CORDELL – Senior Tucker Neuenschwander drilled a game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds remaining, spurring ninth-ranked Okarche to a 74-72 win over Cordell Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-3 forward received a pass and didn’t hesitate as he hoisted the game’s final shot, nailing his fourth three-pointer of the night and helping earn the team’s fifth straight victory.
Neuenschwander finished with a double-double, leading the team in both points, with 24, and rebounds, with 12. He was one of three players who scored in double figures for the Warriors, including junior Kaleb Harris who finished with 19 and senior Cris Avila who dropped 17.
It was a close game all the way down to the finish.
The Warriors jumped out to a 21-18 lead after the first eight minutes and kept the three-point lead heading to halftime after the two teams battled to a 20-20 stalemate in the second quarter. Cordell tied the game after halftime with a 18-15 run in the third quarter. Okarche kept it close and survived a late run by the Blue Devils before Neuenschwander’s game-winner to end it.
Okarche finished with near identical halves, shooting 45-percent in the first two quarters and the last two. The team was also hot from three-point range and needed it, drilling 15 of 32 attempts for a 47-percent clip on the night.
The two teams battled on the boards with Okarche out-rebounding the Blue Devils 29-28. Neuenschwander’s 12 led the way while senior Lathen Stover grabbed five. The team pulled down 13 offensive rebounds, including six from Neuenschwander and one apiece from Avila, Harris, senior Kalen McCarthy and sophomore Logan Kroener. Cordell shot just over 46-percent from the field, but shot 34-percent from the beyond the arc. The Blue Devils were able to get to the free-throw line, drilling 16 of 20 attempts from the stripe. They also forced 22 turnovers and turned the takeaways into 30 points.
“It was an exciting game and a great game,” coach Ray West said. “Cordell is a really good team and it was tough having to play them at their place. It was a big win for us.”
The Warriors look to make it six straight wins as they host No. 18 Oklahoma Christian Academy Friday night at the Okarche Basketball Gymnasium. The Eagles won the first matchup earlier in the season, 71-69 in overtime on Nov. 30, Okarche’s last loss.
“They (OCA) beat us really because we couldn’t hit free throws as the end,” West said of the team’s previous game with the Eagles. “That’s a tough game to end the semester, but if we play well we can definitely win.”
