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Howe girls, Pocola boys win LCT
Howe girls, Pocola boys win the delayed basketball LeFlore County Tournament Saturday.
Mother Nature pushed back the championship game one week with a winter storm before the championship and third-place games were finally played Saturday.
Howe Lady Lions win another LCT
In winning the tournament for the first time since 2023, Howe (which was in the finals for the 12th straight year, defeated Panama, 63-36, in the Lady Backs’ first championship appearance since 2000.
Pocola’s boys won the LCT for the fifth straight year, using a strong second half to down a Talihina team which was making its first championship appearance since 2020, 66-46.
The Golden Tigers actually led 24-23 at the half before Pocola controlled the second half.
Howe’s girls improve to 17-3 and are ranked second in Class 2A. Panama is 14-3 and ranked 11th.
Pocola improved to 10-5 after a tough schedule over the first half of the season while Talihina is 8-4.
In the third-place games, Spiro’s girls defeated Talihina, 45-34, and Poteau’s boys defeated Howe, 60-44.
OSSAA releases districts for smaller schools
OSSAA releases basketball districts for the smaller schools.
In Class A, Area IV
Wister is in District 2 and plays at Rock Creek. The regional main site is at Hartshorne with Porum serving as a sub-site. The area site is Wilburton.
Arkoma is in District 5 and plays at Allen in the districts. Regional main site is Quinton with Allen the sub-site. The area site is also Wilburton.
See all the Class A district assignments HERE.
In Class B-I Area III
Whitesboro hosts Haileyville in the districts. The regional main site is Roff while Whitesboro and Haileyville are at the sub-site at Moss. The area site is Prague.
Cameron is in Class B-I Area IV.
The Yellow Jackets play at Red Oak for in District 1. Cameron and Red Oak will play in the sub-site at Cameron with the regional main site at Indianola. Area site is Cleveland.
LeFlore is in District 4 at Gans. If LeFlore gets out of the district, which includes Gans and Strother, the Savages play at the sub-site at Cameron and the regional main site at Indianola. Again, the area site is at Cleveland.
See all the Class B-I districts assignments HERE.
Bokoshe is in District 5 in Area IV. The Tigers play at McCurtain in the districts along with Midway. The sub-site is at New Lima with the regional main site at Maud. The area will be played at Okmulgee’s Mvskoke Dome.
All the district pairings for Class B-II can be seen HERE.
Heavener competes at OTCA indoor meet
Heavener compete at OTCA indoor meet in Norman at the OU indoor facility.
The Lady Wolves were sixth in the 4x800 with runners Allison Palmer, Zuzanna Wlodarczyk, Kanan Summers and Rexlie Taylor finishing sixth to miss state by one place.
For the Wolves, Parker Brand was third in the 400 to qualify for state and Santiago Flores qualified for state in the shot.
Sooners lose to Longhorns
NORMAN — Oklahoma jumped out to a 23-9 lead in the 108th Red River Rivalry meeting but was outscored 70-46 the rest of the way in a 79-69 loss to Texas at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
The Sooners (11-11, 1-8 SEC) started hot, making six of their first eight field goal attempts and holding the Longhorns (13-9, 4-5) to just three makes on their first 14 shots. But Texas flipped the script and went 27 for 35 (77%) over the final 30 minutes to hand OU its eighth consecutive defeat. For the game, UT shot an OU-opponent-season-high 61% from the floor and was 22 for 28 (79%) from two-point range.
Nijel Pack led three Sooners in double-figures scoring with his game-high 23 points. It was his third straight outing over 20. The guard was 9 for 22 from the field and 3 for 8 from 3-point range while tying for the team lead with three assists.
Xzayvier Brown and Derrion Reid each contributed 15 points and a team-high five rebounds. Kirill Elatontsev finished with nine points — his second most this season — to go along with four boards, three assists and two steals, and Dayton Forsythe's five points were his most since Nov. 20.
Texas's Dailyn Swain paced the Longhorns with 20 points and game highs of 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Pack scored eight of Oklahoma's first 15 points with the help of two 3-pointers and the Sooners took a 23-9 advantage with 9:37 left in the first half. UT responded with a 9-0 run to make it 23-18 and eventually knotted the score at 30 with 44 seconds left before Brown's first 3-pointer gave OU a 33-30 lead at the break.
Texas took its first lead of the day at 41-40 on two Swain free throws with 15:49 remaining, but it disappeared on the next possession thanks to a Reid corner trey. Another Brown 3-pointer following a tip-out by Mohamed Wague pushed OU's lead to 61-55 with 8:38 to go, only to see Texas score seven straight.
