Vanoss depth, defense on display in wins over Tupelo

3 weeks ago7 min read1 comments

The Kenneth D. Smith Memorial Field House was buzzing Tuesday night, the kind of electric atmosphere that makes high school basketball in small-town Oklahoma feel like the NBA Finals for the communities involved.Vanoss High School’s boys and girls teams didn’t just open their 2025-26 seasons; they made a statement, sweeping local rival Tupelo in a double-header that showcased two very different paths to victory. For the boys, it was a flex of sheer, overwhelming depth, while the girls put on a defensive clinic that felt like watching a boa constrictor slowly but surely squeeze the life out of its prey.The Wolves’ boys squad, a team that’s been lurking as a Class 2A dark horse, exploded for a 68-37 win. Let’s be real, returning all five starters from a 21-5 team that was knocking on the door of the state tournament last year is the kind of roster continuity coaches dream about.You’ve got your core—Noah Golish, Dyllan Brown, Quenton Jackson, Kanon Bradley, and Kaver Trentham—a group that’s played so many minutes together they probably communicate with a nod and a grunt. But the real story, the one that should have the rest of 2A checking the standings, is what lies behind them.Coach Jonathon Hurt nailed it when he told The Ada News that their depth makes practices competitive, and that internal competition is what turns good teams into great ones. Against Tupelo, it wasn't just the usual suspects.Sure, Bradley and Brown co-led the scoring with 11 apiece, but then you had freshman Kingston Effinger dropping 10 in his varsity debut—talk about a welcome-to-the-show moment. Eleven different players scored.That’s not just a win; that’s a system operating at peak efficiency, a deep bench that allows for relentless pressure without a drop-off. It’s the kind of roster construction that wins games in February and March when legs are tired and every possession is a war of attrition.Contrast that with Tupelo’s situation. First-year head coach Dustin Romines is essentially rebuilding, having lost four starters to graduation.It’s a classic small-school challenge. His squad, led by Ryder Johnson’s 12 points, is hungry and works hard, but as Romines admitted, they lack size and will have to out-hustle and out-smart opponents every night.This is a long-term project, and a game like this is a brutal but necessary lesson in the gap between potential and present reality. The Vanoss girls’ 58-20 victory was a different kind of masterclass.If the boys’ game was an offensive showcase, the girls’ was a defensive symphony. Leading just 20-9 at halftime, they came out of the locker room and unleashed a devastating 24-4 third quarter.That’s not just a run; that’s a statement. Coach Hurt had pegged defense as a strength in the preseason, and his team proved him right in emphatic fashion.The scoring was beautifully balanced, with freshman Abby Davis leading the way with 10 points, but it was the collective effort—Livi Ellis draining three triples, Maesyn Cox adding seven—that highlighted a team without a single point of failure. They share the ball, they share the scoring load, and they clearly share a defensive mindset.For Tupelo’s girls, coached by Dustin Ybarra, the focus is rightly on the long game. In a post-game comment that resonates with anyone who’s ever been part of a rebuilding program, Ybarra emphasized that the real victory this season isn’t necessarily the scoreboard, but watching his young players evolve into confident, disciplined teammates.It’s a healthy perspective in a results-driven world, acknowledging that some wins are measured in growth, not just points. Stepping back, the narrative for Vanoss is incredibly promising.The boys, with their experienced core and shocking depth, look like a team on a mission to get back to the state tournament, a place they know well from trips in 2019, 2021, and 2022. They have the pieces, the chemistry, and the coaching.The girls, meanwhile, are building an identity around a smothering defense that can trigger their offense, a formula that travels well and wins big games. For Tupelo, both squads are in the early stages of their journeys, facing the universal sports challenge of rebuilding culture and competitiveness. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, and nights like Tuesday provide the blueprint for what both programs are and what they aspire to become.

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