Lady Rangers’ senior girls primed for state title run
For the first time in three years, the Roland Lady Rangers are heading back to the Class 3A State Tournament. The current senior players — Addison Cole, Lilly Medicine Bird, Brooklyn Hallbauer and Kynlei Earnhart — were freshmen on that team.
When the Lady Rangers defeated Alva 49-41 in Friday night’s Class 3A Area Tournament finals at Kellyville Event Center, there was excitement in the air knowing the seniors were going to have one more shot at winning state.
“I think we were just so excited because I really don’t think anybody thought we were going to make it this far,” Cole said. “Just the ability to prove everybody wrong is kind of amazing. We’re just so excited.”
Medicine Bird knew this team had what it needed to be one of the Elite 8 at this week’s Class 3A State Tournament, which started at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday with a state-quarterfinal match-up with Norman Community Christian School at Oklahoma City’s Jim Norick State Fair Arena, a.k.a. “The Big House.” “It feels great,” Medicine Bird said. “I thought we had a pretty good chance of going to state this year. At the beginning everybody thought that if there was another (Roland) team to get to state, it would be this one. The first year we went to state, we didn’t play (much as freshmen). When we went to state then, it was their time, but now it’s our time.”
Three years ago, it was this current senior quartet’s job to let the state-tournament moment belong to the upperclassmen, namely the Class of 2021. However, this time, it’s their moment.
“The opportunity for us, especially since it’s our senior year, is great,” Hallbauer said. “We put a lot of hard work and dedication in, and a lot of hours spent in the gym working to trying to perfect what we have accomplished this year.”
In the area finals against Alva, the Lady Rangers built as much as a 15-point lead only to see the Ladybugs cut it to three points in the final period. Earnhart was confident her team would stay resilient and win. In fact, they were confident they would even win the consolation finals if that would have happened — which, of course, did not.
“I knew me and my teammates were determined this time,” Earnhart said. “This is our time. We knew the shoes we were put in at the beginning of the season. We weren’t giving up, no matter what. No matter how short they were going to cut that lead, we were going to keep fighting. When that horn sounded, we knew it was us going to state. I think if we would have had to come back the next night, I think it would have put a different type of fire in us. We would have found a way to win that one.”
For senior manager Samaria Thompson, she has the best seat in the house, and is loving every moment of it.
“I enjoy it,” Thompson said. “I love cheering them on. I’m probably their biggest fan. I love it.”
The state championship game is slated for 6:45 p.m. Saturday at “The Big House.” All the seniors are hoping to be able to hoist the gold ball in a celebration of being crowned state champions.
“I’m going to be too excited,” Earnhart said. “I was a part of that team that went to state my freshman year. I know how devastated they were. They had worked hard all year for it, and it didn’t happen. I know if we were to be the ones holding up the gold ball, we would just take the world. We’ve really worked hard this year. We (seniors) have been a part of this team since we were freshmen. I think we have a pretty good shot.
“I would probably be more shocked than anything,” Hallbauer said. “I would probably be crying because all the work we’ve put in would just show off (in) that moment.”
“I’m sure we will be overjoyed and overcome with all the emotions,” Medicine Bird said. “We would be ecstatic the rest of the night. I’m sure not much words would be said, but just having joy.”
“I think it will definitely take my breath away,” Cole said. “Just to see how far we’ve come since my freshman year, and now we’ve put so much work into this and to see it finally pay off, I think we would all be just so excited. There would be emotions and crying. Just to know we finished off our senior season like that would just be amazing.”
“It would be very exciting,” Thompson said. “I would be very happy for them. I love seeing them being so determined. To get to see them go through it (winning state) would be very exciting.”
