By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
THOMAS – The eighth-ranked Warriors needed two overtimes to pick up their second straight win Friday night as well as 30 made free throw, knocking off Thomas-Fay-Custer 68-60.
Okarche and the Terriers entered the first overtime tied, 47-47 and after extra time, enter overtime No. 2 tied, 56-56. Then with a 12-4 run in the second overtime, the Warriors sealed the victory.
Three players scored in double digits for Okarche, including senior Tucker Neuenschwander, who scored 18 points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior Cris Avila scored 17 points with a team-high eight assists and senior Kendon Brown scored 15 points with seven boards and two helpers.
Free throws were a major key to the victory as the Warriors went 30-for-48 from the charity stripe, all three of the team’s three double-digit scorers hitting at least seven apiece from the line. Neuenschwander went 10-for-13, Avila 8-for-14 and Brown 7-for-11. The Terriers went just 12-for-23 from the line.
Okarche lost the rebound battle overall, 44-37, but cleaned up on the offensive boards with 17. The team also forced an astounding 38 turnovers.
Avila led the way with seven steals while senior Kalen McCarthy finished with six and junior Kaleb Harris finished with five.
The Warriors did not shoot well from the field, going just 18-for-52 (29-percent) overall and 2-for-21 from three-point range. The team’s free throw efficiency, offensive rebounding and points off turnovers made up for the poor shooting. Thomas-Fay-Custer shot 47-percent from the field.
The win marked the 10th out of 11 games for the Warriors, coming off a third-place finish in the 2019 Three Rivers Conference Tournament in Enid. The team has just four games remaining on the regular season schedule.
The Warriors get back to action at home Tuesday against Class 2A No. 2 Hennessey. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
