Balanced Bobcats Beat Triton Trojans
March 3, 2018 at 6:35 a.m.
Balanced Bobcats Beat Triton Trojans
By Dale [email protected]
In a Class 1A Sectional 51 semifinal at Culver Community High School Friday night, the Oregon-Davis Bobcats showed them exactly what it looks like.
With four players in double figures, the Bobcats (11-11) beat the Trojans 63-45 and advanced to tonight’s sectional final against Elkhart Christian Academy (18-6), a 61-39 winner over the host Cavaliers in Friday’s other semifinal.
The Trojans, who finished the season with a 7-15 record, got 23 points out of senior Ross Johnson, whose impressive individual performance included a 10-of-15 effort from the field to go along with five rebounds.
Johnson scored six of Triton’s eight third-quarter points and 11 of their first 13 points in the second half.
While Johnson was doing most of the scoring for the Trojans, Oregon-Davis got 18 points from senior Lance Campbell, 14 from senior Jonathon Clark, 13 points and eight rebounds from senior Trevor Risner and 11 points from freshman Dylan Murphy.
Junior Trevor Wilson only scored two points in the win, but pulled down 12 rebounds.
“They’re a good basketball team. That’s what I told our kids, what it is about those guys is that they’re skilled. They can shoot the ball, they can dribble the ball ... and that’s kind of where we’re lacking a little bit,” said Triton coach Jason Groves.
“I told our kids if you want to be that good you have to work at it. You can’t get that way by just showing up in the gym. They got that way by working at it.
“Give them credit, they’re a good basketball team. They have some really good players on that team. They shot the ball well, and that was what I was kind of dreading because we can’t really match up with them very well. I was hoping we’d be able to contest them a little more.”
Oregon-Davis, the defending sectional champion, finished the game 18 of 33 from the field overall, 9 of 18 from three-point range, and 18 of 23 at the free throw line.
Triton was 18 of 45 overall, 6 of 20 from the arc, and 3 of 11 at the charity stripe.
The teams traded baskets early as Oregon-Davis’ Murphy and Triton junior Beau Hepler hit a pair of treys each to make the score 6-6.
From that point on, though, the game was dominated by the Bobcats, who built a comfortable lead with a 19-4 run and maintained it.
Oregon-Davis led 15-8 after one quarter of play, 33-20 at halftime and 52-28 heading into the final frame.
“I told the players before the game, ‘I have this great feeling it’s finally going to come together,’” said Oregon-Davis coach Joe Eskridge, whose team had lost five of their last six games before Friday.
“We had a nice stretch there toward the middle of the year around the Bi-County Tournament, but lost a tough one to LaVille, then we lost to some tough teams down the stretch. I just had to really stay on these guys and say ‘if you come out here and play like you have against these tough teams, you should be just fine.’”
And they were.
The game was tied at 3 and 6, but the Bobcats never trailed.
To go with Johnson’s 23 points, all of which came after the first quarter, Triton got nine points from Hepler, six from senior Drew Stichter, four from sophomore Tyler Heckaman, two from junior Kaden Atkins and a free throw from junior Lucas Richman.
Triton will lose four players to graduation – Johnson, Stichter, Dylan Hensley and Max Slusser.
It was a season full of adversity, as the Trojans went through their first losing season since the 2004-05 campaign.
The players also had to deal with practicing at Triton Elementary and playing home games at Plymouth High School after a pipe burst and ruined the gym floor at the Trojan Trench.
“Give our kids credit they fought hard. They fought hard all year long even though we only won seven games. They never gave up,” said Groves.
“Somebody mentioned to us on Monday, a younger coach on our staff, they said the level of engagement in our practice was amazing for being a 6-win team. I told our kids that what it takes to be successful, you have to work your butt off, and hopefully our kids will take that to heart.”
OREGON-DAVIS 63, TRITON 45
OD 15 18 19 11 – 63
T 8 12 8 17 – 45
O-D – Jonathon Clark 4-8 6-6 14, Dennis Cooley 0-0 0-0 0, Trevor Risner 4-9 2-2 13, Lance Campbell 5-5 4-6 18, Tyler Ailes 0-0 0-0 0, Gavin Sibo 0-0 0-0 0, Jeffrey Avery 1-2 3-4 5, Dylan Murphy 4-7 1-1 11, Justus Crum 0-1 0-0 0, Trevor Wilson 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 18-33 18-23 63.
Triton – Chase Butler 0-0 0-0 0, Max Slusser 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Bules 0-0 0-2 0, Drew Stichter 3-4 0-0 6, Trenton Kreft 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Atkins 1-1 0-0 2, Quintin Thornburg 0-5 0-0 0, Lucas Richman 0-0 1-2 1, Dylan Hensley 0-6 0-0 0, Tyler Heckaman 1-3 1-2 4, Ross Johnson 10-15 1-5 23. Totals 18-45 3-11 45.
Three-pointer – O-D 9 (Clark 4, Murphy 2, Risner, Campbell, Avery), Triton 6 (Hepler 3, Johnson 2, Heckaman); Rebounds – O-D 29 (Wilson 12), Triton 23 (Johnson 5); Turnovers – O-D 12, Triton 10; Fouls – O-D 12, Triton 18; Fouled out – none; Records: O-D 11-11, Triton 7-15
Other semifinal: Elkhart Christian 61, Culver Community 39
E-Editions
In a Class 1A Sectional 51 semifinal at Culver Community High School Friday night, the Oregon-Davis Bobcats showed them exactly what it looks like.
