‘The Grannys’ play basketball game against fire department to raise money for charity

By Jason Burger

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    TUTTLE, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A basketball team of women in their 60s and 70s took on the Tuttle Fire Department to raise money for charity.

The team goes by ‘The Grannys.’

“The average age of our team is about 60, and our oldest player is 79,” said Lori Rupert, forward and captain.

The grannies don’t just cook in the kitchen. Get them out on the floor and they’ll cook up a triple-double.

“We have our own refs. They’re sitting right there and they’re going to make sure the firefighters don’t hurt us,” Rupert said.

In the Granny League, you can only dribble twice, then pass.

“There’s no running and jumping. We try to protect ourselves. We don’t want to fall, and if someone falls, it’s called “Granny down,” and Granny has to leave the game to make sure she’s ok,” Rupert said.

Even though the grannies look confident, the competition was tough. The Tuttle FD was laced up and ready to go.

“Oh, he just made a granny shot…dang! He’s been practicing!” Rupert said.

The firemen play with oven mitts on their shooting hands. For some, the pressure is too much.

The Grannys practices for weeks, which had some firefighters worried. Their star player was injured but he played anyway.

The game is six on six, where two players from each team can only play in specific zones on the floor. They can’t leave the area or else it’s a turnover.

The game was a fundraiser with a silent auction to raise money for Toys For Tots.

“We pick charities. We have people on the team that live in this community, and they got this set up,” Rupert said.

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