By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUKE CENTER, PA – Kicking off their journey back to PennWest Clarion with authority, the Otto-Eldred girl’s basketball team burst through the opening leg of the District 9 Class A bracket, downing Austin 59-27.
The Lady Terrors are no stranger to the postseason. Over the course of the last handful of years, O-E has been a constant contender for the Class A title, making annual trips deep into the postseason, including their D9 championship just three years prior. While still airing on the side of caution, the Lady Terrors weren’t worried about any playoff pressure just yet.
“I’ve got loose kids. They love to play right now and they’re really loose. I just let them go. I try not to get in their way too much,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Shawn Gray. “They were ready to play and I can typically tell when they are. They were giggly and funny tonight before the game and kind of just came out and went with the flow.”
Traveling with a massive student section in tow, Austin, who hadn’t earned a playoff berth since 2023-2024, were equally ready for the challenge at hand, pouncing on an initial opportunity and forcing a Lady Terror turnover. However, their good fortune ended there.
Enforcing pressure for the entire length of the floor in the form of Jahden Smith, who continually pestered whatever guard the Lady Panthers sent up the the court, O-E’s defense immediately began poking holes in Austin’s offense. Intercepting passes, stripping ballhandlers and scooping up loose balls, the Lady Terrors swiftly rerouted possessions before cashing in on the other side of the floor. Knocking down a wave of 3-pointers early while they relentlessly suffocated their opponents, the Lady Terrors quickly built up an 11-0 lead that ultimately snowballed to 18-3 with just two and a half minutes left.
Although being firmly in control of the momentum early, the Lady Terrors then began to stumble. Facing the Lady Panthers’ 3-2 zone, O-E immediately fell out of rhythm as miscommunications and miscues piled up in the form of turnovers, including four consecutive fumbles late in the quarter. Unable to break out of their spiral, O-E went scoreless for the final two minutes.
“I think we were really hesitant. We were really hesitant, we were staring down passes, we weren’t in attack mode. I think we kind of took our foot off the gas after taking that really big early lead,” said Gray. “I probably have to take some of the blame on that. I have to keep them a little bit more locked in.”
Entering the second, the Lady Terrors’ offensive woes continued. With their stroke from long range all but evaporated, and Austin’s zone still jamming up the middle, it would take O-E another two and a half minutes before they finally ended their drought. However, then it was back to the races.
Rayel Hakes struck the first spark, crashing through a Lady Panther-laden paint and coming away with a heavily contested offensive rebound and score. From there, Ayla Van Scoter and Smith returned to the scoring column, knocking down back-to-back jumpers for five points as the Lady Terrors again broke out on a hot streak. Ending the half on a 13-3 run, O-E sat atop a 31-10 lead entering the break.
Coming back to the hardwood for the third quarter, the Lady Terrors did so with a renewed focus. Despite Baylee Francis connecting on a long range jumper after picking off a Lady Panther pass, O-E set their sights on the paint. Constantly cutting paths inside, they routinely found drive-and-dish opportunities or hard earned trips to the charity stripe.
“We were fortunate to hit some threes early, but there was an emphasis before the game, and then again at halftime, just to make them aware that there were opportunities inside if we were executing properly,” said Gray. “I thought we righted the ship in the third quarter. Ayla Van Scoter got us a nice bucket underneath, Jahden was always attacking, Baylee was hitting some threes and then, of course, Rayel is a monster. It always helps to have a Rayel Hakes around.”
All the while, Austin was barred from the scorebooks. After finding successive baskets in the opening minute and a half, turnover trouble and errant shots plagued the Lady Panthers as they dove headfirst into yet another dry spell. As they struggled to find a clean look at the basket, let alone points, the Lady Terrors continued to pound the interior.
Earning their way into the bonus with five minutes remaining, O-E kickstarted another scoring run, this time totaling at 12-0 as they all but put the finishing touches on their first taste of playoff action. Entering the fourth quarter up 54-16, they wasted no time substituting in their reserves, giving their bench valuable minutes in a playoff atmosphere as they closed out the contest.
Francis led the way for the Lady Terrors, scoring a game-high 16 points alongside four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Smith followed closely behind with 11 points, five steals and three rebounds while Van Scoter ended with 10 points. Hakes came away with nine points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Surviving and advancing, the Lady Terrors now face either No. 3 Elk County Catholic or No. 6 Northern Potter, both of whom come with their respective challenges. Similar to the O-E, the Lady Crusaders have been a perennial staple in D9 for years, coming away with three consecutive finals appearances and winning the title in 2024 and 2022, even beating the Lady Terrors for the chip in 2022. NoPo, on the other hand, was the only North Tier League team to tally a win over O-E all season.
“We have the mentality, which I think a lot of teams take, of one game at a time. We’re looking forward to whoever we have to play, to just get that opportunity,” said Gray. “The girls are excited. When we won tonight, they were really excited in the locker room. I think they’re already looking forward to the next opponent no matter who it is.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Austin (27)
Ogden 4 0-2 11, McKeirnon 4 0-0 8, Clinger 2 3-6 7, Kio 0 1-2 1. Totals: 10 4-10 27
Otto-Eldred (59)
Francis 4 4-4 16, Smith 4 1-2 11, Van Scoter 4 2-6 10, Hakes 3 3-4 9, Prince 3 0-0 8, Bickford 1 0-0 3, Johnston 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 10-15 59
Austin 4 10 16 27
Otto-Eldred 18 31 54 59
Three-point goals: AU (3) Ogden 3, O-E (10) Francis 4, Prince 2, Smith 2, Bickford; Total fouls: AU 14, O-E 10; Fouled out: McKeirnon (AU).
