ATOKA — Hugo’s Lady Buffaloes got off to a strong start in the Atoka Wampus Cat Classic Tournament this past weekend, defeating host Atoka 65-40 in their opening contest. Hugo surged to a commanding lead in the first quarter, taking a 26-6 lead behind some great shooting by Don’Nai Akins, who dropped four long-range shots from downtown.

Comments to: andybowman839@gmail.com Coffeetimecolumn.com Several years ago, Andy contracted an illness that landed him in the isolation unit of our local hospital for two weeks. Visitors had to wear a mask, gown and gloves.

WAPANUCKA — Thanks to a buzzer-beating three pointer by Rebecca Napier, the Moyers Lady Tigers claimed the Championship trophy at the Wapanucka Invitational Basketball Tournament over the weekend and took the big iron home.

The University of Central Oklahoma recently announced the students named to the university’s honor rolls, a distinction given to those who achieve the highest academic standards. For the fall 2020 semester, 1,599 students were named to the President’s Honor Roll, an honor achieved by those who recorded a “straight-A” or 4.0 GPA.

ATOKA — The No. 2 rated Hugo Buffaloes brought home the big Championship Trophy from the Atoka Invitational Tournament this past weekend after spanking Latta, 56-19 and host Atoka, 84-55 before closing with a 47-42 Championship game win over No. 6 rated Kingston.

HUGO HIGH STATE-BOUND CHEER SQUAD MEMBERS INCLUDE: (front, l-r) Taleiah Biggers, Rakia Smith, Laney Cox, Ashia Jordan. (Middle,l-r) Kacyn Beard, E.J. Spillman, Tiffany Burris. (Standing, L-R) Kelicia Cook, Jaycee Taylor, Alexis McLemore, Jordan Holman, Chanda Barnett, Zoe Gilmore, Jenna Skelton and manager Alyssa Gallant. In addition to being the first HHS Cheer Squad to qualify for State, the team was also voted Southeast Oklahoma Area Best Squad earlier this year.

Our varsity cheerleaders have advanced to state! We will be competing next Saturday, Jan. 30 at Union High School.

With the current pandemic, terms such as “herd immunity,” “infection rates” and “contact tracing” are now part of daily conversations. You’d hear the same if it were a foreign animal disease, such as foot and mouth disease, hitting the United States. In such situations, animal disease traceability is critical to emergency response efforts.

• Chief, Assistant Chief lead effort to build convalescent plasma supply DURANT — The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) today hosted a convalescent plasma drive to aid Oklahomans diagnosed with COVID-19. The Choctaw Nation held the plasma drive in Durant, hosting Choctaw citizens and members of the community.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C.