Cubs continue tear through district with 59-33 victory

QUANAH — The Olney Cubs’ continue climbing up the District 9 standings after crushing Quanah 59-33.

Following last week’s upset victory over 14th-ranked Petrolia and the Cubs’ near defeat of eighth-ranked Electra last Friday, the Cubs rolled into Quanah with a full head of steam.

“We shared the ball,” Olney coach Carl Pennington said. “We passed the ball inside to our big men. This was one of those games that we had to win. We are in a do or die situation for the rest of the year if we want to get a playoff spot.”

The Cubs first three scorers would each finish the night in double figures with sophomore Parker Mayers jumpstarting the Cubs with two quick baskets, followed by two 3-pointers by senior guard Carson Fite, who would edge Mayer by a point to lead the Cubs in scoring with 13. A bucket by senior forward Eli Johnson, who finished with 11, and a put-back by fellow senior forward Travis Hudson gave Olney a 10-point advantage. Hudson’s appearance seemed a surprise, considering coach thought his season was over after suffering from what seemed a serious knee injury. Pennington did not get into the details of Hudson’s injury, but did say Hudson will have an impact for his team despite seeing limited playing time. 

“He is going to be with us on a limited basis,” Pennington said. “He is going to give us a few minutes, but he is going to hustle and rebound. That helps Parker and Eli, who have come a long way on rebounding.”

A buzzer-beating jumper by Olney senior guard Andrew Bernhardt put the Cubs up 33-23 going into the break, but a flurry of third-quarter 3-pointers pulled Quanah with a possession. That all came to an end when Mayers went on his second tear of the night, netting eight consecutive Cubs’ points to close the door on the Indians late in the third quarter.

“I was really just thinking, keep it going, keep going at them or they’re going to get back in,” Mayers said. “A couple of lucky shots and they got us. We had to keep pushing and keep the hammer down. I just decided to get after it. I pushed myself and thanks to my teammates and their passing, it helped us set up an inside game.”

With the win, the Cubs evened their district record to 3-3 and look to push that to 4-3 when they host Windthorst Friday. The Cubs bested the Trojans 52-47 after rallying back on solid perimeter shooting by Fite, who had a team-leading 17-points. However, with their blossoming inside game, the Cubs may not be the team needing a late run for a victory Friday night.

“Our confidence is high, but we need to keep our heads straight,” Mayers said. “We really need a win against Electra and we need to keep pushing on from where we are and getting better.”