Local coaches had an opportunity to promote their programs on Tuesday as the Quarterback Club hosted its weekly meeting at The Other Place restaurant. In attendance were Alva High School basketball coaches Shane Feely and Dusty Horn, as well as Northwestern men’s basketball coach Shawn Dirden.

Ladybugs

Coach Horn, head man for the Ladybugs, got the meeting started with recaps of their contests against Chisholm last Thursday night and Fairview the following evening.

The Ladybugs started the back-to-back games strong against the Longhorns with a 51-34 victory in a game highlighted by consistent shooting at the line, going to the line 20 times, converting 19 of those attempts.

Friday night’s matchup against the Yellow Jackets was a different story in a 45-33 loss at home.

“We did a good job guarding inside and they didn’t finish things against us,” said Horn. “We just fouled them and put them on the free throw line. It's hard to guard the free throw line.”

Fairview knocked down 20-plus attempts from the stripe.

Following its 45-41 win over Tonkawa on Tuesday, Alva will return to action after the new year with a home date against Blackwell on Jan. 2, followed by the Wheat Capital Tournament Jan. 4–6 at Chisholm High School in Enid. The Ladybugs will take on the host team in the opening round at 3:50 p.m.

Goldbugs

Coach Feely and the Alva boys squad had a successful previous week as they defeated Chisholm last Thursday, 56-55, and capped off the week with a 64-57 win over Fairview.

Reviewing the win over the Longhorns, Feely said the Bugs were prepared well, even though the visiting squad threw some new things at the home rivals.

“We defended well enough to win, but the thing was, we are starting to shoot better,” Feely said.

Due to the success of the AHS football team, the Bugs are still getting their legs under them. “We were balanced in scoring with three or four guys in double figures each game,” commented Feely on the two contests.

It isn’t just shooting the Bugs were getting a handle on after the late start. Against Fairview, Alva had a solid lead before letting the visitors back in late. However, Feely mentioned there was some late-game strategy his squad hadn’t had a chance to work on prior to its matchup with the Yellow Jackets.

“We like where we are headed; we are heading in the right direction,” exclaimed Feely. His squad finished the semester strong with a 59-43 positive outcome over Tonkawa on Tuesday night.

The Alva boys will face Blackwell at home on Jan. 2 before taking part in the Wheat Capital Tournament the following weekend. On Jan. 4, the Bugs open the tournament with a date against Perry at 2:30 p.m.

Rangers

Dirden closed the meeting with comments about how the Northwestern Oklahoma State University men’s season is progressing into 2018. The Rangers wrapped up their first semester schedule on Saturday with a 90-73 win over Randall University.

Before getting into the details of his own squad's happenings, coach Dirden commented on the community aspect of attending AHS games. He said he looks forward to following the Bugs and Ladybugs as their seasons progress.

The Rangers were coming off a pair of losses against Arkansas Tech and Newman prior to their game against Randall. Following the losses, the Rangers were idle for a couple of weeks due to NCAA Div. II scheduling rules around finals.

“It was two really long weeks, but it was some good adversity for our guys,” Dirden said. “It was a good opportunity for my staff and myself to reflect.”

Dirden said the coaching staff has preached sharing the ball, something the Rangers did well against Randall as they dished out 27 assists in the ballgame, while only turning the ball over 10 times. They also lit up the nets shooting 55-percent from the field.

“We think the future is bright after the strong (7-2) start,” he said. “We are in a position to position ourselves conference-wise.”

The Rangers are at home to start 2018 with a pair of games against Great American Conference foes Southern Arkansas on Jan. 4 and Arkansas-Monticello on Jan. 6.