From the opening tip and a Jael Torres lay-in on the game’s first possession, the Hennessey Eagles were off and running in the 2022 Oklahoma Class 3A Area I Boys Basketball Regional Championship. The Eagles held that lead and took the opening quarter 12 to 8 over the Class 3A #13 Ranked Washington Warriors (18-8), with Seth Simunek finishing the frame with a steal, drive, and layup as the quarter ended.
The 2nd Quarter is where the game began to shift. The Eagles Offense was limited to one-and-done possessions, with the Warriors getting multiple opportunities to claw their way back into the game by out-rebounding the Eagles 21 to 10 in the 1st Half and holding the Eagles to a single field goal at the 1:06 mark of the 2nd. The Eagles still held on to the lead until a Warriors rebound and put back at the buzzer gave Washington their first lead of the game, 15-14, as the half expired.
The 3rd Quarter saw 5 lead changes and 2 ties, but, with Hennessey leading 21-19, the back and forth contest essentially ended when the Eagles Offensive and Defensive leader, Torres, had to sit down at the 4:24 mark of the 3rd with his 4th foul. The Warriors took that opportunity to go on a 14-0 run, eventually getting Jael and James Sims fouled out early in the 4th, crushing the Eagles with a 22-2 run before the white flag was raised and the Regional Championship went to the Washington Warriors, with a final score 42-27.
Torres finished the game with 11 points and 4 rebounds, 1 block, and an assist. Sims had 5 points, 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot. Also scoring for the Eagles were Seth Simunek with 4, Timmie Perry with 3, and Garrett Vinson and Cristian Rodriguez adding 2 each. The Eagles were dominated on the glass, losing the total rebounding battle 37 to 15.
The Hennessey Eagles (15-8) are down, but they are not out. For the 9th time in his 11 seasons as Head Coach at Hennessey, Brady Page will lead his Eagles into the Area Round. Hennessey will play Community Christian (18-8, #14) in the Area elimination game at 3:00 pm on Thursday at Enid High School.
-EagleVoice
