By Connor Gray, Senior Reporter
The Ranger basketball team had a tight schedule with three home games in five days against Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State and Southwestern.
On Feb. 9, the Rangers took on the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist. The Tigers scored the first six points, but the Rangers quickly caught up.
The game went back and forth, as the Tigers struggled to keep a lead and ended the half with a 38-35 lead.
Both teams traded baskets to start the second half, but the Tigers got up by eight.
The Rangers closed the deficit and eventually took the lead, 55-53, over halfway through the game.
From here, the Rangers stayed ahead and kept the Tigers from doing any damage. The Rangers won, 75-70.
The next game was Saturday against Henderson State. The Rangers controlled a fair amount of the first half but blew two double-digit leads. The Reddies hit a buzzer beater to make it a 36-33 Ranger lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Reddies took control, and the Rangers played catch up throughout the second half.
Marquise Milton and Parsons made clutch shots in the final minutes of the game to tie it at 76. With seconds remaining, the Ranger defense got a stop to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Rangers got the lead but did not keep it. The Reddies hit clutch shots and won 91-89 in overtime.
Monday’s game against Southwestern was rowdy as the Rangers welcomed the Bulldogs to Alva. The game started off with the Bulldogs getting baskets early and taking a 14-5 lead. The Rangers kept the lead within single digits at the half, 37-30.
The second half started with a 10-0 run by the Rangers. Teams traded baskets for a bit before Southwestern went on a run to make it 59-53.
The Rangers continued to struggle, while Southwestern made it 69-61 with three minutes left.
The Rangers slowly chipped away at the lead, and Free hit a three with 57 seconds left to make it 71-69.
Parsons made a layup with 10 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Rangers forced several turnovers and bombarded the Bulldogs with dunks. The Bulldogs had no answers and the Rangers won, 91-81.