Okarche comes back on Turpin

BY RYAN ABER
Staff Writer
raber@opubco.com

NORMAN—Things didn’t start out well at all for Okarche on Thursday in the first round of the Class A boys state basketball tournament against Turpin.

Less than five minutes into the game, the No. 2 Warriors trailed by double digits and had just a single free throw on the board.

But, like Fort Towson in the first game of the tournament, Okarche was patient and chipped away, eventually coming out with a 42-39 win at Norman High.

“This whole year we haven’t really blown people out,” Okarche’s Tyler Miller said. “We’ve been in similar positions before so we didn’t let it get to us when we got down early.”

Okarche (26-3) advances to play the winner of tonight’s game between Cheyenne and Caddo at 6 p.m. Friday at State Fair Arena.

Turpin’s season ends 21-7.

The Cardinals streaked out to a big lead early, outscoring Okarche 11-1 in the game’s first five minutes.

But the Warriors steadily chipped away until Cody Baustert’s basket late in the third put Okarche up for the first time. Seconds later, Austin Craig hit a 3-pointer to extend Okarche’s lead and Turpin never again led.