Okarche caps TRC with Cashion sweep

Okarche’s final regular season game in its current gym proved to be an exciting one - and successful to boot.

Marlo Hunt fed Kassidy Rother with time running down in a tie game Tuesday night with Cashion.

Rother scored the go-ahead bucket with six seconds remaining and the lead stuck as the Lady Warriors knocked off their nemesis 41-39.

The victory gave Okarche the outright regular season title in the Three Rivers Conference. Cashion won the tournament title last month and was the defending regular season champ.

The Lady Warriors capped their regular season with a 20-5 record, which included going 6-0 in conference games.

Cashion finished 4-2 and was 13-8 heading into its final week of the regular season.

The game was - likely - the last between the two in Okarche’s “old” gym. Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed before the start of next season.

Cashion led its hosts 23-18 after going on a 17-6 run in the second quarter.

Neeley Bedick and Lauren Lamb sparked that surge with six points apiece in the frame.

But Rother came alive in the third as she scored seven of her game-high 16 points to help Okarche reclaim a two-point lead entering the fourth.

The Lady Warriors ran several seconds off the clock before Hunt and Rother connected for the eventual game winner.

Rachel McDowell added 10 points for Okarche while Madison Owens scored eight.

Cashion was led by Tatum Robertson’s 10 points.The Lady Wildcats got eight each from Bedick and Lamb.

Okarche enters the playoffs having won nine straight games.

Warriors avenge

one of their defeats

A dominant third quarter helped Okarche take the season rubber match against Cashion and grab a share of the Three Rivers Conference regular season title in the process.

Okarche defeated Cash-ion 68-40 at home to finish up its regular season.

The Warriors had defeated Cashion in the Garber tournament semifinals earlier this season, but the Wildcats returned the favor in the conference tournament semifinals.

In the third matchup, the Warriors turned what was already a 10-point halftime lead into an insurmountable advantage with a 25-8 run in the third quarter.  

They limited Cashion to 28 percent shooting and out-rebounded the Wildcats 43-25.

Cris Avila led the way with 22 points and added nine rebounds and six assists.

Tucker Neuenschwander delivered a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Lathen Stover added 11 points and Logan Kroener

10.

Cashion, which dropped to 14-7 overall and 4-2 in the conference, got nine points from Ethan Suntken and eight from Vance Raney.

Jacob Woody, the team’s leading scorer this season, was held without a point, although he did have a team-high six rebounds.

Okarche was 20-5 entering the weekend’s district tournament.

The Warriors finished the conference with a 5-1 mark, the same as Hennessey.

Hennessey did defeat Okarche, 59-51, in their regular season matchup on Jan. 22.