Okarche girls denied in state bid
Cashion’s Neely Tilley-Bedick
Thomas got hot at the right time.
That spelled doom for the Okarche Lady Warriors.
Unranked Thomas won for the fifth time in six days Saturday when it held off Okarche 36-32 in their Class A area consolation championship at the Stride Center in Enid.
The winpushed Thomas into this week’s state tournament while Okarche’s season ended with a 15-7 mark.
It was the Lady Warriors’ second loss in as many days as No. 3 Seiling handed them a 60-43 defeat in Friday’s area final.
Thomas and Okarche had split their previous two meetings this season as the Lady Terriers won in the regular season and Okarche returned the favor a week ago in a regional semifinal.
Thomas came back to win games Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to earn its spot in the consolation championship.
Once there, the Lady Terriers got out to a 10-5 lead and maintained it much of the game.
Okarche had chances late to tie, but couldn’t connect.
Berkley Wright made her second of two free throws with just four seconds left to make it a two-possession game.
“I think Thomas shot the ball well inside and we struggled to finish when we had our chances,” Okarche coach Haley Mitchel said. “And I felt we got too tightat times when the game was close.”
The game with Seiling the day before was close for much of the first half.
The final 5:20 of the second quarter proved the difference, however.
It was at the 5:20 mark that Jalie Rother nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 18-all.
The Ladycats commenced to go on a 20-0 run to close out the half.
Okarche never got closer than 11 points in the second half.
Madison Owens led Okarche with 14 points with 12 coming in the second half.
Rother and Sophie Vandendriessche scored seven apiece.
Kenly Gore scored 17 points to lead Seiling.
Scoring was a struggle the next night against Thomas.
The Lady Warriors never managed more than 11 in a quarter.
“They played great defense,” Mitchel said. “But we also hurt ourselves by not converting steals or their turnovers into points.”
Karsyn Vallerand led the Lady Warriors with 11 points. Owens scored eight.