By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
Lomega’s Lady Raiders entered their game with Okarche on a 56-game winning streak.
The two-time defending Class B state champions ended the evening on a one-game skid.
The Lady Warriors got 24 points from Emma Stover and 12 more from Jadyn Rother and snapped the state’s longest win streak with a 66-61 win.
“They wanted to be the team that took away that streak. That was our mission,” head coach Haley Mitchel said.
Okarche led by as many as 14 in the game, but Lomega rallied to tie and take the lead late in the game. Sophie Vanderdriessche responded with a 3-pointer to give the Lady Warriors the lead back, though.
Stover and Tyson Endres added crucial buckets off offensive rebounds to preserve the win.
Jadyn Rother (12) and Jalie Rother (11) chipped in with double figures.
Last season, four of Okarche’s seven losses were by six points or less, so winning an early season nail biter over a good team should build confidence, Mitchel said.
“We lost so many close games last year. To see our girls respond when (Lomega) took the lead was huge,” Mitchel said.
Balanced scoring for Okarche early this season
Though Stover is Okarche’s top scoring threat, opposing defenses haven’t been able to focus all their attention on the 6-foot post player.
That’s because four other Lady Warriors have scored in double figures this season. Vanderdriessche had 17 to lead the way at Calumet while Addyson Arms scored a career-high 21 vs. Turner on Saturday.
“It’s been nice to see different ones step up,” Mitchel said. “Someone else has picked up the slack when we have needed them to.”
Okarche has also won the rebounding battle in all of five of its games so far, an important shift from struggles in that department last season.
“The girls have taken the initiative and made that a priority. That was something we definitely talked about improving from last season and we have so far,” Mitchel said.
After the Thanksgiving break, Okarche will be into the heart of its conference schedule quickly and plays in a difficult field at the Garber Tournament.
