Lady Warriors get by OBA, looking forward to break

The Okarche girls basketball team is limping - quite literally - to the Christmas break.

“We are in straight survival mode right now,” coach Kelli Jennings said on Wednesday. “Just three more days.”

Okarche is surviving - but still winning - despite a rash of injuries.

Starting sophomore post player Karsyn Vallerand tore an ACL Nov. 12 against Calumet.

Savannah Mingus, the team’s “sixth man,” has been out with a stress fracture in her shin. She’s one of two Lady Warriors currently with a stress fracture.

Then there’s senior Kelsee Brown whose partially torn ACL turned into a full-fledged tear since the season began.

“But she’s crazy tough and playing on it,” Jennings said.

Brown scored eight points last Tuesday to help Okarche erase an early seven-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma Bible Academy 44-38 in Enid.

The win was Okarche’s eighth in a row as the Lady Warriors move to 10-1 overall. The Lady Warriors are also 2-0 in Three Rivers Conference games.

OBA used six fi rst-quarter field goals to go on top 15-8.

However, the Lady Warriors allowed just seven field goals the rest of the game while clawing back on the offensive end.

It was a true team effort.

Brown scored all of her points in the middle two frames as Okarche got within one of the Lady Trojans.

In the fourth, Madison Owens scored four of her team-high 13 points.

Marlo Hunt, Rachel Mc-Dowell and Jalie Rother all delivered field goals in the final quarter as Okarche closed with a 13-6 run.

McDowell fi nished with 12 points to aid the cause.

Warriors go to OT for 2nd

time in conference tilt

If the first two games are any indication, Okarche’s conference schedule should be an exciting one if nothing else.

The Warriors erased a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime Tuesday at Oklahoma Bible Academy, only to fall 76-66 after the extra frame.

The Warriors have played two conference games this season and both have gone into overtime (they won at Watonga on Dec. 3).

OBA used a 20-7 run in the third quarter to open up a 15-point lead on Okarche. That lead was still 13 with just a couple minutes left in regulation.

But while the Trojans scored just one fourth-quarter field goal, Kaleb Harris and Joe Schaefer heated up.

The duo scored nine points apiece in the quarter as Okarche eventually tied it up.

Harris even had a chance to win near the end of regulation, but his 3-pointer was off the mark.

In OT, it became the Jett Cheatham show.

The Trojan junior nailed two 3-pointers and scored 12 of his team’s 16 points. He finished the night with 23.

Harris scored all six of Okarche’s overtime points and also scored 23.

Logan Kroener fi nished with 16 while Schaefer scored 14 and Evan Endres 13 for the Warriors.

Okarche was 6-5 after the loss.