By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
The Warriors suffered their second loss of the season at the hands of one of Class B’s top teams.
Okarche fell 54-40 to Calumet, who won 30 games last year, at home Tuesday night after opening the 2019-20 campaign with two straight wins.
The Warriors started strong, jumping out to a 17-12 lead after the first quarter. However, the Chieftains responded with a 16-4 run in the second to enter halftime with a seven-point advantage. Okarche shot 58-percent from the field in the first 16 minutes, going 7-for-12 overall and 2-for-7 from three-point range. They held Calumet to 48-percent on 21 shot attempts.
Okarche cut the lead to five after a 12-10 run out of the break. However, a 16-7 fourth-quarter stretch by the Chieftains sealed the game. Calumet improved to 52-percent shooting in the second half, going 11-for-21. The Warriors were held to just seven makes down the stretch, shooting 37-percent – although they did go 4-for-9 from three-point range.
Rebounds and turnovers played a major factor in the loss.
Calumet won the rebound battle 31-18, including a 11-3 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Warriors also turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 19 points for the Chieftains, who turned it over just 13 times. Neither team did much beyond the arc, Okarche finishing 6-for-16 while Calumet went just 1-for-5. The two teams also struggled from the free-throw line, combining to go 17-for-36.
Junior Kaleb Harris led the Warriors with 18 points, the team’s lone scorer in double digits. He went 6-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point range and 3-for-10 from the charity stripe. He also finished with three rebounds and two assists. Juniors Logan Kroener and Joseph Schaefer each scored eight points. Schaefer led the team with five rebounds while Kroener led the squad with three assists. Sophomore Evan Endres, senior Koby Mingus and freshman P.K. Harris combined to chip in six points.
Calumet was led by a duo of double-digit scorers. Ryan Island scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Gunner Snowden recorded a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Okarche looks to bounce back Tuesday night against Class 3A Harding Fine Arts Academy, the second of three straight home games followed by a match up against Oklahoma Christian Academy next Friday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. following the girls games.
