By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
ENID – Cris Avila walked off the court in the fourth quarter and pumped his fists in the air before hugging his teammates and coaches.
The senior and the Warriors all breathed a sense of relief knowing they had sealed a spot in the 2019 Class A State Tournament for the first time in six years. They celebrated six minutes later after capping a 73-37 blowout win over No. 2 Glencoe for the Area Tournament championship Saturday night at Central National Bank Center.
“It’s really special,” Avila said, describing the feeling of walking off the court with a ticket to the State Tournament. “I don’t think anybody expected that outcome. We came in and as underdogs and blew out the No. 2 team in the State.
“Coach West told me when I came out that he was really proud of me and we all deserved it. He always tells us we deserve to go to State because good people deserve great rewards.”
The Warriors jumped out to a 17-13 lead after the first quarter and exploded in the second with a 37-18 run for a 54-31 halftime advantage. West’s squad was able to pressure the Panthers, forcing 24 turnovers on 20 steals in the win.
“The press bothered them, especially in the second quarter,” West said. “That’s the big key to getting easy baskets. Their bench isn’t that deep so we were able to get them in foul trouble and that was a big advantage.”
The game tightened in the second half, but Okarche never let off the brakes, adding seven points to its lead in the third quarter before closing the game out with a 10-4 run in the fourth.
“We just had to run them and wear them down,” Avila said of Glencoe. “That first half was really big for us. We got their two star players in foul trouble and that was all we needed.”
Avila finished with a game-high 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting in the victory. He also finished with three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Junior Kaleb Harris scored 14 points with four rebounds and three assists while senior Tucker Neuenschwander finished with 12 points, seven boards, four helpers and three steals.
Okarche now turns its focus to No. 4 Kiowa in the first round of the State Tournament Thursday. West and his staff have been studying their opponent as they build a game plan for the Cowboys.
“They’ve got a well-balanced team,” West said. “They have five guys that can score on any given night. They’re kind of like us in that regard. They probably go six deep, but not much off the bench. It’s going to be a tough matchup.”
Avila is confident his team can keep the season alive and reach the semifinals.
“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” he said. “We have to put a lot of pressure on them. Most teams haven’t faced our pressure, so we just have to wear them out. We have a deep bench and fresh legs. Once their legs get tired, we can take advantage.”
Okarche has now reached the State Tournament for the 11th time in West’s 25 years at the school. It is the team’s first appearance since the 2012-13 season.
The Warriors and Cowboys tip off at 2 p.m. Thursday at Mustang High School. The winner moves on to face either No. 3 Frontier or No. 6 Cyril in the State Tournament semifinals at Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City Friday at 12 p.m.
