OKLAHOMA CITY – Okarche High School’s boys basketball team upheld the age-old adage that defense wins championships, especially if you sprinkle in some consistent offense in the process.

The Warriors (27-4) ended a 45-year title drought by defeating Caddo, the defending state champ, 56-38 in the championship game of the 2024 Class A Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.

“I’m so proud of these guys. They represent so many former players and teams. It was an awesome feeling to hear the roar of the crowd when we knew we had it in the bag.

“It’s so surreal to be a part of this having been here since the mid-1990s and knowing all the hours everyone has put in over that time,” said Okarche head coach Aaron West.

The championship is the school’s second in seven trips to the finals, the other coming in 1979 with a 65-61 Class A decision over Turner. Okarche has made 18 trips to state and now sports a 21-16 overall mark following the 18-point win over Caddo.

“It’s been a heck of a run and I could not have asked for a better ending. I want to thank the administration, student body and the community. I don’t think there are better fans out there than in Okarche,” said West.

The fourth-ranked Warriors started their state run with a 63-54 win over No.2 Rattan and backed that up with a 91-39 blowout of unranked Sentinel in the semifinals.

That 52-point margin was the second widest margin of victory of the playoffs for Okarche after a 57-point win over Ringwood in districts.

The win over Sentinel set a new state tournament record for Classes A and B boys for the widest margin of victory by two points. The previous mark of 50 points was set by Garber in a 2009 win over Corn Bible Academy.

Over the three state games, Okarche held opponents to 131 points, an average of 43.6 per outing, while allowing just 37 percent shooting. The Warriors defense forced 65 turnovers, 55 of which were steals.

Jett Mueggenborg led the way with 11 steals, followed by Hunter Mueggenborg with eight, seven steals by Easton Roby and three by Wyatt Pinkerton.

Okarche’s offense was 72-of-160 (45 percent) from the floor at state leading up to a 210-point total or an average of 70 points per game. The Warriors were 20-of-60 from the 3-point arc.

A key element in the title game was Okarche’s free-throw shooting as the Warriors made 22-of-28 attempts for 79 percent. Over the three games OHS went 46-of-63 for 73 percent.

“You have got to play defense, you have got to rebound and you have to hit free throws. You can’t win championships if you don’t do those three things,” said West.

Jett Mueggenborg was the top scorer for Okarche at state with 66 points, 20 of those in the title game. He added nine rebounds and seven assists to his totals.

Easton Roby had a double-double against Caddo with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He closed state with a line of 40 points, 25 boards and seven assists. Hunter Mueggenborg followed with 28 points, 18 assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot.

Pinkerton closed with 27 points and three rebounds, while Caden Schieber added 21 boards, 16 points and a team-high four blocks. Braxton Smith had seven points in the Caddo win and closed with 14 points and 14 rebounds for state.

“We talked about who wanted it the most and having that dog mentality and fight until the very end.

“I feel like our guys were the biggest dogs this year,” said West.