By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
EMPORIUM, PA – Despite being held to their lowest score all season, the Otto-Eldred boys’ basketball team retained their spot atop the North Tier League as they defeated Cameron County 45-33 in hostile territory.
For years, the Terrors and Red Raiders have been a budding rivalry at the top of the NTL standings. While CC proves to perennially be their toughest league opponent, O-E has snuck out wins in all of their meetings in the past four years. That being said, it’s a game circled on both teams’ calendars.
“It’s fun. It’s what I like,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Derrick Francis about regular season meetings with CC. “This is what it’s all about, bright lights and packed stands. I love it.”
Looking to set the tone early, O-E came out with energy. Hustling for loose balls, sacrificing their body for drawn charges and cleaning the boards for rebounds, the Terrors’ effort dominated. However, they struggled to turn that effort into points. While they scored the first five points of the game – a 3-pointer from Hunter App and an offensive rebound and score from Shene Thomas opened the contest – O-E would fail to add to their side of the scoreboard for several minutes.
After the Red Raiders managed to tie the game, O-E once again tapped the gas pedal but again their offense ran dry for the final two minutes. At the end of the first quarter, the Terrors held a slim 10-7 advantage.
Implementing the right adjustments, both teams returned to the hardwood ready to go. Through the opening several minutes, each squad scored tick-for-tack baskets, with O-E using their length and shooting ability to post points while the Red Raiders turned to their size and strength down low.
Down four with just under five minutes to go, CC found a spark late in the half. First, Isaac Grovanz would knock down the Red Raiders’ first 3-pointer of the game and although O-E would respond immediately after, the Red Raiders would foster momentum into an 8-3 scoring stretch, managing to bring themselves to within two points heading into the break.
“(The run at the end of the half) was huge. Any time you can grab momentum like that, especially going into halftime, is big,” said Cameron County head coach Marcus Brown.
To start the second half, it seemed as if the Terrors were ready to return to their full form. After jumpers from Manning Splain and Landon Francis, Splain would come away with a steal and subsequent score as O-E opened on a 8-0 run.
Manning Splain takes a jump shot from beyond the arc during O-E’s sweep of Cameron County. Splain ended with seven points in the win. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Withheld from the scoreboard for the first five minutes of the quarter, CC would score just four points in the third, looking up at an eight-point gap as they entered the final period.
On their first possession of the fourth quarter, Thomas would put the Terrors up by double-digit with a hardfought score at the rim followed by an earned shot at the free throw line. They would continue to lean on their athleticism and physicality late as they continuously looked for penetration into the paint.
The Red Raiders would do the same and, although they were able to keep pace with O-E, they weren’t able to cut into the lead. Forced to intentionally foul, CC watched their closest attempt at an upset slip through their hands. For the fourth consecutive year, the Terrors had swept the Red Raiders.
“I thought our defense was great. That’s (O-E’s) lowest point total of the year by a wide margin so defensively it was great. (At O-E) our defense was very bad and our offense was really good. Tonight our defense was good but our offense was horrible,” said Brown. “We have to put both together one of these times against them.”
Landon Francis led the way in scoring for the Terrors, ending with 15. Thomas finished with 13 while Splain recorded seven points in O-E’s 14th win of the season.
“We’re okay but I think we can get 25 percent better and if we do that we’re going to be really tough,” said Francis. “It’s just little things like mental errors but the better teams you play, the less errors you can have.”
AT EMPORIUM
Otto-Eldred (45)
Francis 5 2-2 15, Thomas 6 1-1 13, Splain 3 0-2 7, D. Schenfield 1 2-2 4, Sheeler 1 0-0 3, Hunter 1 0-0 3. Totals: xx xx-xx xx
Cameron County (33)
Farren 5 2-5 12, Bure 3 1-1 9, Grovanz 3 0-0 8, Shaffer 1 2-2 4. Totals: 12 5-8 33
Otto-Eldred 10 21 31 45
Cameron County 7 19 23 33
Three-point goals: O-E (6) Francis 3, Splain, Hunter, Sheeler CC (4) Grovanz 2, Bure 2; Total fouls: O-E 9, CC 15; fouled out: Grovanz (CC).
JV: Otto-Eldred 39, Cameron County 32
