SMETHPORT — Two of the top teams in the North Tier League played an early-January game with the intensity reminiscent of postseason basketball.
Otto-Eldred and Smethport traded buckets for the duration of the game, but the Hubbers went on a late run to pull off an impressive 40-37 win on home court Thursday night.
Both teams were sluggish out of the gate, with just a combined 15 points after one quarter. The Hubbers’ first basket came on a three-pointer from Noah Costa five minutes into the game, but they actually ended the first quarter up 8-7 as Otto-Eldred missed plenty of good looks to start the game.
The defense from each team only improved as the game went on, which featured a press from both sides and a shift to zone defense in the second half. The third quarter belonged to the Terrors, however, as Otto-Eldred scored 10 straight points out of the halftime break and looked like they were going to shut Smethport out for the quarter until Caleb Lutz hit a buzzer-beating three to end the frame. Although his team was still down by four heading into the fourth, it proved to be the momentum needed to start that quarter with some extra fire.
Smethport outscored the Terrors 16-9 over the game’s final eight minutes, and hit some clutch shots and free throws to ice it down the stretch.
“We weren’t getting any rebounds, that was the main thing,” Smethport head coach Jay Acker said. “Every loose ball it seemed like Otto was getting. In the huddle I told the guys that they had to box out and get the loose balls. You just have to dive and scrap and be tougher. I think they responded. They came out and got those things in the fourth.”
Lutz scored five points in the fourth quarter, but none bigger than the two free throws he hit with less than 20 seconds remaining. It put Smethport up by three, and despite two attempts from beyond the arc by Otto-Eldred as time expired to tie the game, the Hubbers held on.
“The guys never gave up,” Acker said. “They really kept their composure. Otto put a lot of pressure on us, and this was different than last year’s team. We lost to them by 20 both times, but to turn it around, it’s a pretty big difference.”
Lutz, a junior, was looked determined to end the losing streak to Otto-Eldred. Lutz had a team-high 16 points, and was a commanding presence on the other end of the court as well.
“He’s our floor leader for sure,” Acker said. “Anytime that we get in trouble the ball goes to him. He calms everybody down and he’s a rock on defense. He really just gets everybody on the same page. He’s a huge part of our team.”
Otto-Eldred (4-2) hadn’t played a game since before Christmas, which was evident by the team’s performance to start the game. To make matters worse, the Terrors were without Cameron Grigsby, who is sidelined with an injury.
“I think (the layoff) did impact the game,” Terrors head coach Dan Dalton said. “I truly do. Not touching the ball for three days, while the kids were on break. It’s kind of tough. But, I told them don’t let this define us this early in the season. We’ve got a long January to go. We will bounce back.”
Dylan Close scored a game-high 17 points for Otto, and the Terrors will have to regroup quickly before traveling to Coudersport (6-1) on Monday for another tough matchup.
The Hubbers (6-2), meanwhile, have already surpassed last year’s win total of five. Acker’s group has now won five consecutive games, including all four matchups against NTL opponents.
“It’s basically the same group of guys from last season,” Acker said. “But we have another year of experience under our belts and those juniors that are seniors this year have really stepped up. We went to two basketball camps over the summer and spent a lot of time as a team working on our games, and the results are starting to show this season. In my opinion, Otto is the second-best team in the NTL behind Coudersport, so this is a big win for us.”
Smethport returns home on Saturday face off against Kane.
AT SMETHPORT
Otto-Eldred (37)
Dylan Close 7 0-0 17, Drummond 2 4-4 8, Sherwood 2 0-0 4, York 1 0-0 2, Sebastian 1 0-0 2, Sheeler 1 0-0 2, Dalton 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 4-4 37
Smethport (40)
Caleb Lutz 5 3-3 16, Alfieri 3 1-2 7, Costa 3 0-0 8, Woodruff 1 2-2 4, Szarowicz 0 3-4 3, Peterson 1 0-1 2. Totals: 13 9-12 40
O-E 7 18 28 37
Smethport 8 21 24 40
Three-point goals: Smethport 5 (Lutz 3,Costa 2), Otto-Eldred 3 (Close 3); Total fouls: O-E 12, Smethport 9; fouled out: none
JV: Smethport won 35-30
