Vian romped to an 83-49 win over Valliant to secure the consolation trophy and advance to this week’s Area IV Tournament.
This marks the second-straight season that the Lady Wolverines have qualified for the area playoffs following a 15-year drought. To get there, they had to reel off three consecutive wins in the regional losers bracket after losing their district game at No. 1-ranked Kansas.
Vian came from behind to edge Eufaula 38-35 on Thursday afternoon and needed overtime to get past Wilburton 41-39 on Friday.
Saturday afternoon’s game wasn’t nearly as close as the Lady Wolvinerines cruised to a 34-point blowout to push their record to 15-10 on the season.
Double-doubles from junior standouts LeiLoni Smith and Kiona O’Neal fueled the Vian rout. Smith produced 23 points and 15 rebounds, while O’Neal had 23 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Chelsie Drew also had a big game with 19 points and five steals.
On Friday, Vian had to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit while upending Wilburton. The Lady Wolverines pulled within 31-28 by the start of the fourth, caught the Lady Diggers in the fourth period and outscored them 4-2 in the extra frame to collect the win.
Smith led the way with 16 points and O’Neal joined her in double figures with 13. Drew added six, Rachael Sanders four and Brooklyn Cox two.
The three-game win streak puts Vian in the Area IV consolation bracket. The Lady Wolverines will take on No. 8-ranked Heavener (22-3) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday inside the Muskogee Civic Center.
