By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
ERIE, PA – It’s hard to capture lightning in a bottle.
It’s a phenomenon that comes around only every so often and for some, it doesn’t come at all. The pursuit alone takes equal amounts of constant hard work and luck, yet unfortunately, everyone’s luck runs out sooner or later. On Friday night, that happened for the Otto-Eldred boys’ basketball team.
Facing the number one school in Pennsylvania, the Terrors’ finally met their match, losing 55-38 to the Neighborhood Academy in the PIAA state semifinals.
The Final Four was no unbroken ground for O-E. Two years ago, during the Terrors’ first push into the state tournament – then in Class 2A – O-E sat just one game away from a trip to Hershey. Although they were ultimately dispatched by Aliquippa, the Terrors’ eyes had adjusted to the bright lights and big stage.
“There’s no pressure,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Derrick Francis. “You just have to go play.”
However ready they had become in the week since their win over Aquinas Academy in the quarterfinals, the Terrors were in for an uphill battle. Throughout the PIAA postseason, the Neighborhood Academy had been scorching their side of the bracket. Coming in as the District 7 (WPIAL) champions, the Bulldogs averaged 74 points in their three previous victories – the most by any team remaining in the Final Four – while allowing just 40 points – the lowest of any remaining team.
Led by their pure athleticism, the Bulldogs took control out of the gates. After knocking down a triple on their first possession of the game, TNA implemented their tough-net, aggressive defense for the full length of the floor. With quick side steps and active hands, they forced back-to-back turnovers before the Terrors even got their first shot off. TNA’s defense was equally as potent in the halfcourt, where they left O-E ball handlers on an island by clogging lanes and stifling defense in the passing lane.
Left without any room to operate, the Terrors struggled to find any semblance of a groove. Their first points of the contest would come from Manning Splain, who drew contact on a drive and sank two free throws just under the five minute mark. From there, it would take another three minutes for O-E to put points on the scoreboard. Davey Schenfield ended the drought by sinking a running floater followed by a Splain backdoor cut score to 16-6 heading into the second.
“We turned the ball over too much in the first quarter, granted they’re a very good defensive team,” said Francis. “They’ve very good defensively but they’re very good when they speed you up. We just didn’t connect on some of the shots we typically make and that stuff all adds up. Once you don’t get a couple to go down, four don’t go down.”
With the feeling out process over, the Terrors were finally able to settle themselves. Switching between a handful of defensive sets that included man-to-man as well as a few zone configurations, O-E managed to slow down the Bulldogs attack, creating a few turnovers in the process. Knowing what they would find in the paint – i.e. a black hole of collapsing help defense – the Terrors began to lean onto their perimeter shooting. There, they began to find success, as Splain would notch the first points of the quarter with a made triple.
Despite allowing a handful of scores from TNA, the Terrors managed to chip away at the deficit. Landon Francis would register his first points of the night, knocking in another 3-pointer and while the Bulldogs would respond with one of their own, Landon Francis would nail another one the next time down the floor, cutting the lead back down to seven. The Terrors would end the half on a high note, drawing a charge that led to a Shene Thomas score in the final seconds. Heading into the break, O-E had brought it back to a five-point game.
Landon Francis battles through contact while fighting for a loose ball during O-E’s loss to the Bulldogs in the state semifinals. Francis would come away with a steal and score on his way to a team-high 14 points. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
In the second half, TNA would double-down on the battle under the boards. After already having control of the glass through the first two quarters, the Bulldogs continued to attack the basket for continuous rebounds that frequently led to second-chance points.
“Rebounding was everything. At times I thought we did well and then other times I thought we were awful,” said Derrick Francis. “When (TNA) got an offensive rebound, it seemed like it was a dagger three everytime.”
Although O-E continued to find the mark from long range early in the quarter, mistakes and miscommunications would keep them in a tick-for-tack battle rather than making strides in bringing the game back to even. A sequence that included two turnovers and a missed box out allowed the Bulldogs to spark a 9-5 run, putting them back up by nine heading into the final quarter.
Having just eight minutes separating them from a trip to the state championship, TNA went out for blood. Opening the quarter with back-to-back triples, the latter of which came off another offensive rebound, the Bulldogs seemed unstoppable. With jumpers falling and crisp ball movement opening up lanes and spots in the paint, TNA outscored the Terrors 12-4 through the first three minutes, building a 48-31 lead.
O-E, on the other hand, was drowning. Struggling to connect with teammates, facing an unrelenting, turnover-producing defense and pressed for time, the Terrors quickly became desperate which only fanned the encroaching flames. While their offense continued to fire blanks, O-E’s defense failed to stop the bleeding and by the final minute, the gap on the scoreboard had swelled to 22. The end was nye and with it came the reserves. Jared Obenrader would score the final points of the game, hitting a 3-pointer to bring the deficit back to sub-20-points.
Two Terrors would end their season, and ultimately their high school basketball careers, with double-digit figures. Landon Francis led O-E with 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers along the way, while Splain finished with 13 points. Thomas recorded six points while Obenrader and Schenfield ended with three and two points, respectively.
At the end of it all, the Terrors had captured lightning in a bottle. After four long years of chasing, they had finally won the programs’ first-ever District 9 title, fueling a run in the state postseason that ascended to their old watermark. A team led by the winningest class in school history, one that had accumulated a litany of awards and accolades, had seemed to forever set the bar for the next generation of Terrors.
“I don’t have any words right now. For all that these kids have accomplished, anything I say (about reflecting) would be short-changing them,” said Derrick Francis. “I’m going to need some time to process it all.”
AT ERIE
Otto-Eldred (38)
Francis 5 1-2 14, Splain 4 3-4 12, Thomas 3 0-1 6, Obenrader 1 0-0 3, Schenfield 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 4-7 38
The Neighborhood Academy (55)
Gilmore 5 0-0 14, Nicholson 6 0-0 13, Simpson 5 0-0 12, Wallace 4 1-2 10, Hardenman 3 0-1 6. Totals: 23 1-3 55
O-E 6 17 27 38
TNA 16 22 36 55
Three-point goals: O-E (6) Francis 3, Splain 2, Obenrader, TNA (8) Gilmore 4, Simpson 2, Wallace, Nicholson; Total fouls: O-E 8, TNA 12; fouled out: None.
