Bobcats Rediscover Roar At The Den!
Less than twenty-four hours after a devastating loss for Oregon-Davis and a monumental victory for Winamac, the two teams got together at Oregon-Davis to compete in a non-conference, non-sectional opponent matchup on Saturday.
Plain and simple, the Oregon-Davis Bobcats came onto their home floor ready to wash a very bad taste out of their mouths, after only putting up eleven points Friday night in a game against Argos at the Bobcat Den. The Winamac Warriors, meanwhile, were thought to be flying high after getting an enormous 39-33 road win over Hoosier North Athletic Conference rival, North Judson Friday night, at North Judson. The energized Bobcats were being relentless on defense, challenging every shot taken by the Warriors throughout the first quarter, while also taking care of the ball, and finding high-quality shots on the offensive end of the floor. Senior leadership played a key role throughout the game for O-D, as Dylan Murphy and Gavin Sibo played inspired ball for the ‘Cats from start to finish. Murphy would catch fire early for the Bobcats, connecting on six three pointers, to account for his eighteen first half points. Sibo, meanwhile, would provide a spark on the defensive end of the floor, as he was able to come up with a game-high four steals, which often times led to points for the lightning quick guard throughout the game. The first quarter would end with a bang, literally and figuratively, for the Bobcats. With time winding down in the first quarter, the ‘Cats had the ball, looking to take the final shot of the quarter. After the Winamac defense deflected the ball away from O-D, Sophomore Conner Danford was able to pick up the loose ball, and kick it out to the top of the key, where teammate Cam Taylor awaited. The Junior hauled in the pass then quickly released a three-point attempt that darted through the air, banging off the backboard, and dropping through the net as the horn sounded to end the first quarter, giving the Bobcats an incredible 25-5 lead!
The second quarter would see a much closer contest, as the Warriors turned up the heat on the defensive end, forcing O-D into five turnovers, after they had only committed two in the first quarter. Senior Carson Bennett along with Juniors Russell Compton and Beau Brandt would be the main keys to the defensive success for the Warriors, as the trio would combine for six of Winamac’s seven team steals in the ballgame. From a scoring standpoint, it would not be one specific individual for Winamac who would shoulder the scoring load, rather, seven individuals who would score at least one point in the first sixteen minutes. Winamac began to show signs of life in the latter stages of the half, more than doubling their first quarter scoring total by putting up thirteen in the second. The Bobcats, however, would match the Warriors’ scoring total of thirteen, to hold a twenty point lead at halftime, 38-18.
With the exception of the extremely lopsided first quarter, the two teams were relatively even throughout the game. It would be the consistent play of the Bobcats that would allow them to maintain their lead throughout the final sixteen minutes. The scoring trio of Oregon-Davis’ Gavin Sibo, Layne Fisher, and Dylan Murphy would provide the bulk of the scoring in the second half, scoring nine, six, and six respectively.
“I believe in these kids everyday” a smiling Bobcat Head Coach Larry Sennert said following the win. “It’s just sometimes they don’t believe in themselves. Tonight we hit shots early, our focus changed, and we just got after it. We did some good stuff, but we made some baskets. When we hit some shots we get a swagger” Sennert continued, “I thought Sibo came out ready to play. Dylan Murphy hit some big shots, Layne Fisher made shots, but he sparks us defensively. I can go right down the list, they’re all just great kids”.
The Bobcats would outscore the Warriors 13-6 in the third quarter and 13-7 in the fourth to give the final score of 64-41 in favor of Oregon-Davis, snapping the Bobcats’ four-game losing streak and surpassing their win total from a year ago with their fifth win of the season.
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter, when O-D’s Layne Fisher hustled after a loose ball that was seemingly sure to go out of bounds. He then flipped the ball to teammate Dylan Murphy who launched a three-point shot, finding nothing, but net to give the Bobcats a 43-22 lead.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player(s) of the Game on WKVI went to the Oregon-Davis duo of Gavin Sibo and Dylan Murphy. Murphy led all scorers with twenty-four points, hitting six three-point shots, pulling down five rebounds, and logging two steals in the win. Sibo added seventeen points of his own, scoring eight in the first half and nine in the second, to go along with a game-high four steals, while also pulling down three rebounds.
The Bobcats (5-4) will be back in action on Monday January 18th when they take on John Glenn in the first round of the TCU Bi-County Tournament, while the Warriors will be back on the hardwood Friday the 22nd, when they travel to Caston in the final game of their three-game road trip.
Game Statistics
Scoring
Oregon-Davis(64): Gavin Sibo-17, Cameron Taylor-5, Layne Fisher-8, Jared Bryan-3, Conner Danford-4, Braden Swanson-3, Dylan Murphy-24
Winamac(31): Ryan Gregor-3, Jaden Terry-2, Trent Fox-4, Carson Bennett-3, Russell Compton-7, Matt Swartzell-5, Alex Stark-2, Beau Brandt-5
Made 3-Point Shots
OD(8): Gavin Sibo-1, Cameron Taylor-1, Dylan Murphy-6
Winamac(2): Ryan Gregor-1, Carson Bennett-1
Free-Throw Shooting
Winamac: 11-21 52%
OD: 9-13 69%
Rebounding
OD(32): Gavin Sibo-3, Cameron Taylor-5, Nolan Green-2, Layne Fisher-5, Jared Bryan-2, Conner Danford-8, Braden Swanson-2, Dylan Murphy-5
Winamac(21): Ryan Gregor-1, Jaden Terry-1, Trent Fox-2, Carson Bennett-2, Russell Compton-4, Matt Swartzell-3, Alex Stark-1, John Malchow-1, Beau Brandt-4, Logan Schultz-2
Steals
OD(11): Gavin Sibo-4, Cameron Taylor-1, Layne Fisher-1, Conner Danford-2, Braden Swanson-1, Dylan Murphy-2
Winamac(7): Trent Fox-1, Carson Bennett-2, Russell Compton-2, Beau Brandt-2
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
