No. 9-ranked Okmulgee took advantage of errant Roland shooting and posted a 61-45 win over the Rangers in Saturday night's Class 4A Area IV consolation championship game at the Southeast Expo Center.
The loss, coupled with one the night before against Mannford, eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs. They ended their season with a record of 21-6 and fell one win short of advancing to state for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. A year ago, Roland fell to Kingfisher and Mannford after advancing the area finals.
Okmulgee seized the final berth to state by battling through the area losers bracket with three wins in three days. The third came against a Roland squad that shot just 27.8 percent (17-of-61) from the floor and 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from the line.
The Bulldogs took control in the second quarter and built a 29-21 lead by halftime. They led by as many as 16 in the third period before Tony Brown's back-to-back baskets pulled the Rangers within 10 late in the quarter.
Roland's hopes of a comeback were thwarted when Okmulgee went on a 9-1 run early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 20.
Biles turned in a strong effort in his last game for Roland. The senior center had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, both of which were game-highs for the Rangers.
Brown grabbed another 10 rebounds to help Roland to a 37-32 edge on the boards while finishing with nine points. Dwight Williams added eight points, Brandon Lewis six, Scooby Copeland three, Nick Mooney two, Jerrell Taylor two and Andrew Crow one.
Dante Lewis scored 12 points to pace Okmulgee, which shot 52.1 percent from the field. Josh Walker chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (23-4).
Roland struggled to score in the early moments and didn't get its first basket until Brown's putback almost five minutes into the game. Despite the slow start, the Rangers were within 10-9 when Lewis scored on a driving shot with four seconds left in the first quarter.
A 23-foot jumper from Dante Lewis sparked an 8-0 Okmulgee run in the second stanza and a trey by Bryan Dunlap gave the Bulldogs a 10-point lead late in the half. Roland was down 29-21 at halftime.
Mannford 56, Roland 43 (Boys)
Ryan Kemp scored 15 points and Ben Hall had 11 on Friday night as the fourth-ranked Pirates earned a return trip to the Class 4A state tournament.
Mannford improved to 23-3 with the win in the Area IV championship game at the Southeast Expo Center.
Mannford jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the opening moments and stretched its lead to 19 before Roland began chipping away at the deficit in the third quarter.
Three-point baskets from Scooby Copeland and Jerrell Taylor had Roland within 40-29 entering the fourth quarter. Another Taylor basket pulled the Rangers within seven with just over three minutes remaining before Mannford got the momentum back.
Tony Brown was whistled for his fifth foul with 2:43 to go and Kemp converted a three-point play to restore the Mannford lead to 47-37. The Pirates then hit 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch to hang on for the win.
Brown led Roland with a 12 points and nine rebounds. Dwight Williams pumped in another 12 points, Taylor scored 10, Nick Mooney three, Brandon Lewis three and Copeland three.
Kemp and Heath Calloway both grabbed eight rebounds to help Mannford to a 32-21 edge on the boards. The Pirates also limited Roland to 28 percent shooting (14-of-50) from the floor.
Mannford had no such trouble shooting the ball, sinking five three-point shots in the first quarter. Matt Griffin hit two of the treys and Hall's bomb at the buzzer handed Mannford a 17-7 lead.
Roland managed just one field goal, a trey by Williams, in the second quarter, but hit enough free throws to stay close. Brown sank two free shots late in the half to keep Roland within 23-15 at the break.
