Sallisaw Lady Diamonds showed vast improvement this past season

After going 8-16 last season under then first-year coach Eric Carr, Carr helped guide the Lady Diamonds to an 18-9 record, bringing home plaques — or as we sports writers call them, “tournament hardware” — from four of the five tournaments in which they played, including winning the first Class 4A District Tournament since 2017.

“We can sit back and reflect from where we’ve come in the time I’ve been here (two seasons),” Carr said. “Obviously, we have really good kids. We have kids who have really bought in playing for each other, and playing hard and doing the little things it takes to get better and become more successful. We’re very excited about where the program has come, where we got to this year and the success we had. We’re just building that foundation you hope to get us back to being an area- and state-tournament type team. We just have to make a few adjustments to be able to score a bit better against teams who are good defensively. We struggled in that area at times this year. Defensively overall, I can’t complain about anything. Even against Broken Bow (in the Class 4A Regional Tournament championship semifinals), which was the best offensive team we played, I thought we were really competitive, and did some decent things. We have to take the strengths our kids have and find something that’s going to help us be more successful on the offensive end. We have some time for that.”

For the middle portion of the season, the Lady Diamonds were ranked 20th in Class 4A.

“I think we ended the last ranking at No. 21,” Carr said. “To be a top-ranked team in Class 4A is something to be excited about. I think we’re starting to earn respect from across the state that we didn’t have last year.”

Carr said the future of Sallisaw Lady Diamonds basketball is bright.

“The cupboard is definitely not bare,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of kids back. Moving into next year, we’ve got some good momentum. We’ve earned some respect from around the state. Hopefully, we can continue to build upon what we’re doing. We have the tools. Now, we just need to sharpen those tools.”

Carr said he already is planning summer schedules for the Lady Diamonds in preparations for the 2025-26 season.

“We’ll be excited for it,” he said. “It’s time right now to take a deep breath and enjoy this little time. I have already set up our summer basketball schedule. We’re going to do some things this summer and continue to build on what we do system wise to try fit our kids in the best way possible so we can win more games next year.”

Roland teams at State in last season of “The Big House”

The Roland Runnin’ Rangers and Lady Rangers will get to be a part of the final Class 3A State Tournament this week at Oklahoma City’s Jim Norick State Fair Arena — a.k.a., “The Big House.”

This spring, the famed arena, after being the site for both basketball and wrestling state tournaments for 60-plus years, will be imploded this spring.

Next season, a new “Big House” will be used for both sports.

Gans Donkey Basketball game slated Thursday

The 2025 Gans Donkey Basketball Game between the Gans Senior Class of 2025 and the Cherokee Nation will take place Thursday at Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Fieldhouse.

The cost is $8 for those who purchase tickets prior to the event, or $10 at the door the night of the event.

College signings

Since we’re winding down the season, just a reminder to you coaches if you are going to have any players signing letters of intent to play college basketball, give me at least a 24-hour, but preferably a 48-hour, notice so that I can plan on trying to be there for the big moment for Your TIMES.

Week 12 Individual Highlights

The Roland Runnin’ Rangers and Lady Rangers had a couple of key individual performances during last weekend’s Class 3A Area Tournament in Seminole.

In the area consolation title game win over Henryetta on Saturday, Mason Kemp scored a game-high 28 points.

In the area title game loss to Tulsa Cascia Hall, Damonte Owens scored 22 points.

For the Lady Rangers, Halle Freeman scored a game-high 25 points in the team’s area consolation finals victory over Kiefer, while Haven Freeman’s game-high 21 points led the team in the area finals loss to Sequoyah-Tahlequah.

In a losing cause for the Muldrow Bulldogs, Teaguen Collins scored a game-high 22 points in the Class 4A Area Tournament finals against Crossings Christian on Friday night in Okmulgee, then the following night he scored a game-high 20 points in the area consolation finals loss to Bethany.

• • •

David Seeley is sports editor for Your TIMES. He can be reached by telephone at (918) 775-4433, Ext. 139 or by email at davids@cookson.news.