Kirk leads Octorara to victory over Cocalico in Section 3 showdown
Written by: TJ Eck on January 4, 2024
There’s no denying it: Zach Kirk is one of the top players in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
“Zach is a kid that I’ve coached…since he was a little kid,” said Octorara head coach Gene Lambert. “He’s been in our program since he’s been in fourth grade…he has come full circle. He puts the time in, he’s not afraid of the work.”
Kirk was the best player on the floor Thursday night as the Braves picked up a critical L-L League Section 3 win over Cocalico, 69-57, in a matchup of teams unbeaten in league play.
The six-foot senior guard scored a game-high 21 points while sitting out most of the fourth quarter as the Braves held a big lead. He knocked down three three-pointers and converted 10-of-13 free throws.
Kirk came up big during a second quarter that went a long way in deciding the game. The Braves held a slim one-point advantage, 14-13, after the opening frame. That’s when Octorara’s offense came alive.
The Braves went on an 11-2 run spurred by a pair of Kirk three-pointers, a triple from Chase Fetrow, and a bucket at the rim from Jason Johnson to build a 25-15 lead.
“We just had to bring our energy,” said Kirk. “We knew we were fast so we wanted to get out and run, try to get as many easy buckets as we could.”
Octorara added to its lead when Fetrow knocked down another three-pointer and the Braves opened up a 34-16 advantage. After Cocalico’s bench was called for a technical foul, Kirk sank both free throws to help Octorara take a 40-23 edge into the locker room following a 26-point outburst in the second quarter.
Lambert added: “We picked up the defensive pressure. We’re athletic. We’re not very big so we have to make people work harder on offense to score…we like to play fast. A lot of teams in this league, we play a little different than them.”
While Kirk was the star of the night, Octorara showed its depth on the offensive end. Fetrow sank four three-pointers and finished with 12 points while Vincent Thaler scored 11 points and pulled in five rebounds. Johnson added 12 points for the home team.
“It’s almost every game that we got guys that are going out there and scoring and helping us win,” said Kirk, who has scored 45 points over his last two games and surpassed the 1,000-point career mark earlier this season. “We got guys who can shoot, guys that can get the ball in the post. We got a lot of places where we can score and it’s hard to guard.”
Cocalico was led by junior forward Camden Ochs, who finished the night with 20 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Tate Wealand added 10 points and three boards in a losing effort. The Eagles played hard until the final buzzer and showed great effort on the glass by corralling 19 offensive rebounds in the contest.
Following back-to-back losses, Cocalico is now 5-5 overall (2-1 L-L League). The Eagles pay a visit to ELCO next Tuesday (Jan. 9).
Octorara improves to 11-1 overall (3-0 L-L League). The Braves are now preparing for a L-L League Section 3 showdown against Lampeter-Strasburg next Tuesday (Jan. 9) in Lampeter. The Pioneers are also unbeaten in league play.
“I am going to be happy tonight, tomorrow a light practice and then the weekend…I am going to be seeing L-S in my sleep,” said Lambert. “They’re a good team…it’s gonna be an interesting game.”
Kirk also spoke about the upcoming matchup with L-S: “They’re always well-coached. We always battle with them. So we’ll see what happens on Tuesday.”
Gene Lambert interview – Part 1
Gene Lambert interview – Part 2
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