

The Indians placed 59th overall with 37 points and were eighth among state schools.

Grapplers were assured matches in the main bracket and those not advancing out of the opening day dropped into the hard luck bracket for additional matches.

Although only five grapplers competed in the 2024 Kansas City Stampede, El Reno High School’s wrestling team netted four placers in the two brackets making up the girls field.

There were 58 total teams in the event, with El Reno being one of the 11 schools and 13 squads from Oklahoma. The Indians scored 70.5 points and placed 28th overall but were sixth best among Sooner State teams.

El Reno finished behind state schools Edmond North (163), Little Axe (130), Westmoore (116.5), Sand Springs (72.5) and Harrah (71.5).

El Reno High School’s basketball teams dominated Noble recently with strong scoring in the paint.

Both EHS teams are 6-0 at the break and will be back in action Friday night at home against Elgin with tipoff set for 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Lila Winegeart and Angellyne De La Cruz knocked down a 3-pointer each as Calumet High School’s girls basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 41-29 win over Harding Fine Arts.

The win left Calumet with a 2-8 record.

Winegeart led all Calumet scorers with 15 points off 7-of-19 shooting, while collecting eight steals and a rebound. De La Cruz paced those in single digits with eight points, seven rebounds and an assist.

Alice Park was close behind with seven points and six boards, while Brenlee Voss had five points and three boards.

Putting together back-to-back games with an offensive output over 90 points, Okarche High School’s boys basketball team closed out the 2024 portion of its schedule undefeated.

The Warriors defeated Watonga (98-27) and Seiling (90-18) to move to 11-0. Okarche entered the break having logged eight games over 90 points, with the win over Watonga being its season-high.

Okarche remains the top-ranked team in Class A, having garnered 72 of the 84 first-place votes cast.

Designing plays to feature a specific player is nothing new for El Reno High School’s boys basketball coach Rodney Haydon.

Yet when the outcome of the play is believed to be a career milestone, Haydon is going to go the extra mile.

Though it was a different season, El Reno High School’s girls basketball team started out the 2024 calendar year with a 58-point tournament win.

Last week the Indians ended the 2024 calendar of games with a 68-21 victory over Noble in district play. Between the two games were 27 straight victories.

El Reno improved to 6-0 on the 2024-25 season with the 47-point win over the Bears. More importantly, the Indians moved to 3-0 in the District 5A-1 standings and in pace with Carl Albert for the lead.

Three multi-point runs kept El Reno High School’s boys basketball team in the win column and undefeated heading into the holiday break following an 87-27 victory over Noble.

El Reno moved to 6-0 on the season with the 60-point win, its second largest winning margin of the season. The Indians are now 3-0 in the District A-1 standings, a game back of Carl Albert (4-0) in the win column and one in front of Lawton MacArthur (2-0).