Eagle Teams Finish Runners Up at 3 Rivers Tournament

ENID — The Watonga Lady Eagles (8-3) were hoping for a revenge game as they went up against the Okarche Lady Warriors (16-1) in the championship game at the Three Rivers Conference Tournament on Jan. 8. The Lady Warriors really put the pressure on and pulled out victorious in this close game, ending the score 63-49.

Watonga started off the game with speed, quickly getting back to defense after Okarche won the tip. They were heating up on defense, and handling Okarche’s full court press well. Mary Barton made the first points of the ballgame and began to put up lots of layups for the eagles. However, the Eagles bagan to give up easy shots for the Warriors, giving Okarche a chance to keep up with the Eagles scoring. Watonga kept the lead well and ended the 1st quarter with a score of 19-13 with Watonga leading by 6.

The second quarter started with shaky passes and turnovers from the Eagles, and began to foul a lot. Shots were falling for both sides and it was a fast game up and down the court. Aubrey Bridges had many offensive rebounds, but the Eagles were getting in foul trouble. They continued to handle Okarche’s press well, but had to stop their pressing in turn. The first half of the game was gritty, and the score at half was Okarche with 27 and Watonga with 31, still in the lead.

The Eagles opened up the third quarter with turnovers and struggling with foul trouble, allowing Okarche to take the lead. The Warriors were hooking up on defense and the Eagles began to struggle with taking the lead back. Watonga gave up offensive rebounds, and Okarche went on a scoring spree. However after some of Watonga’s sharp shooters like Azha’Rae Richards found their rhythm, Watonga caught up again. The score was 46-40 going into the fourth, The Eagles trailing behind.

Shots began to bounce off for Watonga, and Okarche widend their lead. The Lady Eagles were missing many jump shots and struggled to make their quick shots. The Lady Warriors found the mojo to go on a 21-point scoring spree. Aubrey Bridges made a deep three to end the game with a score of 63-49, Watonga unable to complete their comeback and get revenge on the Lady Warriors. “We can improve on rebounding against bigger teams,” Coach Lauren Campo said. Her girls played well in the first half, but foul trouble hurt them. On the 14th the Lady Eagles go up against the Carnegie Wildcats, and hope to redeem themselves at their home court.

It was a fast game, and the energy from the court rose into the bleachers. The student sections were going crazy. The battle between the Watonga Eagles (8-2) and the Cashion Wildcats (5-3) was on. It was championship Saturday at the Three Rivers Tournament in Enid, and Coach Brandon Gallagher was ready to take on the No. 3-ranked team, Cashion. The Eagles had previously won against Oklahoma Bible Academy and Hennessey to make it to the championship game on Dec. 8, competing for a plaque. The Eagles ended up falling to the Wildcats, the game ending with a score of 51-24, with Cashion on top.

The game began with high energy, but the first quarter was low-scoring due to both teams playing solid and hard defense. The Eagles had to adapt to Cashion’s slow-paced playing style, but the speed picked up as Watonga began to play their game. They gave up minimal offensive rebounds for the Wildcats, but quickly got into foul trouble. The first quarter ended up with Cashion putting up 7 points, and Watonga with 2.

“I thought that we competed the whole time, we just had a hard time scoring offensively. Sometimes shots don’t fall,” Gallagher said. In the second quarter the Eagles began to struggle with turnovers and getting points up on the board against Cashion's rough defensive style. Watonga began to pick up speed again, but were shut down by the Wildcats’ full court press and getting into further foul trouble. The game remained low-scoring, ending 20-12, Cashion remaining on top.

The second half was full of charges taken by the Eagles, and a struggle to catch back up with the Wildcats. Shots would just not go in for Watonga, and Cashion only increased their lead. The game was proving to be a dog fight for the Eagles. As Watonga began to catch up during the third quarter, Cashion got away again, making multiple shots back-to-back. Watonga was looking for a comeback, as they ended the quarter down by 12. Cashion had 32, and Watonga had 20

Ṫhe wildcats quickly put on the pressure in the fourth quarter, as Watonga had lots of turnovers and missed free throws. They began to throw up shots quickly, but the effort was for naught as the Wildcats went on a roll and gained a 30-point lead by the end of the final buzzer. “We probably got sticky with the ball a little bit, we probably need to move it around a little bit,” Gallagher said. The game ended 51-24, and the Wildcats were victorious.

“I think that Cashion deserves a lot of credit, ‘cause they're very, very good, and I thought we just had a hard time hitting shots.” Gallagher would like to look at this in a positive light, and only use this loss to grow as a team. “I think that this is a growing experience for us, because we haven't been in a whole bunch of really big situations, and I think every time you can put yourself in a big situation- that’s gonna help you for the future,” Gallagher said. “The Three Rivers Conference is probably, if not the best, one of the best small-school conferences in the whole state. And we’re up there competing for championships, and so I think that says a lot about our kids, even though the game didn’t come out how we wanted.” His team is making leaps and bounds of progress, and he looks confidently towards the future. The Eagles also matched up with Hennessey this week, and pulled out the home victory 61-56 Tuesday.