Seven Score For Lady Satellites In Home Win!

A franticly paced game is normally what favors the Oregon-Davis Lady Bobcat basketball team. Over the years, their high-octane style of play results in a plethora of turnovers by their opponents, followed by easy layups on the offensive end of the floor. On Friday night, it would be the intense team defense of the South Central Lady Satellites that would dictate the pace and outcome of the game.

Wes Bucher’s Lady Satellites came into Friday night’s game fresh off a heartbreaking eight point loss to South Bend St. Joe High School, where South Central played from behind the bulk of the game. On their home floor once again, South Central would not spend much time on the low end of the scoring column. The key to South Central’s success would come from their defense, which would force Oregon-Davis into seventeen first half turnovers, often times leading to Satellite points. The game began with South Central winning the opening tip, and facing the two-three zone defense of the Lady Bobcats. After not being able to get a basket on their opening possession, O-D would go on the attack, but would run into a wall of defense as South Central would force a turnover. On the ensuing possession for South Central, the ball would end up in the hands of Delanie Gale who knocked down her first of two three-point baskets to get the scoring started. The Lady Bobcats would battle tough with the Lady Satellites, only trailing by a single point at the end of the first quarter fourteen to thirteen, after a steal and a basket by Junior Abbie Tomblin as time ran out in the first quarter.

The second quarter would tell a much different story. After committing five turnovers in the first quarter, the Lady Bobcats would get worn down by the intense defense of South Central, which forced O-D into twelve turnovers in the second quarter. Led by Abbie Tomblin, the Lady Satellites would put up twenty-four points in the second quarter, while holding the dangerous Lady Bobcat offense to just five points. The 5’9 Junior would score fifteen of her team-high twenty-five points in the first half, through a combination of transition points and outside shooting. Often times, it would be Tomblin’s defense which would lead to her points, as well as points for her teammates at the other end. Sophomore Olivia Marks would be the other stick of dynamite for the second quarter explosion by the Satellites, as she was the second leading scorer for SC, dropping nine of her twelve points in the first half. When the horn sounded to send the teams to the locker rooms, South Central found themselves leading comfortably thirty-eight to eighteen.

It would be that second quarter performance by South Central that would be the biggest difference in the ballgame, as Oregon-Davis would only be outscored by four total points in the second half. Once again, the defense of South Central would cause problems for O-D in the final sixteen minutes, forcing the Lady ‘Cats into fifteen more turnovers in the third and fourth quarters. The combination of Abbie Tomblin and Olivia Marks would combine for twelve steals in the game, logging seven and five respectively. The battle on the boards would be an interesting stat line throughout the game for both teams, as South Central narrowly out-rebounded Oregon-Davis thirty-six to thirty-three in the game, with Mercedes Rhodes leading both teams with thirteen rebounds, while South Central’s Olivia Marks pulled down twelve for the Lady Satellites.

“We got a lot of good looks because of our defense” South Central Head Coach Wes Bucher said following the game. “We were ahead of the pass for the majority of the night. Obviously if you can dictate what they are going to do and you know where they’re going to go with the passes, it makes it easier on the defense”. From an individual standpoint, there was no shortage of praise from Bucher when it came to speaking about who played well for his Lady Satellites. “The last two games, Olivia Marks has come out and played the way we need her to play” Bucher said energetically. “She’s playing a lot more physical. She drove baseline a couple of times tonight, made some passes to Lauren (Bowmar), they were crisp, high, and that puts us in a better opportunity to score. I like the fact that Olivia is coming out on the perimeter. She hit a three for us in the first quarter and it’s exciting to see her being more aggressive on the perimeter. I think Abbie (Tomblin) has really shown that she can lock it down on the top of the key” Bucher continued. “To go after Mercedes (Rhodes) tonight and cause the turnovers that she did, speaks volumes about the way she plays the top spot in that 1-3-1”.

Despite the loss, O-D’s leading scorer Mercedes Rhodes showed why she is in the conversation among the state’s elite, not just in scoring, but in all-around play as she poured in twenty-six points to lead all scorers, putting up ten in the first half and sixteen in the second, while also ending the game as the top rebounder, pulling down thirteen boards to complete her double-double on the night. The 5’9 Senior also completed a quality night at the free-throw line, knocking down nine of eleven shots from the charity stripe. Junior teammate Maddie Hudspeth also had a strong night on the glass, adding eleven rebounds of her own in the effort.

The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter, as Abbie Tomblin stole the ball from Oregon-Davis, then darted the length of the court to lay the ball in, giving her Lady Satellites a one point lead at fourteen to thirteen at the end of the first quarter.

The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI went to South Central Sophomore Olivia Marks, who had a double-double for the Lady Satellites, scoring twelve points while pulling down twelve rebounds to go along with five steals in the victory.

South Central (7-4) will be back in action on December 30th when they travel to Boone Grove in a Porter County Conference matchup, while Oregon-Davis (4-6) will get back to work on December 23rd when they travel to Tippecanoe Valley.

Game Statistics

Scoring

South Central(64): Delanie Gale-8, Lauren Bowmar-6, Falyn Anthony-1, Abbie Tomblin-25, Lillian Tolmen-8, Olivia Marks-12, Kate Welsh-4

Oregon-Davis(40): Reagan Danford-3, Madi Hudspeth-7, Mercedes Rhodes-26, Kylee Saylor-2, Hemi Stone-2

Free Throw Shooting

Oregon-Davis: 10-19 52%

South Central: 3-13 23%

3-Point Shots Made

South Central(5): Delanie Gale-2, Abbie Tomblin-2, Olivia Marks-1

Oregon-Davis(2): Reagan Danford-1, Mercedes Rhodes-1

Rebounding

South Central(36): Delanie Gale-6, Lauren Bowmar-7, Falyn Anthony-1, Abbie Tomblin-5, Lillian Tolmen-5, Olivia Marks-12

Oregon-Davis(33): Elizabeth Johnson-2, Madi Hudspeth-11, Mercedes Rhodes-13, Madison Wireman-1, Kylee Saylor-4, Hemi Stone-2

Steals

South Central(19): Delanie Gale-1, Elle Kimmel-1, Falyn Anthony-1, Abbie Tomblin-7, Lillian Tolmen-3, Olivia Marks-5, Kate Welsh-1

Oregon-Davis(6): Elizabeth Johnson-2, Reagan Danford-1, Madi Hudspeth-1, Mercedes Rhodes-1, Kylee Saylor-1

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