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HOOK 'EM HORNS: Inola sweeps inaugural Rogers County Rivalry

kevin green, claremore daily progress, okla.
·4 min read

Feb. 3—Thursday marked the beginning of the Rogers County Rivalry Series sponsored by Courtside Benefits Group, and it resulted in a sweep for the host Longhorns.

Inola handed Sequoyah a pair of double-digit defeats, with the girls winning 59-23 before the boys gave the Class 3A No. 5 Eagles what was only their second loss of the season in a 58-44 decision, ending their 13-game winning streak in the process.

Both Longhorn squads used the 3-ball effectively to down their rival, hitting a combined 14 shots from deep in the doubleheader.

Here is a recap of how things transpired:

GIRLS — INOLA 59, SEQUOYAH 23

Class 4A No. 18 Inola allowed the Lady Eagles to stay in the game for the first few minutes, but it was only a matter of time until the sharpshooting ability of Addison Mootry overwhelmed them.

The junior guard seemingly couldn't miss from beyond the arc, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter alone and six total to finish with a game-high 20 points and two rebounds. Her only 2-point field goal came on a layup in the third quarter, increasing the Lady Longhorns' lead to 48-14 before making her final triple moments later.

Despite Mootry's hot hand early in the first quarter, Sequoyah wasn't deterred in the slightest.

In fact, the Lady Eagles took a 7-6 lead at the 3:18 mark on a 3 of their own from Cylie Bronson, and they held that advantage for exactly a minute before Miller Weast sparked a 16-0 run that featured three 3-pointers for Inola.

The Lady Longhorns (12-6) made five of their 10 3-balls in the first period alone, with Weast and Alexis Wheeler getting in on the fun with Mootry. Weast was the only other Inola scorer to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points and three boards, but Brynna Wiginton came close with nine points while Callie Morgan grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Sequoyah's Matison Kruis hit a pair of free throws to open the second quarter, but the Lady Longhorns responded emphatically with another four 3s as part of an 18-0 spurt that increased the lead to 40-9. Kruis ended the run with a free throw to end the half before opening the third period with a layup.

Kruis, a sophomore forward, led the Lady Eagles with 11 points and six rebounds.

BOYS — INOLA 58, SEQUOYAH 44

It was quite a redemptive story for Inola.

Not only did it avenge its Dec. 17 49-48 loss to the Eagles, but also it didn't ever find itself behind on the scoreboard. The Class 4A No. 17 Longhorns (13-5) never trailed after Jackson Welch sunk a 3-pointer with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter, giving them a 5-2 lead.

Welch was especially impactful during that opening frame, hitting all four of his 3-balls during that stretch. He went on to finish with 18 points and a team-high six rebounds.

Sequoyah, which hadn't lost since Dec. 13, never got closer than three following a pair of free throws from Kaleb Bickel at the 5:20 mark of the second.

The Eagles (16-2) had a decent offensive performance as Luke Wood finished with 13 points while Judah Gibson and Bickel followed with eight points apiece, but they couldn't find an answer for the trio of Welch, Trevor Groff and Logan Hayes.

Those three combined for 50 points, outscoring Sequoyah on their own. Groff paced the group with 20 points and five rebounds to go alongside Welch's 18 and six, and Hayes tallied 12 and two.

After registering a three-point play and a pair of close-range shots in the second quarter to go into halftime with seven points, Groff came on strong in the second half. He added four points in the third before adding another nine in the fourth, his layup with five seconds remaining giving him the edge over Welch for the highest-scoring player.

Karson Bickel, who routinely leads the Eagles in scoring, was held to five points and one rebound in the loss. Eestyn Prater, another scoring threat, managed only four points with five boards.