Sports

Dec. 23—For the second season in a row Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk has helped lead the Sooners to a 10-1 record heading into conference play.

Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner stood at his stall in the Jets’ locker room after the 19-3 loss to the Jaguars and considered the team’s fourth straight defeat and fading playoff hopes. “We need to get takeaways and score at this point,” Gardner said.

For those of you who watch NFL RedZone every week, it feels like Christmas, doesn’t it? Well, this week, it actually will be. There’s a full Sunday-type slate of games on Christmas Eve on Saturday, followed by three on Christmas Day and then MNF. More games than not have playoff implications, so as is always the case this time of year, look for motivation as teams are fighting to clinch a spot or stay in the hunt.

LOS ANGELES — The concept of playing an NFL game on Christmas Day sounded a lot better to Jay Feely when the schedule came out in the spring than it did as the holiday season approached. It was 2010, and Feely was kicking for the Arizona Cardinals, who were 5-10 and going nowhere.

NEW YORK — Nets star Kevin Durant said the NBA fumbled the bag by keeping his team off the Christmas Day slate. “Yeah, Knicks-Nets would’ve been a great Christmas Day matchup,” Durant said.

Dec. 21—Brent Venables walked to the lectern at his press conference Wednesday morning wearing a Christmasthemed jacket over his shirt and tie.

LEWISVILLE, Texas -- Five swimmers from the Ponca Sailfish Swim Team swam in the King Marlin Swim Club Pro-Am Classic last week. Those from the Sailfish team who participated were Jessalyn Carpenter, Mattie Shearer, Timothy Crank, Kyle King and Braden Stewart.

Dec. 22—Taylor Robertson led the charge for an explosive first half for the Sooners at the Jumpman Invitational.