Bobcats Roar At South Central!
In what could arguably be called the biggest win in Oregon-Davis Boys Basketball since their Sectional Championship victory of 2017, the Bobcats were able to start the season 1-0, as they topped the South Central Satellites on the road. A game that saw eleven lead changes as well as five ties, would leave the fans at the game, and listening on WKVI, holding their breath each time the ball would float through the air on it’s way to the basket.
As could be expected in any game coached by Larry Sennert of Oregon-Davis and Joe Wagner of South Central, the two teams were extremely well prepared for the Friday night matchup, which was evident by the way the first quarter played out. As the Satellites would apply pressure defensively on the Bobcats, it would appear early on that it would only be a matter of time before South Central were to take control on their home floor. After leading in the game by three points nearing the end of the first quarter, it seemed as though the Satellites would take a 17-14 lead into the second quarter. With merely twenty-eight seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Bobcats had to go the length of the court, looking to take the final shot of the quarter. What a shot it would be! Senior Dylan Murphy would bring the ball across half court for O.D. After a couple of passes, the ball would end up back in the hands of Murphy who attacked the basket. After a contested shot failed to drop, teammate Caleb Seese would soar for the offensive rebound, ripping it away from two Satellite defenders as the clock continued to tick down. The Sophomore would kick the ball out to fellow Sophomore Conner Danford, who would catch the ball on the left wing, just beyond the three-point line. In perfect rhythm, Danford would catch the ball and extend up, releasing the ball in textbook fashion off of his finger tips, snapping his wrist in a manner that would make Rick Mount proud. As the ball went ripping through the net, the horn sounded, and the Bobcat faithful exploded in celebration as the first quarter ended in a 17-17 tie.
The second quarter would very much mimic the first, as the back-and-forth continued for the next eight minutes. However, the Bobcats this time would find a way to narrowly outscore the Satellites, despite getting into significant foul trouble. It would be the combination of Danford and Murphy who would handle the bulk of the scoring for the Bobcats, while the Satellites would look to Brendan Carr and Tony Guevara to handle the load. The duo of Danford and Murphy would combine for sixteen of the Bobcats’ twenty-six first half points, while Carr and Guevara would account for sixteen of the Satellites’ twenty-four first half points. As the two teams retreated to their respective locker rooms at the half, many were left scratching their heads as to how the Bobcats had the lead. South Central had out-rebounded O.D. 15-12, had six steals to O.D.’s three, and scored six more points at the free throw line. The answer for the Bobcats had come in the way of the deep ball, with Oregon-Davis connecting on five three-pointers compared to one made by South Central.
The intensity level would do nothing but escalate in the second half, as the Satellites appeared to be taking control of the game. S.C. would make a concentrated effort to pound the ball inside to their big man Brendan Carr, who is listed comfortably at 6’8. After putting up eight points in the first half, Carr would pound in thirteen more in the second half on his way to a game-high twenty-one points. When the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, the Satellites had outscored the Bobcats, giving them a 38-35 lead heading into the final quarter of play. O.D. Senior Gavin Sibo would be one who would help shoulder the scoring load in the second half, as the lightning quick guard would get eight of his ten points in the final sixteen minutes, often times blowing through the defense on his way to the rim. Fellow Senior Dylan Murphy would continue with his consistent play as he would drop eight more points in the second half, while Jared Bryan and Conner Danford would combine for ten more points as well. The big scoring explosion for the Bobcats, which decided the game, would come in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats would erupt for twenty-three fourth quarter points, outscoring South Central by eight, on their way to a 58-53 road win in their first game of the year.
When the final horn sounded, the biggest differences in the ballgame would come in the way of three point shooting, and scoring production for the Bobcats. O.D. would connect on nine three-point shots, compared to South Central’s four. The Bobcats would have eight individuals score at least two points, with three hitting double-digits, while the Satellites would have six individuals score, with just one hitting the double-digit mark. It was a hard fought game, as was expected, with the only apparent difference in the end favoring the Bobcats would be their ability to get points from every individual who entered the game.
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came with 1:32 remaining in the game when Senior Gavin Sibo drove the length of the court with his team leading by two, and put in a layup to take the score from 49-47 in favor of the Bobcats, to 51-47. That five point difference would prove to be insurmountable as Oregon-Davis would go on to win by five points.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI was awarded to Oregon-Davis Sophomore Conner Danford who scored fifteen points in the game to lead the Bobcats, including four three-point shots, and also had two steals on the defensive end of the floor and an impressive third quarter one-handed dunk.
Scoring
Oregon-Davis(58): Gavin Sibo-10, Cashton Swanson-3, Cameron Taylor-2, Layne Fisher-2, Jared Bryan-7, Conner Danford-15, Braden Swanson-5, Dylan Murphy-14
South Central(53): Brady Glisic-11, Gavin Scott-3, Bradley Ferrell-3, Brendan Carr-21, Todd Snyder-6, Tony Guevara-9
Made 3-Point Shots
OD(9): Cashton Swanson-1, Jared Bryan-1, Conner Danford-4, Dylan Murphy-3
SC(4): Bradley Ferrell-1, Brendan Carr-1, Todd Snyder-2
Free Throws
SC: 15-28 53%
OD: 3-5 60%
Rebounding
SC(26): Hayden Trutko-2, Brady Glisic-4, Gavin Scott-4, Bradley Ferrell-3, Brendan Carr-8, Todd Snyder-3, Tony Guevara-2
OD(21): Gavin Sibo-1, Cameron Taylor-5, Layne Fisher-8, Jared Bryan-1, Caleb Seese-1, Braden Swanson-4, Dylan Murphy-1
Steals
SC(11): Brady Glisic-4, Alex Newburn-2, Brendan Carr-2, Garrett Mertz-1, Todd Snyder-2
OD(7): Gavin Sibo-1, Layne Fisher-3, Jared Bryan-1, Conner Danford-2
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*