POTEAU - The Roland Rangers secured another conference title on Tuesday night, routing Poteau 89-71 to grab their third-consecutive NOAA crown.
Five players scored in double figures as Roland used a balanced attack to net at least 22 points in each of the four quarters while beating the Pirates for the second time this season.
Sophomore Robert Thompson pumped in 22 points to pace Roland. Brandon Lewis added 15 points, Dwight Williams 14, Andrew Crow 13 and Tony Brown 12 to help the Rangers improve to 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the NOAA.
Poteau dropped to 13-6 and 5-3 despite a combined 45 points from Creigh Smith and Casey Hemphill. Smith netted a game-high 25 and Hemphill had another 20.
The Rangers went in front 23-14 entering the second quarter and increased their advantage to 15 by halftime. Roland was up 67-46 at the end of the third period and went on to seal its fourth-consecutive win since a Jan. 28 loss at Spiro, the Rangers' lone league loss.
Roland 47, Poteau 37 (Girls)
POTEAU - The Lady Rangers broke open a tight game with a third-quarter surge on Tuesday night while knocking off Poteau.
Roland held a slim 19-17 edge at the break, but went on a 16-6 run to build a double-digit lead and pull away for its third win in the past four games. The Lady Rangers are now 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the NOAA.
Senior post Candice Kidd led the way with nine points and eight rebounds while sophomore forward Jenny Beshoner chipped in another nine points, Lauren Edwards eight and Casey Wilson seven.
Poteau, which fell to 12-8 and 3-5, was paced by Kasey Barber's 10 points.
Spiro 42, Sallisaw 36 (Girls)
The Lady Diamonds took a lead into the fourth quarter in hopes of beating Spiro for the second time this season, but the Lady Bulldogs closed the game with a 12-5 run to snatch the win.
Natasha Shoate scored 17 points to lead Spiro (8-11) to the NOAA conference victory.
Sallisaw, which knocked down six treys in the first half while taking a 22-18 lead, was paced by senior Whitney Hall's 11 points. Ashley Covington added eight for the Lady Diamonds.
Spiro 66, Sallisaw 41 (Boys)
A surge in the second quarter propelled Spiro to the NOAA conference win over the Black Diamonds on Tuesday night in Sallisaw.
Sallisaw hung tough with the visitors throughout the first quarter before Spiro put together a 22-8 run over the next eight minutes to grab a 35-19 halftime lead.
Junior Sublet's game-high 18 points paced the Bulldogs (14-5).
Sallisaw, which dropped to 10-9 with its second-straight loss, was led by Dan McHenry's 14. Dustin Edgmon and Trent Whitekiller both scored seven for the Diamonds.
