By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
DUKE CENTER, PA – In a meeting of the top two North Tier League teams, Otto-Eldred defended their supremacy with a win at home, beating Cameron County 61-50.
The Red Raiders and the Terrors are all too familiar. As the NTL-leading squads, their two regular season meetings are usually accompanied with a third faceoff in the league championship. With that in mind, there are no surprises when going head-to-head.
“We know their plays. We know what they’re going to bring defensively,” said Cameron County head coach Marcus Brown. “They make timely shots. They’re great shooters and they shoot really, really well at home.”
Aware of their lethal ability to shoot the lights of any gym out, the Red Raiders opened the game in a fluid 2-3 zone with rotations around screens to follow the Terrors’ guards. Fighting through contact and staying within arms reach of the ball handlers, CC filled any open space around the perimeter while using their size in the paint to deter drives towards the basket.
On offense the Red Raiders relied on the basics, using pick-and-rolls to find Landon Farren underneath with a mismatch. While O-E attempted to utilize the open floor to push the pace, CC was more than comfortable being patient in the half-court, calmly waiting for their opportunity to strike.
“The paint is our whole offense. We can’t go up and down the floor and shoot what they’re shooting at the percentage that they shoot,” said Brown. “The name of the game for us is just pound it in. Get to the hoop.”
With both teams dueling in their own respective attacks, neither could gain an edge initially. However, in the final minute of the first quarter, back-to-back 3-pointers from Manning Splain – including one at the buzzer – lifted the Terrors to a 18-12 lead.
Both teams continued to trade baskets in the opening of the second, with CC’s Jake Narby and O-E’s Mason Schenfield splashing triples to kick start the quarter. Facing an aggressive but less clustered man-to-man defense, the Terrors began to plot paths into the paint. On the other side of the court, CC continued to find mismatches down low as Farren dominated from the post. When drawing Terror double-teams, they passed out to Ryan Shaffer, who either laced shots from the midrange or drove inside for tightly contested maneuvers at the rim.
Despite both finding success on offense, neither could expand or cut the lead and after another eight minutes of play, O-E still clung to their six point edge.
One of the Terrors’ calling cards is coming out of the halftime break red hot and against the Red Raiders, it was no different. Opening the second half was Hunter App, who knocked down back-to-back triples to push O-E up by 12. While CC was able to counter with a couple of shots down low, O-E’s wheels were already turning, sparking a 12-4 run.
Being down big for the first time all game, the Red Raiders once again turned to their size. However, instead of only using it to bully their way close to the basket, CC added a new shade of physicality to their attack to earn several trips to the free throw line. Making split trips to the charity stripe along with a few timely steals, the Red Raiders sparked their own run, scoring six unanswered points to bring them within single digits.
“We were just making really bad decisions and one-pass shots and that’s just not our basketball,” said Francis. “We got up 16, 18 and then three possessions in a row with one-pass shots and we missed them and then all of a sudden they’re back in the game again. It was uncharacteristic of us.”
The Terrors would look to turn the tide with collapsing help defense that rendered the Red Raiders inside presence toothless. On offense, Shene Thomas, fresh off a team-leading 20-point game against Randolph, once again stepped up in crunch time. Coming away with back-to-back hard fought drives to the rim, he continued to put the ball in the hoop, scoring O-E’s next eight points.
As the Terrors once again got hot, CC was left in the dust. Able to score tick-for-tack at best, they were unable to cut into the lead and as the clock wound down, they were forced to intentionally foul. With the Terrors making the most of their opportunities at the line, they sealed their fifth consecutive win of the season.
Landon Francis led the Terrors in scoring with 18 points while Thomas had 14 and Splain had 11. For the Red Raiders, Shaffer carried the offensive load with a game-high 22 points, followed by Farren with 12.
The two teams will meet again on January, 23, this time in Emporium.
“I think we played a pretty good game. (O-E) is obviously a really good team. They’re one of the teams around here that are pretty decent,” said Brown. “We just have to get ready for the next one.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Cameron County (50)
Shaffer 10 1-4 22, Farren 6 0-0 12, Zucal 3 2-4 9, Shepard 1 2-2 4, Narby 1 0-0 3. Totals: 21 5-10 50
Otto-Eldred (61)
Francis 6 3-4 18, Thomas 7 0-0 14, Splain 5 0-0 11, M. Schenfield 3 1-2 9, App 7 0-0 14, D. Schenfield 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 5-8 61
Cameron County 12 21 32 50
Otto-Eldred 18 29 44 61
Three-point goals: CC (3) Shaffer, Narby, Zucal, O-E (8) Francis 3, App 2, D. Schenfield 2, Splain; Total fouls: CC 14, O-E 12; fouled out: None.
JV: Cameron County 35, Otto-Eldred 31
