OKAWVILLE — This time the Okawville Lady Rockets finished the job.
Playing for the final time before the hometown fans, seniors Ashley Garlich, Janel Lake and Megan Wienstroer scored four fourth-quarter points each to help complete a 21-0 scoring run as Okawville rallied for a dramatic 55-43 win over Carlyle.
Trailing by as many as 11 points and by a 39-34 margin late in the third quarter, Okawville (19-7) tied the game at 39 on a 3-point basket by senior Jolyn Lake and a short jumper by junior Allison Koch.
Sophomore Macey Wienstroer then opened the final quarter with a 12-foot jumper and when Janel Lake and Megan Wienstroer scored 35 seconds apart, Okawville had a 45-39 lead and was in control of the game.
"We picked it up on the defensive end of the court and we started moving on offense," Okawville coach Michelle Hasheider-Burianek said. "When we played them (Carlyle) in the Highland Tournament, we had a chance, but we just didn't finish. Tonight we finished the job.''
Megan Wienstroer scored again and Garlich, who helped contain Carlyle senior and Michigan recruit Paige Rakers to 17 points, added four straight points as Okawville's lead ballooned to 51-39 with just over three minutes left in the game.
Carlyle (20-6) didn't score in the fourth quarter until Brianna Smith hit a free throw with under a minute remaining.
By then, Okawville had the game put away with a 51-40 lead.
Carlyle coach Randy Voss, whose team was without senior center Jessie Beckmann (ankle injury), just simply ran out of gas in the final quarter.
"I've got kids who are sick and kids who are injured. We had nothing left down the stretch tonight,'' Voss said. "I thought my team gave me everything they had. I can't ask any more. Even in when in the fourth quarter when I would call a time-out, I looked in their eyes and there was nothing. We had nothing left in the tank."
Jolyn Lake paced Okawville with 13 points, while Megan Wienstroer and Macey Wienstroer added 11 each.
While Okawville completely dominated the last 10 minutes, Carlyle was in control for the first half and much of the third quarter.
Rakers, averaging 22 points and closing in on the 2,000 point mark for her career, tallied seven first quarter points and five Indians tallied in the second period as Carlyle took a 26-18 lead into halftime.
Rakers then scored four points and Brianna Smith and Shaelyn Tate connected on 3-point shots as Carlyle maintained their advantage until late in the third q quarter.
But on Senior Night, Okawville was not to be denied.
"I'm happy and proud of these kids tonight,'' Hasheider-Burianek said. "We kept fighting tonight an d beating a good Carlyle team going into the playoffs next week should give us a boost. I'm especially pleased for the seniors. They've been a great group.''
