By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
The life of a high school basketball season has many ups and downs, turns and twists.
You’ll hear the phrase plenty this time of year, ‘sometimes a loss helps’. Basketball has its way of offering more out of a losing streak than most sports. There’s plenty to be taken from a drought.
Okarche’s season has been the perfect example. The Warriors started hot with three straight wins to open the season before losing three of four games during a tough stretch that included three ranked opponents. They opened the season ranked No. 6 and then fell back to No. 11.
Now the Warriors are back inside the top-10, currently ranked No. 8 in Class A. They have gone from down to up with a four-game win streak that includes a three-win run for the Garber Tournament championship, knocking off the host school and the then sixth-ranked Wolverines for the title on their home court.
Okarche coach Ray West has seen a change in his team’s confidence since the win over Garber. He says that type of win can go a long way for a team over the course of a season.
“That was really a big deal for us,” he said. “We beat the sixth-ranked team in the state on their home floor and they were undefeated at the time. That’s huge.
“It gives them tremendous confidence that they can go on the road and compete against anybody. When you get ready for the playoffs and you know you can beat anybody even on their home court, that can be really big for a team.”
One way West has seen his team improve offensively is by spreading the wealth.
Early in the season, senior Cris Avila took over as the team’s main scoring threat, even opening the year with a 43-point performance against Class 2A Preston. But over the last few weeks, West has emphasized more aggressiveness from the surrounding players. That paid off Friday night against Watonga as five players scored in double digits to help lead the Warriors to a 93-48 win.
“I think we’re trying to get everyone to be more aggressive on that end and it showed last game,” West said. “We talked to them about everyone getting more involved in the offense and trying to spread it out as far as scoring opportunities. When you have five guys in double digits that’s big.”
Another point of emphasis for the Warriors has been rebounding.
Senior Tucker Neuenschwander, who scored 25 points in the team’s win over Watonga, also pulled down a game-high nine boards, helping Okarche out-rebound the Eagles 44-33. The Warriors used the boards to their advantage during the Garber Tournament as well, out-rebounding all three opponents by an average of six per game.
“That’s been a big point for us in practice,” West said of his team’s effort on the glass. “We’ve been working pretty hard on that, especially on offensive rebounds. They really have been doing well on that and that leads to some big second-chance points that can change the game.”
The Warriors pulled down 16 offensive rebounds against Watonga and a total of 46 in the Garber Tournament.
Okarche looks to keep its win streak alive with two tough games on the horizon; a matchup with Class 2A Cordell on Tuesday followed by a rematch with No. 18 Oklahoma Christian Academy Friday at home. OCA knocked off the Warriors, 71-69 in overtime on Nov. 30, the team’s last loss.
“Cordell is really good and we have to play them down there,” West said. “Then OCA, we play them and they beat us mainly because we couldn’t hit free throws late in the game. That’s two tough games to end the semester before break.
“We’ll look to keep improving with a few good practices here and keep emphasizing some of the things we’ve been working on. The kids have been working hard and right now it’s showing.”
Trey Hunter is the sports editor for the Okarche Warrior and the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette. He can be reached by email at sports@piedmontnewsonline.com or by phone at 405-659-9898 for story suggestions or comments.
