On Thursday, November 20, Okawville started its season at the Nashville Thanksgiving Tournament. The Varsity Lady Rockets played the Freeburg Lady Midgets in their first of three pool play games. At the end of the first half, the Varsity Lady Rockets trailed by two, 29-27. Coming out of the locker room, Okawville came up short in the third quarter, being outscored 18-12. The fourth quarter ended in a nail-biter, but the Varsity Lady Rockets couldn’t close the gap, losing to the Freeburg Lady Midgets 61-58. The leading scorer was Kenley Hackstadt with 12 points. Also contributing were Caroline Tepe with 10 points and 17 rebounds, Brynn Rhodes with 10 points, Jilien Harre with 9 points, Taylor Statler and Josephine Schmersahl each scoring 7 points, and Sophia Going scoring 3 points.
On Friday, November 21, the Varsity Lady Rockets played their second round of pool play against the Mt. Vernon Lady Rams. At the end of the first half, Okawville was leading 32-19. The Varsity Lady Rockets came out slow in the second half, being outscored in the third quarter 14-13. The fourth quarter ended in Okawville’s favor, as they took the win over Mt. Vernon, 53-40. The leading scorers were Hackstadt and Tepe, each scoring 14 points; Tepe also had 16 rebounds. Also contributing to the Lady Rockets’ win were Harre with 11 points, Schmersahl with 7, Rhodes with 4, and Statler with 3 points.
On Tuesday, November 25, the Varsity Lady Rockets played their final pool play game against the Collinsville Lady Kahoks. Going into the locker room at the half, Okawville was leading 25-14. In the third quarter, the Varsity Lady Rockets outscored the Lady Kahoks 13-9. The fourth quarter was in Okawville’s favor, with Okawville scoring 18 points, while Collinsville scored only 2 points. The final score was 56-25, with Okawville taking the win. The leading scorer was Tepe with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Also contributing were Rhodes and Hackstadt with 10, Going with 7, Harre and Schmersahl with 5, Schae Juenger, and Carly Schmidt with 2, and Statler with 1 point.
On Wednesday, November 26, the Varsity Lady Rockets played in the third-place game against the Wesclin Lady Warriors. In the first half, the Varsity Lady Rockets led 26-10 over the Lady Warriors. Coming out of the locker room, Okawville was in for a battle in the third quarter, only outscoring the Lady Warriors 10-9. Wesclin fought hard in the fourth quarter, scoring 9 to Okawville’s 3. Although the Lady Rockets were outscored in the fourth, they still came out on top with a 39-28 win over Wesclin, taking third place in the Nashville Thanksgiving Tournament. The leading scorer was Schmersahl with 10 points. Also contributing were Hackstadt with 9, Rhodes with 7, Schmidt with 6, Harre with 5, and Tepe with 2 points and 14 rebounds. Also being recognized for making the All-Tournament team were Caroline Tepe and Kenley Hackstadt. Congratulations, Lady Rockets, and a great way to start the season!