Brown's follow with 5:56 to go put the Sooners back in front 63-62, but it was their last lead of the game as the Longhorns posted a 17-6 advantage over the last 5:32.
The Sooners turned 10 offensive rebounds into 16 points and forced 14 Texas turnovers while committing just nine.
The game marked the fourth in the last five for Oklahoma to hold a halftime lead but not win.
OU is back in action Wednesday for the first of two straight road games when it faces Kentucky at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Cowboys snap road losing streak at Utah
SALT LAKE CITY — Anthony Roy erupted for 26 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Oklahoma State to an 81-69 victory over Utah on Saturday night.
The win snapped the Cowboys' 15-game Big 12 road losing streak—their first conference road triumph since Feb. 21, 2024, at Cincinnati (80-76).Roy, the Cowboys' leading scorer, was red-hot from deep (5-of-8) and provided the spark throughout, helping Oklahoma State (15-6, 3-5 Big 12) end a two-game skid and build momentum in a competitive league slate.
Christian Coleman delivered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Parsa Fallah came up clutch late, scoring nine of his 13 points in the final 3:30—including a timely 3-pointer (his seventh of the season on 15 attempts) and a tip-in to push the lead to double digits.
Vyctorius Miller chipped in 10 points for good measure.The game stayed tight early, featuring nine ties and 10 lead changes. Oklahoma State held a slim 40-39 halftime edge, thanks largely to Roy's 14 first-half points.Utah (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) fought back but couldn't sustain it.
The Utes have now dropped three straight and eight of their last nine. Terrence Brown paced them with 20 points, Don McHenry added 17, Keanu Dawes posted 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Seydou Traore scored 10.The decisive stretch came in the second half:
After Utah threatened, Coleman rattled off consecutive baskets to ignite an 8-0 run, giving OSU a five-point cushion with eight minutes remaining. Fallah's 3-pointer extended it to 67-62 at the final media timeout, and his tip-in with 1:26 left made it a 10-point advantage.
Even as Utah trimmed it to eight with 44 seconds to play, Fallah sealed it with the game's final four points.This road breakthrough marks a significant step for the Cowboys under head coach Steve Lutz, providing a confidence boost as they prepare for a tough home matchup against No. 13 BYU on Wednesday.
The Cowboys controlled the paint with 42 points there and grabbed key second-chance opportunities, while Utah struggled to close out possessions late.
Arkansas suffers first home loss
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas opened the second half with a 22-11 run to take a lead in Saturday’s SEC basketball game with Kentucky.
But, with the game tied at 63 with 8:02 left, Kentucky had a 5-point possession and held the lead the rest of the way for an 85-77 victory Saturday night at Bud Walton Arena.
The key possession centered around a foul followed immediately by a technical foul, giving UK four free throws and the ball. The Wildcats made three of those free throws. Then, getting the ball after the technical, Kentucky was fouled again and Malachi Moreno made two free throws to put the Cats up five, 68-63. Moreno then had a dunk for a seven-point Wildcat lead.
Arkansas cut its deficit to three twice over the next two minutes, but Kentucky opened up a 10-point lead, 80-70, with 2:03 left and never looked back.
The Razorbacks were down seven at halftime but started the second half on a 22-11 run. The spurt was aided by three technicals on Kentucky. With all the momentum, Billy Richmond III had a dunk to give Arkansas its first lead of the game, 52-51, with 14:04 left.
During the 22-11 run, Darius Acuff Jr. scored 13 points for Arkansas as the Hogs took a 57-53 lead with 12:19 remaining.
Arkansas held the lead over the next two minutes until Otega Oweh had a fastbreak dunk to tie the game at 59. Trent Noah followed with two free throws to put UK up two. Acuff found Malique Ewin for an alley-oop dunk to tie the game at 61 only to see Oweh answer with a layup. Richmond tied the game at 63 with a layup. Kentucky then had its five-point possession to lead to the upset win.
Also key in Kentucky’s win was the Wildcats’ ability to out-rebound Arkansas, 35-26.
Oweh led Kentucky with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Moreno added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Acuff led Arkansas with 22 points. Trevon Brazile just missed a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds, adding two assists and three blocked shots.
Arkansas will have a midweek bye and then play three of its next four on the road – at Mississippi State on Feb. 7, at LSU on Feb. 10 and at Alabama on Feb. 18. The lone home game in the stretch is versus Auburn on Feb. 14.
