Second Half Defense Leads To 3-0 Start For Bobcats

It was a tale of two halves at Oregon-Davis High School Monday night, as the Bobcats played host to the LaCrosse Tigers. What started out as a game favoring the Tigers, quickly turned into a defensive clinic by the Bobcats!

The Tigers started off the game, very much, as the aggressors with the trio of Kyle Gorski, Dakota Grieger, and Ben Garwood accounting for eighteen of the team’s twenty-six first half points. LaCrosse also received contributions from Carter Welkie, Carter Burkholder, and Keegan McArdle to give the Tigers six contributors in the scoring column throughout the first sixteen minutes of play. A prime example of the energy LaCrosse had to start the game came at the end of the first quarter. With merely thirty seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Tigers would patiently walk the ball down the floor, allowing the seconds to tick away in the hopes of getting the final shot of the quarter. After working the ball around the perimeter, Junior Keegan McArdle would take two hard dribbles to his right, towards the paint. McArdle then kicked the ball out to teammate Dakota Grieger who, while taking a hard jab step to his right, glanced up at the clock. Recognizing that time was running out, the Junior stepped back with defender Dylan Murphy playing smothering defense, and launched a deep shot from behind the arc, drilling the Tigers’ lone made three-point shot to end the first quarter giving LaCrosse a 17-15. The second quarter saw both teams continue to go back and forth. While neither team was able to take full control of the game, both showed signs of great energy, with LaCrosse once again outscoring O-D in the second quarter, this time 9-8, to take a 26-23 lead into the locker room at the half.

The second half would belong, 100%, to the Oregon-Davis Bobcats, with the charge being led by Gavin Sibo. After scoring nine points in the first half to lead the Bobcats, the 5’11 Senior, metaphorically, entered a phone booth at the half and emerged as “Super Sibo”, dropping fifteen more points in the second half on his way to a game-high twenty-four. Often times it would be Sibo taking advantage of his athleticism, exploding passed the Tiger defense on his way to layups at the rim. He also took advantage of his opportunities at the free-throw line, knocking down five of six opportunities. It would not be a one-man show, however. Senior teammate Dylan Murphy would also explode in the second half, but in a much different way. After having only scored two points in the first half, Murphy would step behind the three-point line and put on a show in the gym where he has logged countless hours as an Oregon-Davis Bobcat. As the LaCrosse defense would, rightfully so, put a big emphasis on knowing where Sibo was at all times, the Tigers would lose track of the sharp-shooting Dylan Murphy, who knocked down three second half three-point shots, scoring nine of his eleven points in the final two quarters.

The offensive explosion in the second half for O-D, oddly enough, would be secondary. It would be the Bobcats’ defense that would “steal” the show. After giving up twenty-six first half points, a made free throw by Kyle Gorski would be the only LaCrosse point scored in the entire second half, as the Bobcats outscored the Tigers thirty-six to one in the third and fourth quarters. The Bobcat defense would force the Tigers into committing ten of their sixteen turnovers in the second half, unofficially coming up with nine steals during that timespan. At game’s end, the Bobcats would see themselves get off to the program’s first 3-0 start since the State Championship season of 2006-07. The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came in the third quarter with 6:26 remaining. With the score tied at twenty-six, Dylan Murphy would hit a three-point shot to give his Bobcats a three-point lead that they would never relinquish. The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game went to Senior Gavin Sibo. “Super Sibo” scored twenty-four points, including five of six at the free throw line while also knocking down a three-pointer. In addition, he also pulled down six rebounds and had two steals in helping his Bobcats to a big win.

Oregon-Davis will be back in action Wednesday the twenty-third when they travel to Tippecanoe Valley, while LaCrosse will get back at it Tuesday night when they play host to Porter County Conference opponent Westville.

Game Statistics

Scoring

Oregon-Davis(59): Ethan Huitt-1, Gavin Sibo-24, Cameron Taylor-3, Layne Fisher-4, Jared Bryan-6, Conner Danford-8, Braden Swanson-2, Dylan Murphy-11

LaCrosse(27): Kyle Gorski-7, Carter Burkholder-2, Keegan McArdle-2, Carter Welkie-4, Dakota Grieger-6, Ben Garwood-6

Made 3-Point Shots

OD(6): Gavin Sibo-1, Cameron Taylor-1, Jared Bryan-1, Dylan Murphy-3

LaC(1): Dakota Grieger-1

Free Throw Shooting

LaC: 10-15 66%

OD: 9-12 75%

Rebounding

OD(36): Ethan Huitt-2, Gavin Sibo-6, Cameron Taylor-9, Nolan Green-1, Layne Fisher-3, Jared Bryan-6, Landon Green-2, Conner Danford-2, Braden Swanson-1, Dylan Murphy-4

LaC(19): Kyle Gorski-2, Noah Kneifel-2, Carter Burkholder-1, Keegan McArdle-2, Carter Welkie-2, Dakota Grieger-1, Ben Garwood-9

Steals

OD(14): Gavin Sibo-2, Cameron Taylor-1, Layne Fisher-3, Jared Bryan-3, Conner Danford-2, Caleb Seese-1, Braden Swanson-1, Dylan Murphy-1

LaC(3): Kyle Gorski-1, Dakota Grieger-2

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