Reagan County Boys Moving on to Regional Final After Win Over No. 6 Olton

LAMESA, TX — The Reagan County Owls pulled off another close win over a ranked team Tuesday to keep marching on in the playoffs.

Reagan County topped No. 6-ranked Olton 49-47 to advance to the regional final against Ropes at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Lamesa.

The Owls knocked out No. 12 Plains in the previous round 50-47.

On Tuesday, Reagan County trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but the Owls regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Kason Brown to start the fourth quarter, and they never trailed again.

“It was just a really good game,” Reagan County head coach Kyle Brown said. “It was a great atmosphere. Olton had a ton of fans there, and we did too. I think our senior leadership once again in the fourth quarter made the difference.”

Reagan County improved to 27-6 with its eighth straight win.

Kason Brown had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Owls, while Jarrett Brown had 19 points and nine rebounds. Levi Knight added 10 points and six rebounds.

Reagan County was ranked as high as No. 3 in the state earlier this year, but some midseason struggles dropped the Owls out of the Top 25 rankings.

Reagan County is now proving it belongs with the best teams in the state. 

“We’ve grown from every loss. Christoval was a huge one. We were much better after that. But I think the one that really changed things for us was Jayton,” Kyle Brown said of a nondistrict matchup against the No. 1 team in Class 1A, which Reagan County lost 65-44. 

“Going through district after Christoval, we thought we were on the right path, and we were, but playing a team like Jayton exposes your weaknesses. Ever since the Jayton game, we moved a couple kids up from JV that provided depth, and I think that was the turning point of the season.”

The Owls will face another unranked team in the regional final against Ropes, which has also found its stride at the right time.

Ropes beat Reagan County 62-52 when they met earlier this season.

Reagan County ended Ropes' season last year when they met in the second round of the playoffs.