The Watonga Eagles faced the Fairview Yellow Jackets for Senior Night games on Feb. 11. Both teams came out victorious, the Lady Eagles with a win of 48-25, and the Eagles with 62-53. It was a bittersweet victory as the seniors played their last regular season game at home. The Lady Eagles have two seniors, Landri Hussey, and Azha’Rae Richard. The Eagles have Deondre Dunn, Devon Wilson, Osten Reyes, Chase Dryden, and AJ Mata, five seniors in total.
The girls began by winning the tip and immediately going for a score. They full-court pressed the Lady Jackets, which they handled well. In the second possession of the game Evelyn Carmona drew a foul on a layup, and made the extra free throw. The Lady Eagles focused on getting lots of rebounds and putting up good shots. During the first quarter, Natalie Walker entered the game from the bench after being out due to injury. After senior Hussey shot a 3-point shot, Mary Barton rebounded the shot and took it out to the wing to pass back in to Landri, who drove into the lane at the free-throw line and made a quick jump shot. The Eagles did a great job at keeping Fairview at bay, even when shots weren’t falling. At the end of the quarter with two seconds left, Richard took two dribbles past the halfcourt line and shot at the last second. It went in, and Richard made the first 3-point shot of the ballgame. It brought the score 9-4, Watonga.
The second quarter was just as good for the Eagles as the first. Hussey was having a good night on defense, having many steals and assists. She took advantage of fouls she got from fast breaks. The second quarter went very well for the Eagles because of the fast breaks they got from steals on defense. Aubrey Bridges also had a couple of steals back to back, dribbling down the court and kicking it out to Richard, who made her second 3 of the night. Following right after, Bridges got another steal and gave it to Hussey who went in for a quick layup down the middle of the paint. The Eagles were on a roll, and were slowly increasing their lead, while also keeping Fairview in check on defense. The first half ended with the Eagles remaining on top, 24-12.
To start off the second half, Mary Barton opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, which was immediately followed by a fast break from Richard. Barton was on fire during the third, as she then got the ball on the left wing and drove straight to the paint through multiple defenders for a layup. The next possession she did the same thing, but then passed to Carmona for an assisted bump shot. The Lady Eagles were playing elite basketball and intense defense. Bridges also continued to help out the team whenever she can. She faked right then went left at the top of the key, then dribbled through the lane to get Shelby Miller open for a quick shot. They really contained the Lady Jackets in the third, only allowing them to score six points and ending the quarter 38-18.
The fourth quarter was about playing smart defense and continuing their game with minimal mistakes. Barton went on a quick 3-point roll as Coach Lauren Campo began to sub in her bench for playing time. The Lady Jackets were able to find a few bump shots in the last quarter, but even the Lady Eagles’ bench players continued the intense playing style. Briah Holdge, Barton’s younger sister, came off the bench and made a 3-point shot for the Eagles, following in her sister’s footsteps. The leading scorers for the Eagles were the seniors, Hussey and Richards.
Seniors Hussey and Richard said playing their last regular season home game felt “crazy,” but also said they were both ready for playoffs. “Blow ‘em out,” was what Hussey said her mindset was going into it. “Be tough, and have good defense,” Richard said about their gameplan. The girls team has gotten to a really tight bond over the season, and that’s really helped them. “We’re just gonna keep getting after it and just get better,” Richard said. She said the game was “a good dub to go get.”
The boys also came out victorious on Friday. They started all five of their seniors for the game and jumped into a hardcore man defense right after the tipoff. Devon Wilson really showed off his intense defense skills right away, and Dunn was able to make the first points of the ballgame, which would lead to him having a 37-point game.
The boys focused on driving hard into the lane and looking for shots. Wilson followed, and drove straight through defenders in the lane for a layup. Both teams played fast and hard. Chase Dryden got a good block on defense, and then went down to the other end of the court to make two points. Deondre followed this with a fast break, leading to Fairview calling a timeout. The Eagles looked for openings whenever they could, including when Dunn took a deep 3-point shot at the top of the key and made it. The first ended 11-6 with the Eagles on top.
Dunn opened the second quarter with a fast break up the left side of the court for a layup, and then did that exact same thing a second time, He continued his scoring roll for the rest of quarter with layups up the paint. The Yellow Jackets began to catch up slightly, but Watonga remained disciplined in their game to remain on top. They continued making athletic plays, getting shots in and out of the 3-point line. Reyes brought the ball up the court to give it to Dunn, who then took it up the left side before passing to a wide open Laron Whiteshield for a shot. Wilson continued his great defense, getting many steals and deflections on defense. It was now 31-20, the Eagles still in the lead.
The Eagles slowed down the game during the third, waiting for good shots and being patient on defense. Dunn continued to make deep 3s as Fairview began to catch up, decreasing Watonga’s lead to only a two-point lead. They then tied it up and the ball went back and forth in a cat-and-mouse game. Reyes passed the ball in an out bounds play from the sidelines to Dunn for yet another deep 3. He continued working hard, as the next chance he got he drove from the right-side baseline to the lane and made a reverse layup, then for a last-second shot, he made a 3 at the top of the key. The score was 45-41 with Watonga on top, and the Eagle student section began to chant, “All the way Deondre,” until the beginning of the next quarter.
The fourth and final quarter began with Reyes getting a 3- point fast break after a series of steals from both sides. Wilson then followed with an additional fast break all the way up the left side of the court, ending with him side-stepping many defenders. The Eagles got a lot of defensive rebounds, which helped with Dunn’s scoring roll he was on. Whiteshirt got an offensive board and turned to shoot over Fairview’s post. With 50 seconds left, Dunn makes two free throws, ending the game with a nine-point win 62-53.
This game was a revenge game against the Yellow Jackets. Last year during playoffs, Fairview was the team to beat them out. The game was slightly bittersweet for some. Mata said, “This is the part where it goes back to, I wish I could go back.” The boys were all smiles after the game, despite it being the last regular season game at home. “We was coming in to kill,” Wilson said afterwards. Deondre had a particular good game on Friday. He put up a total of 37 points on the board, making him the lead scorer of the night.