The Checotah Wildcats (2-10) earned a huge 47-38 victory over the Poteau Pirates Friday night at Poteau. Checotah entered the game with two starters out with sickness – Rowan Chapman and Aum Patel – while Cole Rolland returned but played a limited time.
Checotah head coach Malcom Warrior readjusted his line-up and it paid off for the second- year head coach. The Wildcats came out with a lot of energy that stymied Poteau. Seniors Tyler Corn, Cole Rolland,Tyler Orman and R.J. Womack along with Wes Brown put great pressure on their opponents, forcing turnovers and blocking shots.
The Wildcats got on the board with scores by Brown and Orman but the visiting fans exploded with cheers when Corn hit a threepointer as Checotah outscored Poteau 11-7 in the first period.
The Pirates would battle back as they outrebounded Checotah on both ends of the court but the feisty Wildcat defense did a great job of taking away shooting lanes and scoring in transition to go into the halftime break with a slight 19-17 lead.
Checotah’s offensive attack was spectacular to start the third period as Womack scored in the paint and Orman drove to the basket and scored while he and Corn both hit three- pointers in the period to outscore Poteau 15-11.
Poteau struggled against the Wildcat defense with Dylan Robinson in the final period and failed to stop the scoring machine. Cooper Cutbirth scored seven of his 10 points in the period. The play in the paint was active as the Pirates consistently fouled Womack, sending the senior to the foul line. Hudson Pollard gave the Wildcats some added energy as he zoomed up and down the court, causing havoc for Poteau. Checotah outscored the Pirates 13-8 to seal the 47-38 win.
“The win is a huge boost for us, especially with some of our guys, two who were starters, being out sick. The way the team stepped up and played well shows our depth and determination. Tyler Corn stepped into a starting role and provided a great spark with his energy and shooting ability. Cooper Cutbirth had a great night and stepped up and hit some big shots, and caused havoc on defense, as well as Hudson Pollard who had a few steals and capitalized from his energy on the defensive end. Overall as a team, we’ve been playing great and we’re hoping to use this momentum going forward to keep improving and pushing through the season and into playoffs,” Checotah head coach Malcolm Warrior said.
Tyler Orman led Checotah with 15 points, Cooper Cutbirth 10 points, Wes Brown seven points, Womack and Corn each had six points.
Checotah Lady Cats surge in second half for Victory
The Checotah Lady Wildcats surged in the second half to defeat the Poteau Lady Pirates 5139. The win completed the sweep of Poteau for Checotah. With the game tied at 20-20 to end the first half, Checotah needed a spark and they got in Ruby Folkner. The senior guard was fast and focused as she made steals and scored in transition. Folkner wasn’t alone as teammates Ruthy Folkner, Kami Hamm and Hailey Prince added to the offensive attack, outscoring Poteau 17-9. Ruthy Folkner and Hamm combined for nine points with three three-pointers in the third period.
Poteau did a good job of holding Shyanne Madewell scoreless in the second half of the game but she played well defensively.
The Lady Pirates fought hard in the fourth period with Maddie Thompson and Kendra Williams each scoring on three-point shots but Checotah’s defense of pressure proved to be too much to overcome as Checotah outscored the Lady Pirates 14-10 to leave with the 51-39 win.
Ruby Folkner led all scorers with 16 points, Hamm nine points, Prince eight points, Madewell and Ruthy Folkner each finished with six points each.
