Warriors start their ‘fix’ with blowout of Fairview
Okarche girls see win streak ended
WYATT PINKERTON continues to be a big outside shooting threat for Okarche, which put an end to a two-game losing streak Saturday against Fairview. Pinkerton made four treys and scored 18 points. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugmug.com]
After losing a second straight game last week, Aaron West said “these games are good for us.”
His Warriors had just been defeated 64-60 by Class 2A’s fourth-ranked Hennessey. That was two days after a 55-51 loss to Class B No. 1 Calumet.
The losses came on the heels of a 13-game win streak in which the closest margin of victory was 21 points.
But West wasn’t panicking with just two regular season games to go and one of Three Rivers Conference’s hottest teams - Fairview - awaiting on Saturday.
“We aren’t playing great and have only lost by four to two really good teams,” West said. “This is showing us what we need to work on.
“We will get it fixed.” Apparently a lot got fixed in a short amount of time.
The Warriors blasted 2A’s 12th-ranked Yellowjackets 76-46 to avoid a three-game losing slump.
“We definitely played a lot better,” West said.
Fairview had lost its first two games of the season after coming straight from a Class A football championship.
Since then, the Jackets had lost just twice - one was to Okarche in the finals of the Three Rivers Conference Tournament and the other to Class 3A No. 1 OCS in the finals of the Cashion County Line Tournament.
Everything else was a win, including an upset of Hennessey in the finals of the conference tournament.
But for the second straight matchup, Fairview was no match for the Warriors.
Okarche was up 26-9 after a quarter and was never threatened.
The Warriors forced 25 turnovers and turned that into 42 points.
They also made 12 3-point shots.
Four of those came from Wyatt Pinkerton, who was one of four Warriors in double figures with 18 points.
Jett Mueggenborg scored 19 to go with seven rebounds.
Easton Roby added 11 points and Caden Schieber 10.
Okarche held Fairview to just 30 percent shooting overall, which included going 1 of 13 (7.7 percent) from 3-point range.
The win bolstered Okarche’s overall record to 19-4 and the conference mark to 4-1.
Fairview dropped to 12-5 and 3-1.
Fairview outlasts Lady Warriors
Fairview all but ended Okarche’s hopes of the Three Rivers Conference regular season championship and kept alive its own hopes in the process.
The Lady Jackets downed Okarche 43-35 Saturday on the Lady Warriors’ home court.
It ended an eight-game win streak for Okarche, which moved to 16-8 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
Fairview is 11-8 and 3-1 with conference games remaining against Hennessey and Watonga.
Wins in both of those games would give Fairview the title.
Bentlee Bernard scored seven points early as the Lady Jackets jumped on top 14-6.
The Lady Jackets extended their lead to 10 through three quarters as Harlee Hamar scored nine in that frame.
Okarche couldn’t muster the comeback.
The Lady Warriors were held without a field goal in the first quarter and only had five through three quarters.
They started to warm up in the fourth and doubled their field goal output, but came up short.
Jadyn Rother led the team with 11 points, nine of which came at the free throw line.
Scout Payne added nine and Avery Schieber eight.