With four players in double figures, the Bobcats (11-11) beat the Trojans 63-45 and advanced to tonight’s sectional final against Elkhart Christian Academy (18-6), a 61-39 winner over the host Cavaliers in Friday’s other semifinal.
The Trojans, who finished the season with a 7-15 record, got 23 points out of senior Ross Johnson, whose impressive individual performance included a 10-of-15 effort from the field to go along with five rebounds.
Johnson scored six of Triton’s eight third-quarter points and 11 of their first 13 points in the second half.
While Johnson was doing most of the scoring for the Trojans, Oregon-Davis got 18 points from senior Lance Campbell, 14 from senior Jonathon Clark, 13 points and eight rebounds from senior Trevor Risner and 11 points from freshman Dylan Murphy.
Junior Trevor Wilson only scored two points in the win, but pulled down 12 rebounds.
“They’re a good basketball team. That’s what I told our kids, what it is about those guys is that they’re skilled. They can shoot the ball, they can dribble the ball ... and that’s kind of where we’re lacking a little bit,” said Triton coach Jason Groves.
“I told our kids if you want to be that good you have to work at it. You can’t get that way by just showing up in the gym. They got that way by working at it.
“Give them credit, they’re a good basketball team. They have some really good players on that team. They shot the ball well, and that was what I was kind of dreading because we can’t really match up with them very well. I was hoping we’d be able to contest them a little more.”
Oregon-Davis, the defending sectional champion, finished the game 18 of 33 from the field overall, 9 of 18 from three-point range, and 18 of 23 at the free throw line.
Triton was 18 of 45 overall, 6 of 20 from the arc, and 3 of 11 at the charity stripe.
The teams traded baskets early as Oregon-Davis’ Murphy and Triton junior Beau Hepler hit a pair of treys each to make the score 6-6.
From that point on, though, the game was dominated by the Bobcats, who built a comfortable lead with a 19-4 run and maintained it.
Oregon-Davis led 15-8 after one quarter of play, 33-20 at halftime and 52-28 heading into the final frame.
“I told the players before the game, ‘I have this great feeling it’s finally going to come together,’” said Oregon-Davis coach Joe Eskridge, whose team had lost five of their last six games before Friday.
“We had a nice stretch there toward the middle of the year around the Bi-County Tournament, but lost a tough one to LaVille, then we lost to some tough teams down the stretch. I just had to really stay on these guys and say ‘if you come out here and play like you have against these tough teams, you should be just fine.’”
And they were.
The game was tied at 3 and 6, but the Bobcats never trailed.
To go with Johnson’s 23 points, all of which came after the first quarter, Triton got nine points from Hepler, six from senior Drew Stichter, four from sophomore Tyler Heckaman, two from junior Kaden Atkins and a free throw from junior Lucas Richman.
Triton will lose four players to graduation – Johnson, Stichter, Dylan Hensley and Max Slusser.
It was a season full of adversity, as the Trojans went through their first losing season since the 2004-05 campaign.
The players also had to deal with practicing at Triton Elementary and playing home games at Plymouth High School after a pipe burst and ruined the gym floor at the Trojan Trench.
“Give our kids credit they fought hard. They fought hard all year long even though we only won seven games. They never gave up,” said Groves.
“Somebody mentioned to us on Monday, a younger coach on our staff, they said the level of engagement in our practice was amazing for being a 6-win team. I told our kids that what it takes to be successful, you have to work your butt off, and hopefully our kids will take that to heart.”
OREGON-DAVIS 63, TRITON 45
OD 15 18 19 11 – 63
T 8 12 8 17 – 45
O-D – Jonathon Clark 4-8 6-6 14, Dennis Cooley 0-0 0-0 0, Trevor Risner 4-9 2-2 13, Lance Campbell 5-5 4-6 18, Tyler Ailes 0-0 0-0 0, Gavin Sibo 0-0 0-0 0, Jeffrey Avery 1-2 3-4 5, Dylan Murphy 4-7 1-1 11, Justus Crum 0-1 0-0 0, Trevor Wilson 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 18-33 18-23 63.
Triton – Chase Butler 0-0 0-0 0, Max Slusser 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Bules 0-0 0-2 0, Drew Stichter 3-4 0-0 6, Trenton Kreft 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Atkins 1-1 0-0 2, Quintin Thornburg 0-5 0-0 0, Lucas Richman 0-0 1-2 1, Dylan Hensley 0-6 0-0 0, Tyler Heckaman 1-3 1-2 4, Ross Johnson 10-15 1-5 23. Totals 18-45 3-11 45.
Three-pointer – O-D 9 (Clark 4, Murphy 2, Risner, Campbell, Avery), Triton 6 (Hepler 3, Johnson 2, Heckaman); Rebounds – O-D 29 (Wilson 12), Triton 23 (Johnson 5); Turnovers – O-D 12, Triton 10; Fouls – O-D 12, Triton 18; Fouled out – none; Records: O-D 11-11, Triton 7-15
Other semifinal: Elkhart Christian 61, Culver Community 39
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