By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
DUKE CENTER, PA – For the first time all season, the Otto-Eldred boys’ basketball team was on their heels.
After four quarters of uncharacteristically dreadful offense, they watched as Port Allegany sank a last second layup, tying the game and forcing overtime. Now, the Terrors were facing what could be their first loss of the season and first loss to a North Tier League opponent in over four years.
However, playing in uncharted waters, the Terrors were able to overcome their struggles with work at the free throw line, beating the Gators 45-40 in what would be their lowest scoring game of the season.
“If there was a time someone was going to come in and beat us, it was tonight. Three of our guys didn’t even have a practice, we were sick, Manning Splain is down. We wore our hearts on our sleeves and worked hard,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Derrick Francis. “Port is scrappy. I’ve said for a while that the top four in the NTL are really good. They played really well and we got a barn burner.”
Coming into this game, the Terrors were without one of their stars. Still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered on Monday, Jan. 27, Splain was sidelined for the second straight game, leaving both a hole in the Terrors offense and a window for Port’s defense.
One of the Terrors’ main weapons has always been their rapid fire offense. Time and time again, O-E’s battles are won in the first quarter or half by burying teams with a flurry of scores both inside and out of the perimeter. However, against the Gators, their shots refused to fall.
Putting pressure on O-E’s star guard and main ball handler Landon Francis for the entire length of the court, as well as using a box-and-one defensive scheme that produced traps in the high and low corners, Port took away any breathing room from their opponents. While their offense had their own problems with efficiency, the Gators were able to subdue O-E for the time being.
“Not having Splain definitely hurts. That’s what we game planned for,” said Port Allegany head coach Kyle Babcock. “We wanted to go into box-and-one and limit Francis.”
Leaning on their typically deadly ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc, the Terrors came up empty, failing to cash in on any jumper, inside or out, through the entire first quarter. Their only made field goal would come in the last two minutes from a Francis floater and, following a split trip to the charity stripe from Michael Sheeler, the Terrors found themselves down 6-3 after the first quarter.
O-E would find a glimpse of hope in the opening minutes of the second quarter. After allowing Port to score on their first possession, the Terrors’ defense would make up for their missing offense. Implementing a full-court-press and a renewed effort on defensive discipline and communication, O-E would shut the Gators down for close to five scoreless minutes.
In the meantime, they would finally find some semblance of their usual self, including nailing what would be their only 3-pointer of the game. Through the first four minutes of the quarter, O-E sparked a 10-2 run that gave them their first lead of the game at 13-8.
However, Port would retaliate late in the half. After ending their drought, the Gators embarked on their own run at 6-2, bringing themselves to within one basket at the break.
While they would open the second half with back-and-forth scoring, Port still held the momentum. After O-E’s still struggling offense gave way to another dry spell, the Gators poured in nine unanswered points, putting themselves back in the driver’s seat with a six point lead.
“Guys were just getting after it. I have three guys that are, I believe, top five defenders in the league and we just kept rotating guys on Francis so we didn’t get tired,” said Babcock. “Francis still got his but I could tell we definitely made it harder for him.”
Following close to six and a half minutes without a basket, Francis once again put the Terrors on his shoulders, scoring four points late quarter to bring his team to within two points of the lead with one quarter to go.
Abandoning the 3-pointer, the Terrors turned their full attention to inside to start the fourth quarter. With that in mind, they gave the ball to their athletic man in the middle, Shene Thomas. Cleaning the offensive glass for scores or trips to the free throw line, sacrificing his body for drives to the rim that produced two and-one opportunities, Thomas carried the load as he scored nine consecutive points.
Still, it wasn’t enough to draw separation from Port. Cashing in on a clutch 3-pointer, the Gators were down just two points with only a minute to go. Forcing an O-E turnover took nearly 50 seconds off the clock and with just seconds left, they had a chance to win or force overtime. After a timeout to recollect themselves, a Gators pick-and-roll forced a mismatch, which they would exploit for a drive to the rim. Leaving just two seconds on the clock, Port made the shot and tied the game. Now came overtime.
“I told our guys, ‘go get one for Manning. Go get one for Manning,’” said Derrick Francis on his message to the team at the end of regulation. “That’s all it was. Go get one for Manning and keep playing our ball.”
Putting just five extra minutes on the clock, both teams slowed down as they meticulously searched for a much-needed score. Neither would find it for several minutes until, with two minutes remaining, Thomas forced his way to the free throw line, making both shots. After preventing a retaliatory score, O-E slowed the game down to a crawl. Already being in the bonus, the Terrors forced Port to intentionally foul and although the Gators would find points on the other end of the floor, there was no solution to the dwindling time.
After four and a half hard-fought quarters, all the Gators could do was hope for misses at the line. Those hopes would go unanswered as the Terrors shot 11-for-12 in overtime, securing the win and keeping their unbeaten streak alive.
“This was definitely a confidence boost. We played Cameron County two nights ago, up 11 at halftime and ended up losing by one. Then to go into overtime with these guys, I think we’re peaking at the right time,” said Babcock. “We have guys back, we’re healthy so hopefully we can just grow from this.”
Leading the charge, Ladon Francis ended with a game-high 22 points, followed by Thomas with 15 points. For the Gators, Jarrod Funk scored 12 while Isaac Amell and Jacob Causer finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“This game made us better. Beating teams by 30 doesn’t make us better and that’s what we are when we’re healthy,” said Derrick Francis, who’s team now sits at 20-0. “That made us better. That made me coach better, that made us play better.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Port Allegany (40)
Funk 4 3-4 12, Amell 4 3-4 11, Causer 5 0-0 10, Wilfong 1 2-2 5, Hamilton 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 8-11 40
Otto-Eldred (45)
Francis 5 11-12 22, Thomas 4 7-8 15, Schenfield 1 5-8 7, App 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 17-30 45
Port Allegany 6 14 25 40
Otto-Eldred 3 15 23 45
Three-point goals: PA (2) Funk, Wilfong, O-E (1) Francis; Total fouls: PA 27, O-E 14; fouled out: Funk, Kaple (PA).
JV: Port Allegany 26, Otto-Eldred 21
