EMPORIUM — It almost seemed like a case of deja vu for Cameron County and Otto-Eldred Tuesday night.
Twenty-six days after O-E was held to a season-low 30 points in a lopsided Cameron County win, the Red Raiders used that defensive firepower again, holding O-E to its second-lowest scoring output of the year in a 62-36 North Tier League victory in Emporium.
With the win, the Red Raiders (13-2, 10-1) finish off a season sweep of Otto-Eldred (9-8, 7-5). It was the fourth consecutive game Cameron County has held an opponent to 40 points or less.
“They’re quick and they’re physical,” Otto-Eldred coach Dan Dalton said of his opposition’s defense. “They do a nice job all around to make it difficult (on offenses).”
For all the similarities this game had to round one between the teams, though, the rematch began much differently.
Cameron County got off to a torrid start this time around, particularly from deep, to take a commanding 22-6 lead through the first quarter — a stark contrast from the 17-15 lead the Red Raiders had at halftime on Jan. 2.
During the period, Cameron County hit four treys, including a pair from Dylan Guisto, who scored eight points in the period.
“It’s home cooking,” Red Raider coach Mark Guido said. “We shoot well here lots of times, so it was definitely a good start.”
For Otto-Eldred, though, things couldn’t have started any worse. Cole Sebastian scored four of his six points in the quarter, while Braden Maholic added two. Aside from that, though, the Terrors struggled to find much success from the field and often turned the ball over.
“Give (Cameron County) credit,” Dalton said. “They came out and put it to us in that first quarter, and it was hard for us to come back from that. The momentum definitely went their way.”
O-E, however, settled in after that start to play the Red Raiders evenly in the second quarter. Gavin Jimerson scored four of his team-high nine points as O-E kept the Cameron County advantage at 16 going into halftime.
And then, just as he did in the first matchup between the two teams, Cameron County forward Hayden Brown caught fire out of halftime to power the Red Raiders the rest of the way. Brown scored 10 of his 15 points in the third quarter, often on passes from Caden Beldin, as the Red Raiders grabbed a 47-28 lead going into the fourth.
“Caden sees the floor really well, and we found (Hayden) behind the zone,” Guido said. “We got the ball to Caden, and he would turn and look while Hayden cuts, and it was open. We found him in the right spot.”
Brown, who scored 14 second-half points against O-E earlier this year, was one of four Red Raiders to finish in double figures, as Dino Brown, Beldin and Guisto all had 13 points. Beldin also added 10 rebounds and seven assists on the night.
“We need that balance,” Guido said. “We can’t rely on two guys to carry us all the time, so it’s nice when other players step up and score for us.”
That balance carried the Red Raiders through the fourth, as six different players scored in the period as Cameron County finished off its eighth consecutive win, seven of which have come by at least 25 points.
Despite the streak, though, Guido sees room to improve for the Red Raiders.
“I really felt like this was the second game where I’m not real happy afterward,” he said. “We’re just not hitting on all cylinders, and I think we have that extra gear to give. When we get up, we tend to lose our focus on not trust the process that we have, and we take things on ourselves. It’s something we need to get better at.”
For O-E, which needs one more win in its final three games to finish the season at .500 after a 5-1 start, the improvements begin on defense, according to Dalton.
“We have to get in the gym and work a little more defensively,” he said. “And then we’ll see if we can get Austin Thursday night… Hopefully we can get them on Senior Night.”
AT EMPORIUM
Otto-Eldred (36)
Gavin Jimerson 4 0-0 9, Sebastian 3 0-0 6, Merry 3 0-0 6, Maholic 2 0-0 4, Murphy 2 0-0 4, Rhinehart 1 0-0 3, VanScoter 1 0-0 2, Bell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 0-0 36
Cameron County (62)
Hayden Brown 7 1-1 15, Dylan Guisto 5 1-2 13, Dino Brown 4 4-6 13, Caden Beldin 5 2-2 13, Harrier 1 0-0 3, Good 1 0-0 3, Swartz 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 8-11 62
Otto-Eldred 6 17 28 36
Cameron Co. 22 33 47 62
Three-point goals: O-E 2 (Jimerson, Rhinehart), CC 6 (Guisto 2, D. Brown, Beldin, Harrier, Good); Total fouls: O-E 12, CC 4; fouled out: Matt Murphy (O-E)
JV: Cameron County won.
