DUKE CENTER, PA – In a night that should have been a cause for celebration, the Otto-Eldred girls’ basketball team struggled to fend off Oswayo Valley, losing 28-19 on Senior Night.
Ahead of the game, the Terrors recognized their four seniors: Reese Kinney, a first-year player, Sueda Dagci, a Turkish exchange student, and Addie Bell and Carrie Drummond, two core four-year veterans.
“Reese just came on this year and Sueda is a foreign exchange student, so having those two was great for our program. They were probably two of the most improved kids that we had this year and they both kind of brought a spirit that helped us throughout the year,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Shawn Gray. “The other two are just special. They’re special human beings. I know their parents and they raised great human beings. They’ve definitely made a mark on me and our program. They’re two of the hardest playing kids I’ve ever had.”
However, the joy experienced on the hardwood before tip off would soon turn to frustration. Starting an all-senior lineup, the Lady Terrors struggled to get moving, literally. In the opening minutes, O-E’s offense settled into a stagnant pace, slogging through possessions with sloppy passes and sluggish movement that failed to produce points. To make matters worse, O-E was plagued by turnovers, giving up seven throughout the first quarter.
In the meantime, the Lady Green Wave used their height in Makenna Manning to spur an inside-out game. Dishing the ball down low before sending it back out to open shooters, OV cashed in on jumpers as they built an early lead. Coupled with scores in transition from the Lady Terrors’ turnovers, OV held a 12-7 advantage after the first eight minutes of play.
The second quarter would prove to be even worse for O-E. While the Lady Green Wave opened the period with a triple and split trip at the free throw line, growing their lead to nine, the Lady Terrors continuously gave up possessions, including a stretch of four consecutive turnovers. Fortunately for them, OV failed to translate steals into points and after their initial four points, were held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter. Unfortunately for the Lady Terrors, they were withheld from the scoreboard for the full eight minutes, going into the halftime break without chipping away at the deficit.
“Oswayo Valley is our kryptonite. That green is just kryptonite to us over the last couple years. They play great defense, they’re physical and we just haven’t been able to match that on our end,” said Gray, whose team suffered 13 turnovers in the first half. “I thought we beat ourselves in the first half with turnovers, giving up second shots and giving up easy looks.”
Lexi Prince takes a contested mid-range jump shot during the Lady Terrors’ loss to OV on Senior Night. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
1Whatever was said in the locker room seemed to change the tide for O-E coming into the second half. Beginning with noticeably improved ball and player movement, the Lady Terrors began to find their momentum, starting with a cut through the middle from Rayel Hakes that produced two points. They followed up their initial score with two more from Baylee Francis and Drummond, cutting the lead down to just two points.
But just as their fans began to celebrate, the Lady Terrors began to falter again. Turnovers resurfaced, including a stretch of three in a row that allowed OV to end their five and a half minute drought with a momentum-changing 3-pointer. While neither team was able to score from the remainder of the third quarter, O-E’s morale took a hit with three more consecutive giveaways to end the period.
“(OV’s) pressure defense is definitely going to cause some turnovers but I just thought that we were all out of sorts. On the board pregame it was limiting turnovers and limiting their offensive rebounds and I don’t think we did either one of those tonight,” said Gray. “You’re going to lose basketball games when you turn the ball over too much and give them second opportunities and that’s exactly what happened.”
The Lady Green Wave went in for the kill to start the fourth quarter. Starting with two jumpers that totaled five points, OV racked up seven unanswered points as their lead swelled to double-digits. Held without a basket for over five minutes, by the time O-E got on the scoreboard, it was too late. Despite husting for offensive rebounds and loose balls, there was nothing the Lady Terrors could do to mount a comeback. By the final buzzer, they had not only lost on Senior Night, but they had been swept in the season series by OV.
Drummond led the way for O-E with six points, followed by Francis with five and Hakes with four.
“We got to get better. I think that OV was better than us this year both times we played them and we know we’ve got to get better to make it as far as we want to in the D9 playoffs,” said Gray. “So, if this doesn’t give us motivation I don’t think anything will.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Oswayo Valley (28)
West 4 1-2 11, Austin-Keech 3 0-0 7, Resig 2 0-0 5, Manning 0 3-6 3, Thompson 0 2-2 2. Totals: 9 6-10 28
Otto-Eldred (19)
Drummond 3 0-1 6, Francis 1 3-5 5, Hakes 2 0-0 4, Smith 0 2-2 2, Bell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 7 5-8 19
Oswayo Valley 12 15 18 28
Otto-Eldred 7 7 15 19
Three-point goals: OV (4) West 2, Austin-Keech, Resig, O-E (0); Total fouls: OV 9, O-E 11; fouled out: None.
JV: Oswayo Valley 27, Otto-Eldred 15
