Bobcats Claw Out Second Win Of The Year

The Oregon-Davis Bobcats took another step in the right direction on Wednesday night at home, as they played host to the very athletic Culver Cavaliers. As is always the case, Oregon-Davis provided an ideal atmosphere for Indiana High School Basketball, with an energetic band, an enthusiastic fanbase on both sides of the court, and two basketball teams hungry for a win.

As was anticipated, the start of the game proved to be a defensive battle, with great intensity between the two teams leading to some early turnovers, but also some great transitional moments for the Bobcats and Cavaliers. The Bobcats would be able to take advantage of a few more scoring opportunities in the first quarter on their way to a 16-9 lead at the end of the first eight minutes. The ‘Cats would continue to attack offensively, from inside and out, with Dylan Murphy exploding in the scoring column for the O-D, as he would hit shots consistently from either penetrating, pulling up, or knocking down a set 3-pointer. Murphy would drop 11 points in the first half, while teammate Garrett Weil would proved a huge spark, coming in off the bench, as he too would chip in 11 in the first half as well. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, would do a great job of moving the ball around against the Bobcat defense, but would struggle to find the basket consistently in the first two quarters. Not surprisingly, Donovan Ziaja, who tends to always show up when a Cavalier team (of almost any kind) needs leadership, was able to lead the team in scoring with 7 of the Cavs’ 19 first half points. Sophomore Jalen King would provide one of the biggest highlights of the first half, as he would bank in a 3-point shot towards the end of the first half to give the Cavs a bump at the end of the half. The overall production of the Bobcats in the first half would be too much for the Cavaliers, as the teams went into the locker rooms with Oregon-Davis leading Culver 34-19.

As we see so often with teams from Culver Community High School, a “never say die” attitude came into full effect as the teams emerged from the locker rooms to begin the second half. Perhaps the biggest surprise to those in attendance would be the scoring output of Cavalier Senior Hunter Manns, who would put up all 11 of his points in the second half, 9 of which came from behind the 3-point line. While the Cavaliers would continue to try desperately to fight their way back into the game, the Bobcat duo of Murphy and Weil would prove to be too much as the two would combine for 18 of the team’s 25 second half points. The main edge for the Bobcats would come in the rebounding category. Oregon-Davis was able to out-rebound the Cavs 31-19, with Garrett Weil leading the way for O-D with 8 rebounds, while Sophomore Nolan Green would pull down 7 of his own.

The biggest difference in the game would come down to consistency in the scoring column. While Culver would have more individuals score than Oregon-Davis, the Bobcats were able to put up points at a higher volume over the course of four quarters, which led to their 11-point victory over the Cavaliers. Oregon-Davis Junior Dylan Murphy would be named the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI for his game-high 21 point performance that included two made 3-pointers and 5 for 9 at the free throw line, to go along with 4 rebounds and a steal. His consistency in the scoring column throughout the game (11 points in the first half and 10 in the second), would be a steadying force for the Bobcats as they secured their second win of the season.

Oregon-Davis will be back in action on January 31st when they travel to Bethany Christian, while Culver will be back at it on the 31st as well, when they travel to Hoosier North Athletic Conference opponent LaVille.

Game Statistics

Scoring:

Oregon-Davis(59): Cameron Taylor-10, Nolan Green-4, Garrett Weil-19, Jared Bryan-5, Dylan Murphy-21

Culver(48): Owen Valiquet-8, Hunter Manns-11, Owen Clingler-6, Donavan Ziaja-12, Braxton Conley-4, Jalen King-5, Auston Zehner-2

Free-throws:

Culver: 6-13 46%

Oregon-Davis: 10-15 66%

3-Point Shots Made:

Culver(8): Hunter Manns-3, Owen Clingler-2, Donavan Ziaja-2, Jalen King-1

Oregon-Davis(6): Nolan Green-1, Garrett Weil-2, Jared Bryan-1, Dylan Murphy-2

Rebounding:

Oregon-Davis(31): Dennis Cooley Jr-1, Cameron Taylor-5, Nolan Green-7, Garrett Weil-8, Jared Bryan-4, Connor Danford-1, Braden Swanson-1, Dylan Murphy-4

Culver(19): Owen Valiquet-2, Hunter Manns-4, Owen Clingler-2, Donavan Ziaja-5, Braxton Conley-3, Jalen King-2, Auston Zehner-1

Steals:

Oregon-Davis(4): Nolan Green-1, Jared Bryan-2, Dylan Murphy-1

Culver(3): Owen Valiquet-1, Donavan Ziaja-2

*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*