By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – Shaking off a rhythmless first half of play, the Otto-Eldred boy’s basketball team showcased their resilience, sticking to their guns and pulling out a comeback third quarter to down Oswayo Valley 35-26 and preserve their undefeated North Tier League status.
Throughout the early season, the Terrors have been searching for their footing. Although the wins have come in bunches – O-E entered Monday’s meeting at 4-1 – their offense still looks for an identity, especially against their sorest spot: pressure defense. Against both Port Allegany and Bradford, games the Terrors spit, their offense seemed to stutter and sputter with a high-octane defense taking up their breathing room. Early on against the Green Wave, the issue seemed unresolved.
Out of the gates, OV set the pace with their high intensity, high energy defense. Looking to swarm ball handlers into traps in the high corners, double-teaming Terrors down in the post and collapsing with help in the middle, the Green Wave shut down O-E’s attack, as well as forcing several turnovers. Forced to the perimeter, the Terrors responded by leaning on their 3-point shooting, albeit, with less than favorable production.
“What we saw (from OV) was aggression. We knew they’d come out with some traps and we really struggled with that against Bradford,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Rob Wight. “We’re not going to change who we are though. We like to shoot the ball from the outside, it doesn’t matter if they trap you, but we struggled to hit shots early and it made a big difference.”
However, on the other side of the court, O-E’s own defense was just as stifling. Focusing on shutting down point-blank looks at the basket, the Terrors dared OV to rely on jump shots by constricting driving lanes with multiple defenders. Holding the Green Wave scoreless for over five minutes, O-E took a slim 5-4 lead heading into the second quarter.
Although they had been a factor already, turnovers became the defining point of the next eight minutes of play. To start the second, both teams struggled to handle the ball, combining for six giveaways in just the first few minutes. However, neither were able to consistently convert them into points in the open court.
Late in the first half, OV began to find scattered production. While O-E managed to tack on just two points with split trips to the charity stripe, the Green Wave began spreading the defense with crisp passing that opened up lanes in the middle. Outscoring the Terrors 7-2 in the period, OV held a 11-7 lead going into halftime.
After scoring their lowest amount of points through two quarters of the season, the Terrors finally found their stride in the third, which started with ball movement.
Still relegated to the perimeter from OV’s relentless traps and doubles, O-E wasted no time getting into a rhythm with crisp passes that forced the defense out of position. Finding daylight, Mason Rees opened the scoring with a 3-pointer following a Jack Sherry steal. Although OV scored on their next trip down the floor, Rees doubled-down with two more deep triples, giving the Terrors some life and a 16-13 lead with just over three minutes to go.
Playing with some intention and energy, O-E ended the quarter with a 9-6 run that saw Sherry nab another 3-pointer and Mason Schenfield go coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating layup.
“I think the ball moved quicker (in the second half) and really, we just had more confidence. The halftime team talk wasn’t too many X’s and O’s, it was just a lot of telling them to relax out there,” said Wight. “We looked tight in the first half, a little nervous. We hadn’t played in a week with our game being cancelled (on Thursday) so we came out definitely a little on edge. I think in the second half we just relaxed. We ran our stuff, everybody was playing for each other and we just kind of played basketball.”
Holding a six-point with one quarter remaining, the Terrors reset the pace of the game, patiently probing through the Green Wave’s defense. Meanwhile, O-E tightened their grip on the game with staunch defense that allowed just three points in over six minutes.
“The one thing about us is that we might struggle to shoot the ball but we’re going to defend. Even in the losses this year, they’ve been low scoring. We try to keep teams down in that 28 to 30 range and we’re pretty good at it,” said Wight. “We know that if we struggle to score, we’ll always be in the game if our defense is there. In the second half, we knew they’d get more aggressive, so we had to attack the ball and rebound the ball.”
As the game wound down, OV implemented a desperation full-court-press, however, O-E’s fluid offense was ready. Quickly breaking through the pressure with outlet passes, the Terrors continuously beat the Green Wave up the court, finding Wyatt Blendinger under the rim for six game-sealing points. With the win, the Terrors tally their fifth NTL win of the season.
Sherry led the way for the Terrors with a double-double, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds. Rees ended with 11 points, followed by Blendinger with seven alongside seven rebounds. Schenfield came away with five points, dishing out six assists as well.
Up next, the Terrors face another test in Erie First Christian Academy. At 4-2, the Terrors will be tested on both sides of the floor as they take on a team that averages 62 points a game.
“We have three days to prepare so we’ll just recover tomorrow and we’ll be built up and ready for it,” said Wight. “Lucky for us, it’s at the Terror Dome but (ECF) is a really good team. They’ll be ready to play when they come here. For us, it’s going to be a learning experience. For a lot of these guys it’ll be their first really big test with one of those schools so we’ll see what happens.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Oswayo Valley (26)
Resig 3 1-2 8, Welch 3 0-0 6, Worthington 3 0-0 6, Melser 1 0-0 2, Bryant 1 0-0 2, Vincent 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 1-2 26
Otto-Eldred (35)
Sherry 3 3-4 12, Rees 4 0-0 11, Blendinger 3 1-2 7, M. Schenfield 2 0-0 5. Totals: 13 4-6 35
Oswayo Valley 4 11 19 26
Otto-Eldred 5 7 25 35
Three-point goals: OV (1) Resig, O-E (5) Rees 3, Sherry, Schenfield; Total fouls: OV 13, O-E 7; Fouled out: None.