Clear skies, cold temps continue Sunday
Weather forecast for Sunday is for mostly clear skies with
slightly warmer temperatures for LeFlore County, southeastern Oklahoma and
western Arkansas..
The high is forecast to be 46 degrees with a low of 31 degrees.
Sunrise was 7:17 a.m. Sunset is 5:47 p.m.
Saturday’s high was 46 with a low of 31. A total of .02 inches of
precipitation was recorded, ending the January total at 2.79 inches. Average
rainfall for January is 3.10 inches.
Average temperatures for Feb. 1 are a high of 52 and low of 24.
Records for the date were a high of 74 in 1974 and a low of 1 in 1979.
Calendar of events
Calendar of events for the next week for Heavener, LeFlore County, southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The calendar is a free service for our readers. If you know of an event coming up, please CONTACT me.
Monday
LeFlore County commissioners meet 9 a.m.
City of Poteau meetings
High school basketball: Kinta at Arkoma; Keota at Cameron; Vian at Pocola; Keota at Wister
Tuesday
Poteau Evening Lions Club meet 6 p.m. CASC
High school basketball: Talihina at Heavener; Central at Howe; LeFlore at Panama; Pocola at Stigler; Vian at Spiro; Roland at Poteau; Whitesboro at Crowder
Wednesday
Poteau Rotary Club meets noon EOMC
Thursday
Poteau Kiwanis Club meets noon EOMC
Heavener VFW bingo 6
High school basketball: Bokoshe at Graham-Dustin; Clayton at LeFlore; Whitesboro vs. Acorn, Arkansas
Heavener city council meets 6 p.m.
Friday
High school basketball: Heavener at Stigler; Howe at Broken Bow; Arkoma vs. Union Christian; Cameron at Red Oak; Keys at Panama; Hartshorne at Pocola; Wister at Red Oak; Poteau at Checotah
Saturday
Actor Clark Gable was born on this date in 1901.
Today in history Feb. 1
Today in history for Feb. 1 has seen a mix of pivotal historical moments, iconic births, and notable deaths across centuries. Here's a curated overview of prominent events, focusing on well-known ones with lasting impact (drawn from reliable historical sources like History.com, Britannica, OnThisDay, and Wikipedia).Key Historical Events.
1327 — Edward III is crowned King of England at age 14, though real power rests with his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
1587 — Queen Elizabeth I signs the death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, leading to her execution days later—a major turning point in English history and the Tudor era.
1790 — The first session of the U.S. Supreme Court convenes in New York City (though no cases are heard that day).
1960 — In Greensboro, North Carolina, four Black college students stage a sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter, refusing service and sparking a wave of civil rights protests across the South.
1968 — During the Vietnam War, Saigon police chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executes a Viet Cong officer with a point-blank shot—captured in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo by Eddie Adams that becomes an iconic image of the war.
1979 — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile, marking the start of the Islamic Revolution.
2003 — The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board—a tragic setback for NASA's shuttle program.
Other notable mentions: 1908 Lisbon Regicide (assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal), and various wartime or political shifts in the 20th century.Prominent Births
1550 — John Napier, Scottish mathematician who invented logarithms (essential for modern calculations and astronomy).
1901 — Clark Gable, legendary American actor known as the "King of Hollywood" (Gone with the Wind, It Happened One Night).
1902 — Langston Hughes, influential African American poet, playwright, and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
1921 — Carol Channing, Broadway icon and actress (Hello, Dolly!).
1923 — Norman Mailer, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and journalist (The Naked and the Dead, The Executioner's Song).
1931 — Boris Yeltsin, first President of the Russian Federation (1991–1999), key figure in the Soviet Union's collapse.
1937 — Philip Glass, renowned minimalist composer (Einstein on the Beach, film scores like The Hours).
1994 — Harry Styles, English singer, songwriter, and former One Direction member (now a solo superstar).
Prominent Deaths
1851 — Mary Shelley, English novelist who wrote Frankenstein (at age 53).
1908 — King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir Prince Luís Filipe, assassinated in Lisbon.
1944 — Piet Mondrian, Dutch abstract painter famous for geometric compositions (e.g., Broadway Boogie-Woogie).
1976 — Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and Nobel laureate (uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics).
1981 — Donald Wills Douglas, American aviation pioneer and founder of Douglas Aircraft Company.
2013 — Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York City (1978–1989).
2019 — (Recent) Various, but historically notable include Buster Keaton (1966, silent film comedian) and others in modern times like Carl Weathers (2024, actor).
