Eagles Named District Champs

The Watonga Eagles started their journeys to the Big House on Saturday Feb 19th. Both teams came away with a win against the Tonkawa Buccaneers, making them District Champions on their home court. The Lady Eagles ended with a score of 55-29 and the Eagles 75-50.

Landri Hussey started things off quickly for the Lady Eagles by winning the tip and making the first points of the ballgame shortly after with a fast break. They began working Tonkawa on defense with a zone defense. The Eagles worked hard and got lots of steals during the entirety of the game. Aubrey Bridges started off strong by getting a steal and getting a foul on the layup of her fast break. It was an aggressive game between both teams, and Hussey continued to be tough on defense with two back-to-back deflections in the first quarter. Out of bounds plays were successful for the Eagles for most of the night. Evelyn Carmona made her first two points of the game with an out of bound play. She continued working hard and gave Shelby Miller an assist the next play. It was 16-10 with the Eagles on top going into the second quarter.

The Lady Eagles continued to pressure hard and get good rebounds on defense. However they began to play a little too fast and let some passes get away from them. Although their long shots weren’t always successful, Jaiden Alexander and Miller made quick work of rebounds and focussed on putting missed shots back up for two points. Shortly after, Hussey saved a ball from going out of bounds and dribbled through the paint to kick it to Miller who got fouled on her made shot and went to the free-throw line. At the end of the quarter Watonga continued to hold off Tonkawa’s offense and prevented them from getting off a last second shot. It was 26- 13 and the Eagles had doubled the Lady Buccaneers’ score.

The second half started out shakily for the Eagles, as they couldn’t get shots to fall in and struggled with turnovers. But Senior Azha’Rae Richard got the team back on track by making two 3-point shots for the team. The other senior Hussey continued to step up to the challenge and went through the paint for multiple shots, even making a few extra free throws on fouled shots. With 30 seconds left, Mary Barton got a block on the defensive end, but the Buccaneers ended the third quarter with a last-second 3-pointer. The Eagles remained leading 36-20.

Watonga came out ready to play hard for the last quarter and secure the win for good. They pressed for the majority of the game and continued being aggressive on both ends. Briah Holdge continued getting more and more playing time and assisting her team. She got the ball on the right-baseline and handed it off to Bridges who drove into the paint to shoot a jump shot over two defenders.She had great plays during the fourth quarter. After getting the ball at half court, Bridges weaved through defenders to make a jump shot just past the free throw line, then followed with a stepback shot next possession. The game ended 55-29 with the Eagles victorious.

All of Coach Lauren Campo’s players got into the game tonight for playing time, and her team was named District Champions and received a plaque for their efforts. Bridges is back on track with her scoring percentages, dropping 17 points and becoming the lead scorer of the game. She made every free throw she shot and had massive plays the whole game. They are moving on to the Regional Tournament starting on Feb. 24 and will play the Merritt Lady Oilers.

The Eagles followed in the Lady Eagles lead and were also named District Champions on Feb. 19. The boys were ready for a win and opened the game with pressuring defense. Deondre Dunn quickly started off the Eagles by driving through the lane, faking a shot, and kicking it to Laron Whiteshield who put up two. All of the starters were working as Phoenix Whiteshirt took a deep 3 after an out-of-bounds play. Next possession Devon Wilson took a fast break layup but missed the shot. Whiteshield then jumped and shot the ball back into the hoop before it ever touched the ground. However, Tonkawa then responded by going on a scoring streak, but the Eagles moved the ball well on offense and waited for good shots to present themselves, while also continuing to go to the paint. Dunn then got a fast break dunk before the quarter ended. The score was 20-13 with Tonkawa ahead.

Whiteshield continued having a good game with more midair jump shots and rebounds. Osten Reyes took advantage of what free throws he could get during the second half, making three out of four. Dunn continued to take jump shots and shots outside the 3-point line. Whiteshield then got the second dunk of the game with a fast break play. Following, Dunn dribbled through multiple defenders throughout the court and finished with a left layup. And with 10 seconds left, he got a steal and a layup, which brought the score to 32-27, the Eagles taking the lead.

The Eagles continued to fight on during the third, although plays didn’t always go their way. Whiteshield continued to get good blocks on defense, and Wilson was working on offense by sidestepping defenders left and right for layups. Reyes and Whiteshirt found their form and began to make threes for the Eagles. Throughout the third, Dunn shot lots of free throws. Eight of his total nine free throws were in the third, and he made every single one. 52-36 was the score and Watonga was pulling away with the lead.

They remained focused during the fourth as they worked towards the win. They played hard defense but began to struggle with foul trouble, which resulted in them pulling back. Reyes continued making shots, and made a deep three after Dunn got a block on defense. Both teams remained physical, but Tonkawa’s defense was no match for Watonga’s teamwork and good offensive plays. Dunn pushed through the right baseline under the goal and made a reverse layup. And after yelling from the student section, Aajay Johnson came into the game and made a 3-pointer, drawing yells from the whole stadium as they cheered for the freshman. The game ended 75- 50 and Watonga was successful in getting the win.

They too were named District Champions for the 2022 season. Dunn was the lead scorer with 28 total points, mostly from layups and free throws. The fourth quarter was the highest scoring quarter for the Eagles, which led them to getting a 25-point win over the Buccaneers. The Eagles also play the Merritt Oilers in the Regional Tournament coming up, as they continue their road to State.