Sports

Despite posting wins in four of its last five games, including a 51-46 overtime win over Hennessey, Okarche High School’s boys basketball team remains in the 17th spot in the latest Class A poll.

The Hennessey win, which came after a 12-7 scoring edge in the overtime period, moved the Warriors to 13-5 on the season.

Okarche was held to 12 points in the first half, but rebounded with double-digit efforts over the final three periods including a 17-11 run in the fourth period to force overtime.

MIDWEST CITY – Missing four starters and losing out on early-round bonus points after a series of byes, El Reno High School’s wrestling team rallied for a second-place finish at the 2022 Malcolm Wade Invitational.

El Reno, ranked second in Class 5A, racked up 199.5 points to finish behind seventh-ranked Guthrie’s 226. The Bluejays were crowned the Suburban Conference champions since the event doubled as the league tourney.

Dominick Havern hit one of two free throws in the waning seconds as El Reno High School’s boys basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 62-59 road win over Class 5A’s 16th-ranked Guthrie.

The victory moved El Reno, ranked 13th in the same poll, to 6-5 on the season. More importantly, it lifted the Indians to 3-1 in the Suburban Conference standings.

El Reno was holding a 61-59 lead but Guthrie was playing for the final shot when Havern got a strip steal, forcing the Bluejays to foul the guard with 1.7 seconds left.

Shooting 41 percent from the floor, El Reno High School’s girls basketball team rebounded from its first conference loss of the season with a 58-44 road victory over Guthrie, ranked 17th in Class 5A.

El Reno, the third-ranked team in the same poll, moved to 9-2 on the season with its seventh win by double digits and improved to 3-1 in the Suburban Conference standings.

The Indians were 24-of-52 from inside the arc for 46 percent but had their overall shooting mark pulled down five points after going 1-of-9 from the perimeter.

Jennifer Douglas knows firsthand the gut-wrenching feeling to look up at the scoreboard at the end of a game and see your team on the wrong end of a 70-plus-point loss.

Toward the end of her first year as a head coach in 2014, Douglas’ U.S. Grant Generals suffered an 80-8 playoff loss to Edmond Santa Fe.

“It was tough, I can tell you that. A lot of things go through your head and you question, what do you do? How do you keep pushing those girls and how do you get them to still like basketball and encourage them to do so?” said Douglas.

Schedule Update - El Reno’s home game with Lawton MacArthur, scheduled for Thursday night, was canceled due to Lawton schools being out for COVID-19 issues. The boys’ game will be played Feb. 7 at Jenks Simmons Field House at 7:30 p.m.

For one of the few times this season, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team was clearly at a head and shoulders disadvantage in its Suburban Conference battle with top-ranked Del City.

Schedule Update - El Reno’s home game with Lawton MacArthur, scheduled for Thursday night, was canceled due to Lawton schools being out for COVID-19 issues. The girls’ game will be played Feb. 7 at Jenks Simmons Field House at 6 p.m.

After burning up the nets in the Anadarko tournament for nearly 70 points a game, El Reno High School’s girls basketball team’s scoring went on ice last week in the return to conference play.

Redlands Community College’s basketball teams split road games last week in the Cougars return to NJCAA Region 2 action at Connors State College.

The Redlands women improved to 2-2 in the league action and into a tie for fourth place with a 77-66 victory.

Jay Niehues’ team moved to 8-4 on the season in their first action of 2022.

Nyah Banks scored a team-leading 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Amaia Maxwell followed with 15 points, four boards and four assists, while Kellie Eddens posted 13 points and five caroms.

Scoring 63 points in three straight games carried Okarche High School’s girls basketball team to the title at the 2021 Three Rivers Conference Championship.

The three wins extended the Warriors current winning streak to seven straight. Okarche, ranked third in Class A, improved to 16-1 on the season.

Haley Mitchell’s team defeated Crescent (63-25) and Oklahoma Bible Academy (63-45) before taking down Class 2A’s 18th-ranked Watonga 63-49 in the championship game.

It’s Okarche’s third straight Three Rivers title.

Fresh off a third-place finish in the Alex Longhorn Classic, Calumet High School’s boys basketball team uncorked its offense for a season-high point total in an 86-28 win over Gracemont.

The Chieftains, ranked sixth in Class A, moved to 14-3 on the season and 5-1 in the Washita Valley Conference standings.

Calumet’s 86 points was the seventh time in 17 games to score 70 or more points and the fourth output to eclipse the 80-point plateau.

Matt Snyder was one of four players in double digits with 21 points and 16 rebounds.