Lady Bobcats Win Overtime Thriller In The First Round of the TCU Bi-County Tournament!
The Lady Bobcats of Oregon-Davis and the Lady Falcons of John Glenn did not disappoint in the first round of the Teachers Credit Union Bi-County Tournament, as the two familiar rivals battled back and fourth throughout the five quarter affair.
The entire ballgame would be every bit as close as the final score indicates. The two old rivals went back-and-forth throughout the game, seeing nine lead changes and eight ties from start to finish. The first quarter would see the two teams adopting different styles of play, as the Lady Bobcats conducted their usual fast paced offense, while the Lady Falcons would be much more deliberate with their possessions, utilizing multiple passes to find the highest percentage shot. The Lady Bobcats would force the Lady Falcons into four first quarter turnovers, compared to just three committed by O-D. Eleven different players would score at least two points in the first half, between the two teams, with Oregon-Davis’ Madi Hudspeth pouring in fifteen points, while Glenn was led by Seja Lang who dropped twelve. The rebounding battle would be just as close as the scoring in the first half, with the Lady Falcons finding one more rebound than the Lady ‘Cats, pulling down fifteen to O-D’s fourteen. When the horn sounded to end the first quarter of play, Oregon-Davis found themselves narrowly leading John Glenn fourteen to twelve.
The second quarter would nearly duplicate what was seen in the first, as the two teams continued to battle on both ends of the floor. With the Lady Bobcats continuing to pound the ball inside to 6’1 Junior Madi Hudspeth, the Lady Falcons would look to Senior guard Seja Lang to provide consistent scoring. Hudspeth would put up a game-high fifteen points in the first two quarters, while lang was not far behind, dropping twelve of her own. The effort would not be limited to those two individuals, however, as eleven players would find their way into the scoring column in the first half. When the horn sounded to end the first half, the two teams entered their locker rooms with O-D outscoring Glenn eighteen to sixteen in the second quarter to take a thirty-two to twenty-eight lead at the half. The biggest difference in the second quarter, favoring the Lady Falcons, would come in the turnover category. After committing four turnovers in the first quarter, Glenn did not commit a turnover in the second, helping them stay within striking distance of Oregon-Davis, going into the second half.
The third quarter would belong to the Lady Falcons, as the consistent play of the group from Walkerton chipped away at their five-point deficit, outscoring O-D seventeen to fifteen in the third quarter, to pull within two points of the Bobcats, forty-seven to forty-five, as the horn sounded to end the third quarter. Oregon-Davis star player and all-time career scoring leader Mercedes Rhodes would start to find more consistency as the game progressed. After being held to seven points in the first half, the Senior continued to attack the basket throughout the game, finding her way to the free-throw line on a regular basis. In fact, it would be because of the free throw shooting by the Lady Bobcats, that they would find themselves in control of the scoreboard. The free throw totals would heavily favor the Lady ‘Cats as they would hit 82% of their twenty-nine attempts in the game, with Rhodes hitting on twelve of fifteen attempts as she racked up a game-high twenty points for Oregon-Davis. The final quarter of regulation would immolate the third quarter, as John Glenn would once again outscore Oregon-Davis by two points, this time fourteen to twelve, to tie the score at fifty-nine as the horn sounded at the end of regulation.
Perhaps the biggest factor favoring Oregon-Davis in the overtime period would be in the foul column. As the game progressed, the Lady Falcons found themselves deep in foul trouble, losing three key players, with Jess Yelaska, Seja Lang, and Emma Romer all fouling out before the final buzzer. The trio combine for thirty-five points, thirteen rebounds, and nine steals in the ballgame, but were unable to finish the overtime period. When the final horn sounded, Oregon-Davis managed to outscore John Glenn three to two, to get a narrow sixty-two to sixty-one overtime victory. The game would see six individuals hit double digits in scoring, with three players on each roster hitting the mark. In addition to Rhodes’ twenty points, Madi Hudspeth put up eighteen, while Mackenna Chessor added fifteen for the Lady Bobcats, while John Glenn’s Seja Lang led the way for the Lady Falcons with nineteen points, with teammates Jess yelaska and Lauren Fansler putting in fourteen and ten, respectively.
The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI came in overtime, when Madi Hudspeth blocked a late shot attempt by John Glenn to seal the one point win for Oregon-Davis.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI was Mercedes Rhodes. After being held to seven first half points, Rhodes put in thirteen in the second half, while hitting twelve of eighteen free throw attempts, pulling down twelve rebounds, and grabbing four steals in the overtime victory!
Game Statistics
Scoring
Oregon-Davis(62): Elizabeth Johnson-3, Reagan Danford-1, Madi Hudspeth-18, Mackenna Chessor-15, Mercedes Rhodes-20, Kylee Saylor-5
John Glenn(61): Lauren Fansler-10, Kennedy Hayden-8, Emma Romer-2, Elie Lang-2, Mia Hooten-6, Seja Lang-19, Jess Yelaska-14
Made 3-Point Shots
Glenn(4): Lauren Fansler-2, Jess Yelaska-2
O-D(4): Elizabeth Johnson-1, Mackenna Chessor-2, Mercedes Rhodes-1
Free Throw Shooting
O-D: 24-29 82%
Glenn: 9-14 64%
Rebounding
O-D(36): Elizabeth Johnson-3, Reagan Danford-1, Madi Hudspeth-12, Mackenna Chessor-6, Mercedes Rhodes-12, Kylee Saylor-2
Glenn(25): Lauren Fansler-4, Kennedy Hayden-1, Emma Romer-5, Elie Lang-2, Mia Hooten-5, Seja Lang-4, Jess Yelaska-4
Steals
Glenn(15): Lauren Fansler-2, Kennedy Hayden-1, Emma Romer-2, Elie Lang-2, Mia Hooten-1, Seja Lang-4, Jess Yelaska-3
O-D(7): Madi Hudspeth-2, Mackenna Chessor-1, Mercedes Rhodes-4
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
