Raining threes: Owasso Rams and Lady Rams Basketball battle the Sandites on Basketball Homecoming
By Isaac Krueger
Photo of Caleb Leslie by Cambry Shields
Both basketball teams fought hard on Monday night; through postponement and winter weather, the teams finally got to have their homecoming games. The Rams and Lady Rams both competed on this special night.
The Lady Rams started off the varsity homecoming games. They were met by a fierce Sand Springs team that got off to a fast start. For the majority of the first quarter, the Lady Rams were trying everything to stop the Sandites’ momentum. A 6-11 score marked the end of the first quarter as the team re-energized during the break.
The second quarter was a slightly different story as the Lady Rams stomped the Sandites’ momentum after the break. Karson Zumwalt, player #3, hit a few key three pointers in an attempt to cut the deficit. However, they couldn’t capitalize on this as much as they would have hoped. They trailed by a manageable 10 points going into halftime with a score of 22-32.
#23 Taylor Rose shot, photo by Isaac Krueger
They struggled to make up any ground after halftime and traded buckets with the Sandites throughout the third quarter, resulting with a trailing score of 40-51. The Lady Rams began to build much needed momentum in the last quarter. A bucket from Taylor Rose, player #23, got the Lady Rams within single digits at 44-53, but it was too late. The Sandites resorted to dribbling out the clock forcing the Lady Rams to foul in the final three minutes. Taylor Rose hit a deep three with 18 seconds to go, and the Lady Rams hit the 50 point mark.
Zumwalt, player #3 and senior point guard, expresses, “That is one of the top teams in the state and I thought we played pretty well against them. The fact that we hung with a top team should give us confidence to not be intimidated.”
Next up, the Rams faced a Sand Springs team who, in their last meeting, took the visiting Rams to overtime, but the Rams came up big and scrapped out a win. The visiting Sandites now faced a Rams team with a lot of momentum since their first meeting two months ago. The Rams were also playing with a ‘hoco,’ home-court advantage against the Sandites.
Lady Rams on defense, photo by Isaac Krueger
From the beginning the narrative of this game was different. Caden Fry, player #23, opened up the scoring for the Rams with a nice post move and 5-foot hook shot. Caleb Leslie, player #3, and EJ Lewis, player #5, joined Fry for buckets in the first quarter. The Rams came out hot with an early lead of 11-6 in the first quarter.
The Rams kept their momentum for a huge second quarter to pull away from the Sandites. The Rams delivered blows from all over the court. Price Pennington #12, Wendel Mann Jr. #55, Zane Harbaugh #11 and Kole Manuel #24 had points in the second quarter, as well as two three-pointers from sophomore and player #10, Isiah Macklemore. Jake Clifton #32 made an impact on the defensive end with a block and a steal. The Rams pulled ahead of the Sandites 31-11.
Homecoming Queen was chosen at halftime; members from the girls basketball team were escorted by members from the boys basketball team, who were still in uniform. The Rams seemed unaffected by the lack of locker room time at half, and picked up right where they left off. Fry opened up the scoring for the Rams with an electrifying alleyoop from Leslie. The Rams remained dominant and Zane Harbaugh ended the third quarter with a buzzer beater three pointer, bringing the score to 53-24. The Rams finished out the fourth quarter and won the game completely in control with a score of 68-31.
Caleb Leslie, the senior guard, notes after the game, “Going forward we hope to continue our winning streak. Games like this help build confidence and keep our momentum going, which we will be able to carry into the playoffs to help us perform at a high level.”
The Ram’s record improved to 12-5, with wins against Bartlesville on Feb. 15, and a huge win against Booker T. Washington on Feb. 18 the Rams now look forward to the playoffs, ending the season with a 14-5 record. The Lady Rams also look forward to the postseason, to see if they can make a run deep to turn around the season. Come support both basketball teams as they battle it out in the state tournament!