Okay teams sweep Gans in season opener
It was a clean sweep for the visiting Okay High School basketball teams in Monday night’s Riverside Conference games against the host Gans Lady Grizzlies and Grizzlies at Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Fieldhouse.
The Lady Mustangs began the night with a 63-16 win over the Lady Grizzlies, then the Mustangs followed suit with an 82-15 victory.
GIRLS
OKAY 63, GANS 16
The Lady Mustangs (1-0 overall, 1-0 in Riverside Conference play) spoiled the coaching debut of new Gans girls coach Jason Henry as Okay scored the game’s first seven points before Gans forward MaKinzie Kimble’s basket with 6:07 left in the first quarter got the Lady Grizzlies (0-1, 0-1) on the board to cut the Okay lead to 7-2. That ended up being as close as the Lady Grizzlies got on this night.
The Lady Mustangs ended the opening period on a 19-0 run to take a 28-2 lead into the second quarter.
A 13-3 second period for Okay upped its advantage to 41-5 at halftime.
In the second half, the clock continuously ran. The Lady Mustangs doubled the Lady Grizzlies 22-11 in the second half.
In defeat, Aaliyah Taylor led Gans with six points, thanks to a pair of 3-point baskets in the fourth quarter. Kimble scored five points, followed by Skylyn Bird and Maddie Freeman each scoring two points and MaKenzy Hunter hitting a free throw.
BOYS
OKAY 82, GANS 15
The Mustangs (1-0 overall, 1-0 in Riverside Conference play) put away the game right off the bat, taking a 32-0 lead after a quarter, which became a 54-3 halftime lead.
The first points of the game, and the season, for the Grizzlies (0-1, 0-1) came on a free throw by Austin Hines with 3:24 left before halftime to make the score 40-1 in Okay’s favor.
Just as in the preceding girls’ game, the second half was played with a running clock.
The Mustangs outscored the Grizzlies 28-12 in the second half.
In defeat, Hines led Gans with six points, followed by Phoenix Xiong with three points — thanks to a fourth-quarter 3-point basket with 21 seconds remaining in the game — and Bryce Stevens, Preston Bennett and TaeShawn Achan with two points apiece.
