The championship game of the Coyle Invitational Tournament featured a rubber match between the girls of Watonga and Okarche.
Twice this season, the two teams fought hard in closely matched games. In early January, Okarche got the better of Watonga, 58- 54, during the 3 Rivers Conference Tournament. Then, on Jan. 16, the Lady Eagles exacted a measure of revenge with a 48-45 win over the Class A No.-8 ranked Lady Warriors.
Two games. Seven points combined points separating loser from winner.
With that backdrop, the teams met for the third time with a tourney title on the line.
They didn’t disappoint, again, with a close game.
But it was the Lady Eagles who claimed the rubber match, 51-45 victors to bring home the hardware.
The road to the Coyle championship was much easier than the title game.
The girls beat Crescent 62-31 in the opening game, then beat host Coyle 65-42 to reach the title game.
Over the course of the past week, the Lady Eagles went 4-0, adding in a 58-21 win over rival Geary for good measure.
The undefeated week lifted the team’s overall record to 8-3 and and left it surely knocking on the door of a Class 2A state ranking if they keep their winning fortunes up.
The girls had a road game against Blaine County rivals Okeene Tuesday night (results not available as of press time.) They travel to Mooreland on Friday night, before coming home on Saturday to host Oklahoma Bible.