Okarche sweeps Thomas

Winning is the goal for any game and although it may not have been the prettiest of them, that’s what the Okarche boys got last Friday.

Despite shooting 29 percent, the Warriors outlasted their hosts in double-overtime to pull away for a 68-60 win.

“We didn’t shoot it very well at all, but we found a way to win,” said coach Ray West. “That’s the most important thing.”

West said Okarche’s ability to get to the free throw line and rebound on the offensive end were keys to the win.

Although the Terriers won the rebounding battle 44-37, Okarche managed to pull down 17 offensive rebounds to extend possessions.

Many of those possessions ended at the charity stripe as Okarche attempted 48 free throws and made 30 of them.

Still, Thomas outscored the Warriors 11-6 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The teams scored nine points apiece in the fourth before Okarche won the second overtime 12-4.

Tucker Neuenschwander led the way with 18 points and also had eight rebounds.

Cris Avila added 17 points and Kaleb Harris 15.

The Warriors shot just 18 of 62 from the field, including 2 of 21 (9.52 percent) from 3-point range.

Thomas shot 47 percent, but was undone partly by 38 turnovers, which led to 13 fewer field goal attempts for the game.

Okarche was 14-4 after the win, including 3-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.

Lady Warriors win big

It took a while for Okarche to get going, but once it did, Thomas couldn’t hold up.

The Lady Warriors dominated the final three quarters last Friday to pull away for a 61-23 road win in the Three Rivers Conference.

Thomas held Okarche to just nine first-quarter points and trailed by only a point.

But Okarche came alive in the second quarter as five different Lady Warriors scored as part of a 20-4 run.

Jade Owens led the pack with all nine of her points in the quarter.

The onslaught continued into the second quarter when Okarche went on a 17-5 burst, this time with six different players scoring.

That balance held steady throughout.

Eleven different players scored, but none more than Rachel McDowell’s 10 points.

Kassidy Rother also scored nine while Reagan Robinson added eight.

Okarche upped its overall record to 13-5. It has a conference mark of 3-0.