By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
MUSTANG – Even with school canceled Thursday, the Warriors still had to weather the storm.
It was a track meet for three quarters in the first round of the Class A State Tournament as No. 8 Okarche and No. 4 Kiowa raced to the final eight minutes with the Cowboys holding a 45-44 lead. But down the stretch, the Warriors’ fresh legs prevailed.
The two teams battled to a 51-51 deadlock with four minutes remaining before Okarche caught fire with a 7-0 run late, taking advantage of Kiowa’s fatigue down the stretch to clinch a spot in the state semifinals with a 58-51 win.
“Our plan was to wear them down,” senior forward Lathen Stover said after an intense battle in the paint with Kiowa’s big men. “We had to stop a couple guys from scoring and really box out in the second half. We changed it up late and I think it worked out a little better for us.”
The Warriors bruised their way through the first half, allowing Kiowa to dominate the boards on rout to a deficit tie at halftime and a deficit through three quarters.
The Cowboys pulled down 21 rebounds in the first 16 minutes, including 14 in the first quarter. However, Ray West’s squad made quick adjustments and forced Kiowa into foul trouble. The Cowboys’ star forward, Ethan Newberry, grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half, but picked up his fourth foul in the second quarter and didn’t play a factor down the stretch.
“We just had to get him up in the air with shot fakes and get him to commit fouls,” Stover said of his and his teammates adjustments against Newberry after the first quarter. “Once he got into foul trouble it made it a lot easier for us.”
Stover nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds while junior Kaleb Harris helped carry the load offensively throughout the game. Harris scored a team-high 15 points, coming up clutch at the free-throw stripe with nine makes on nine attempts. He scored six points during the team’s fourth-quarter run while senior Tucker Neuenschwander chipped in four of his seven points.
The game trended back and forth up until Okarche’s late run. The two teams played to a 13-13 draw in the first quarter before entering halftime tied 32-32. Cris Avila scored 11 points with six rebounds and three steals. The senior is excited for his team’s chance to play at the ‘Big House’ in Oklahoma City Friday.
“It’s great,” he said. “It’s been a goal for everybody on the team to get to play there. We’re sticking with each other and keeping each other in check. When we miss on offense, we just move on to the next play. Same way on defense. It’s been really big for us.”
Senior Kalen McCarthy scored nine points with three steals for Okarche in the win. Senior Mason Bomhoff chipped in six points with an assist.
The Warriors now turn their focus to No. 6 Cyril who knocked off No. 3 Frontier, 78-48 Thursday at Mustang. The two teams square off tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City with a spot in the state finals on the line.
