Warrior comeback leads to OT win at Hennessey
P.K. HARRIS had a big night for Okarche as he helped lead the Warriors to an overtime win at Hennessey last Tuesday. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
Never count out Okarche. The Warriors erased a big early deficit, a smaller one in the final minutes of regulation and eventually pulled out a 51-46 overtime win Tuesday night at Hennessey.
“It’s been a while since we won one over there, so it felt good,” said coach Aaron West after watching his team erase a six-point deficit going into the fourth quarter.
The lead for Hennessey was three points with 1:43 to play when Jael Torres took a dish from Cristian Rodriguez and laid it off the glass.
But Hennessey didn’t score again in regulation after that shot put the Eagles up 39-36.
P.K. Harris pulled Okarche within one with a driving bucket with just under 90 seconds to play, then tied it by making one of two free throws with 43 seconds left.
After forcing a turnover, Okarche had a shot to win, but a 3-pointer fell just short at the buzzer.
Overtime was Hunter Mueggenborg time.
His scooping drive put Okarche up and the Warriors didn’t look back as they outscored Hennessey 12-7 in the extra frame.
Mueggenborg scored half of those OT points and nine of his 12 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Harris had all 13 of his points in the second half while Brayden Stover added nine for Okarche.
Torres led all scorers with 19 points, including seven in the fourth quarter as the Eagles tried to hold on to their lead.
James Sims scored six in the first for Hennessey as the Eagles got out to a 12-3 lead on Okarche.
The Warriors got a trio of 3-pointers in the second quarter, but still trailed by seven points.
Harris also led his team with eight rebounds as Okarche won the board battle 35-22.
The Warriors were also 13 of 20 at the line while Hennessey attempted just seven from the charity stripe.
“It was a game we could have won,” said Hennessey coach Brady Page, whose Eagles are 7-6 and have dropped four of their last five games, all by single digits.
“We’ve got to get better at doing what’s right when the game gets tight,” Page added.
His Eagles are 3-2 in Three Rivers Conference games.
Okarche was 13-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference after the win.
It was the Warriors’ first game in 10 days.
“It looked like it early, too,” West said of the slow start. “We didn’t pass it well, but started to turn things around eventually.”
Lady Warriors move to 17-1
There was no such drama in the girls contest as Okarche locked up its eighth consecutive win of the season.
The Lady Warriors built a big early lead then continued to build on it in an 83-38 win at Hennessey’s Eagle Event Center.
Jalie Rother knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter to spark Okarche to a 27-6 lead.
That advantage grew to 36 by halftime and 53 by the end of the third quarter.
Rother was one of three Lady Warriors in double figures with her 14 points, all of which she scored in the first half.
Emma Stover scored 20 points to lead all players while Sophie Vandendriessche poured in 16.
Rother ended her night with four 3-pointers while Vandendriessche knocked down three.
Ryen Wittrock also notched three treys en route to her 13 points.
Hennessey was led by Katie Kennedy’s eight points.
Five different Lady Eagles scored five apiece as they fell to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
Okarche was 17-1 overall and 4-0.