By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – In what might be the final matchup of their rivalry, the Otto-Eldred boys’ basketball team defeated Cameron County once again, beating the Red Raiders 45-34 as they earned a spot in the District 9 Class A Finals.
“It’s where this group belongs,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Derrick Francis. “This group has worked their butts off for the past six years and I’m happier than heck for them.”
The meeting of these two teams came with a bit of added tension. Not only were they playing each other for the fourth time this season, let alone in the Class A semifinals, but it arrived just over a week since the Red Raiders broke O-E’s 65-0 North Tier League streak. On Valentines’ Day, Cam Co had upset the Terrors in the North Tier League Championship, tallying their first win over the Terrors in four years.
“That Cameron County team is really, really good. They make it tough on us,” said Derrick Francis. “I think that loss helped us.”
In each of their matchups, what the game ultimately comes down to is pace. The run-and-gun Terrors strike early and often as they try to force their high-octane agenda upon opponents. The Red Raiders, on the other hand, savor every second burned off the clock as they meticulously tighten their grip around the lead. In Tuesday’s duel, Cam Co set the tone early.
Although Davey Schenfield would knock down a triple on the Terrors’ first play of the game, their shooting would begin to go cold. Looking inside, they frequently missed easy opportunities close to the rim while simultaneously forcing shots from long range. Their streaky scoring would give the Red Raiders a window, one they jumped on.
Scoring several times on outlet passes that broke the Terrors’ full-court-press, the Red Raiders would take a slim 8-7 lead with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. From there, they would use their size and strength down low from forwards Landon Farren and Isaac Grovanz to spark a 6-0 run. While the Terrors would cut into the lead with two scores from Landon Francis and Shene Thomas, they found themselves down by one heading into the second quarter.
Cam Co would hit the breaks heading into the second quarter. Patiently passing the ball around the perimeter, the Red Raiders burned clock before imposing a similar style on the Terrors. Between hedging screens and collapsing in the paint, Cam Co gave O-E no where to go, forcing them out of their comfort zone and into a crawl.
However, halfway through the quarter the Terrors caught fire. Manning Splain would pick off a pass before feeding Francis for a made 3-pointer, sparking some life into both the Terrors and their fans. Immediately after, they would repeat the feat two more times, with Thomas stealing and Francis scoring followed by a Francis steal and Splain score. In the course of roughly 60 seconds, O-E had pulled ahead by nine.
Davey Schenfield watches as his 3-pointer goes through the net during the first half of the Terrors’ win over Cameron County on Tuesday. Schenfield hit a game-high three 3-pointers in the win. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
They would continue to pull away, outscoring Cam Co 16-6 in the second quarter as the Terrors built a 27-18 lead going into the break.
“Three straight steals, three straight threes and you’re down nine quick. I was confident at halftime because I felt like that was an outlier minute of basketball. That should never happen,” said Cameron County head Marcus Brown. “We were just focused on getting back into the game.”
In the second half, the Red Raiders applied their slow-motion offense with more success. Burning clock on both offense and defense, two minutes would pass by without a basket. To make matters worse for the Terrors, in their attempt to break out of Cam Co’s style, they had leaned too much into their physicality and, in turn, wound up in the bonus with four and a half minutes still to go.
With O-E feeling the pressure and showing signs of panic, Cam Co tacked on four unanswered points as they chipped the lead down to just three points. However, the Terrors would get one final punch in before the buzzer, with Franics nailing a deep triple as the clock expired.
Shaking off the last-second score, the Red Raiders would carry their momentum into the final quarter. Continuing to slow O-E down, Cam Co once again strung a pair of scores together from the inside, gradually eroding the lead to just three points with under four minutes to go.
With their championship dreams threatened, the Terrors began to shake. Long possessions without a basket only added to their desperation while an inability to box out under the boards only fed the Red Raiders hope. However, as in the third, Cam Co’s eagerness to catch up had pushed them into foul trouble and with just under three minutes remaining, put the Terrors at the line.
Now the tables had turned. Shooting 8-for-10 at the charity stripe, it was O-E’s turn to slow the game down. Resting on their two-possession lead, the Terrors forced intentional foul after intentional foul, ultimately sealing the win. After two years of looking from the outside in, they had finally made it back to the championship game.
“We have five dogs that go out there and play their asses off,” said Derrick Francis on the deciding factor of the game. “That’s just how it is.”
Scoring seven of the 11 fourth-quarter points and becoming the Terrors’ all-time leading scorer with 1,708 career points, Landon Francis carried the offensive load for O-E, ending with a game-high 19 points. Thomas and Schenfield would both score 10 points in the win, with Schenfield knocking down a game-high three 3-pointers.
O-E’s Hunter App connects on a long range jumper during the Terrors’ win in the Class A semifinals. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
The Terrors’ road to the program’s first-ever D9 title doesn’t get any easier. On Saturday, they will face No. 1 Elk County Catholic, a perennial contender and historic program, for the first time since this core was assembled. That game will take place on the campus of PennWest Clarion on ‘Super Saturday’ at a time yet to be announced.
“Now we get to go play a really, really good ECC team. Coach (Aaron) Straub has probably the best program in the state honestly,” said Derrick Francis.
For the Red Raiders, the loss is not the final blow to their season. Making it to the Class A semifinals, they have already earned a spot in the PIAA State Tournament, which begins on Friday, March 7. First, however, they will face No. 5 Johnsonburg, who lost to ECC, in the third placer game to determine seeding. They will then enter the state bracket, where, if the stars align, they may meet the Terrors once again.
“We’ll go out Friday and get a win, get our third seed for States. Me and the other coaching staff have already mapped out possible opponents for States and I love where we’re at,” said Brown. “I think we can make a deep run and give some really good teams some really good games. I’m excited for States.”
AT BRADFORD
Cameron County (34)
Farren 5 1-2 11, Shepard 4 1-2 9, Shaffer 2 2-2 6, Grovanz 2 2-4 6, Zucal 1 0-0 2. Totals: 4 6-10 34
Otto-Eldred (45)
Francis 5 7-8 19, Thomas 3 4-6 10, Schenfield 3 1-2 10, Splain 1 0-0 3, App 1 0-0 3. Totals: 13 12-16 45
Cam Co. 12 18 28 34
Otto-Eldred 11 27 34 45
Three-point goals: CC (0), O-E (7) Schenfield 3, Francis 2, Thomas, Splain; Total fouls: CC 17, O-E 11; fouled out: Bure (CC).
