By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
DUKE CENTER, PA – They say it’s tough to beat a team three times in a row and on Wednesday night, the Otto-Eldred girls’ basketball team proved that sentiment to be true, albeit with the help of an extra four minutes.
After trailing for the first three quarters, the Lady Terrors earned their first win over Oswayo Valley of the season with a 48-40 overtime victory in the first round of the North Tier League playoffs.
Entering the postseason, O-E boasted a nearly unblemished record of 19-3. However, two of those losses came at the hands of the Lady Green Wave. With the most recent defeat – a 28-19 loss on Friday and Senior Night – still fresh in their minds, the Lady Terrors knew what they were up against.
“They’re so physical and they’re so good defensively. They play a packed line and they pack it in and we are constantly trying to penetrate off the dribble and we just can’t do it against them,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Shawn Gray. “They’re one team that I don’t know if we can play harder than them.”
Although they knew what OV had up their sleeve, the Lady Terrors still struggled to stop it. Facing an aggressive defense in the half court, O-E searched for paths to the paint without much success. Relegated to the perimeter, their offense ground to a stagnant halt, eventually forced to take less-than ideal jumpers from long range.
On the other side of the court, O-E’s defense held strong for the first two and a half minutes, but eventually, cracks began to show. A few slow defensive rotations would cost the Lady Terrors as the Lady Green Wave found enough space for three consecutive 3-pointers. O-E would counter with their first points of the night around the three-minute mark – an inbound layup from Ayla Van Scoter – but couldn’t replicate the feat in the following last minutes. After one quarter of play, O-E looked up at a 14-2 deficit on the scoreboard.
“It was the same thing that happened all three times we played against (OV.) We don’t match their intensity, we’re not nearly as physical as they are on either end and they just lock us up defensively in the first quarter,” said Gray. “They’re a tough matchup for us.”
After the brief intermission, the Lady Terrors stormed back. Starting with a layup and 3-pointer from Carrie Drummond, O-E racked up 11 unanswered points as they trimmed the lead to just a single point. After allowing OV’s first points of the period, a 3-pointer from Baylee Francis would knot the game at 16-all with just four minutes left.
However, after cresting the hill, O-E began to stumble back down it. Over the next two minutes, the Lady Terrors’ offense went cold and scoreless. Plagued with turnovers and missed easy looks, O-E watched as the Lady Green Wave rebuilt their lead with a 7-0 run.
In the final few seconds of the half, Francis would speed down court before drawing contact on a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. After sinking all three freebies, O-E found themselves down 25-20 entering the break.
“We lacked a lot of consistency. It comes back to the same things that have been haunting us all year when we don’t play well,” said Gray. “That’s turnovers and offensive rebounds and that’s what was happening a lot. Usually we can’t win against good teams turning the ball over like we were.”
O-E’s Addie Bell (11, white) and Oswayo Valley’s Charlotte Austin-Keech (1, green) wrestle for a loose ball during the Lady Terrors’ 48-40 overtime win. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Any momentum the Lady Terrors had left disappeared throughout the third quarter. Through the next eight minutes, O-E looked completely out of sync as miscommunications turned into poor ball and player movement, turnovers and plenty of time between good looks at the basket. After Drummond nailed a 3-pointer with just under six minutes left, the Lady Terrors would go scoreless for the rest of the quarter.
In the meantime, OV tacked on nine more points to their lead, holding on to a 34-23 advantage with one quarter to go.
Feeling the do-or-die pressure mounting, O-E rose to the occasion. Despite giving up a turnover on their first possession, Drummond and Francis would knock down back-to-back triples as they injected life back into the Terror Dome. The Lady Terrors defense would then cause four Lady Green Wave turnovers as they amassed a 10-0 run.
“The key (to playing good defense) was just wanting to. They just really dug deep and decided to,” said Gray. “At the end of the third quarter I told the girls I really didn’t have anything left. It wasn’t X’s and O’s, it was do you want this or do you not want this? There was nothing more I thought I could do for them. It was on them and they responded.”
With just under two minutes left in the game, a Francis steal and Drummond score would give the Lady Terrors their first lead of the game at 35-34. While they would increase their lead to two with a split trip at the free throw line, a missed O-E rotation on defense would allow OV to sink a mid-range jumper, tying the game with just seconds remaining. Without another score, the game would be decided in overtime.
Both teams would score tick-for-tack in the first few minutes of the extra period. Going back-and-forth, the Lady Terrors would gain the upper hand with two made shots at the free throw line from Van Scoter. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Lady Green Wave were forced to intentionally foul for the remaining minute-and-change, allowing O-E to seal the win with their work at the charity stripe.
By the final buzzer, the Lady Terrors had gotten their revenge. Not only had they tallied a sought-after victory over OV, but they did so while also eliminating the Lady Green Wave from the NTL bracket.
Drummond and Francis’s work at the tip of the spear produced double-digit scoring figures for both Lady Terrors. Hitting four 3-pointers along the way, Drummond ended with a game-high 18 points while Francis finished with 17 points
The Lady Terrors will now advance to the championship game, playing Coudersport at home at 8 p.m.
“Coudy is always a tough matchup. We’ve already beaten them twice this year but it’s very difficult to beat a team three times in one year,” said Gray. “I know they’ll be ready for us. I know they’ll have a good plan. They’re another team that’s physical and we’re going to have to play really good defense.”
Ayla Van Scoter takes a shot from behind the arc during the Lady Terrors win over OV in the first round of the North Tier League playoffs. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
AT DUKE CENTER
Oswayo Valley (40)
Austin-Keech 6 1-4 15, West 6 0-0 14, Manning 2 3-6 7, Thompson 2 0-0 4. Totals: 16 4-10 40
Otto-Eldred (48)
Drummond 7 0-0 18, Francis 2 11-16 17, Van Scoter 2 3-6 7, Bell 0 3-4 3, Hakes 1 0-2 3. Totals: 12 17-28 48
Oswayo Valley 14 25 34 36 40
Otto-Eldred 2 20 23 36 48
Three-point goals: OV (4) Austin-Keech 2, West 2, O-E (7) Drummond 4, Prince 2, Hakes; Total fouls: OV 23, O-E 10; fouled out: West (OV)
