KANE — “It’s what we expected,” said a beaming Shawn Gray. “We expected to be here. We know it doesn’t matter if we’re playing Ridgway or Elk County, we’re in for a tough game.”
The Otto-Eldred coach has had high expectations for his team all season. On Tuesday night, his and his team’s expectations were fulfilled just a little more, as No. 3 O-E finished strong to beat No. 2 North Clarion, 60-53, in the District 9 Class A semifinal game.
In the first quarter, O-E looked unstoppable.
The two sides traded buckets before the Lady Terrors went on a 12-0 run lasting over three minutes. O-E hit 3-pointers like most teams hit layups. Anna Merry splashed three in the first quarter while Katie Sheeler hit another two.
Just as critical, the team was everywhere on defense. They forced turnovers and turned them into points. They pressured NC into making bad passes and flew across the court.
The Lady Wolves did better in the second quarter, making up some ground as Lauren Lutz scored six points in the paint while Gwen Siegel added four. Madison McFarland had two jumpers and knocked down a pair of free throws as well, finishing with 13 points to lead NC scorers.
But Sheeler added another two treys, Merry nailed a third and O-E never let the opposition go on too big of a run, leading 35-25 at halftime.
After the break, NC finally started using its size to its advantage. Chiefly, the height of Lutz in the paint. Lutz was clearly a head taller than everyone else on the court and, unless an O-E defender hit her arm in a deliberate foul, she simply was too tall to stop, finishing with 12 points.
The Lady Wolves came out of the break in a full court press, forcing turnovers and making O-E uncomfortable. The Lady Terrors were unable to hit on their 3-point attempts and NC closed the gap to just a four-point deficit, down 45-41 at the end of the third.
“That North Clarion team,” said Gray. “They just wouldn’t quit and their coach had them ready to go. He’s one of the best in D9 no doubt. So to beat a team like that, it means a lot to our program.”
But in the fourth quarter, O-E regained its rhythm and leaned on its two stalwarts, Bri Heller and Sheeler, who delivered.
On the very first possession of the fourth, Steeler stole the ball from the NC player taking it up the court, went down and scored a layup. It set the tone for a six-point quarter for Sheeler, who finished with a double-double of 27 points and 10 steals. She also scored her 1,000th career point, which elicited an ear-shattering cheer from a well-populated Otto-Eldred crowd.
“If she would’ve gotten that 1,000 and we would’ve lost, it would’ve been heartbreaking,” Gray said. “We were trying to get it at home, it just didn’t work out that way. But to get it in a playoff game, that’s gonna be something she, her teammates and myself, the coaches, will never forget.
“She is, if not our best defender, one or two. She’s got a motor… never quits. When she has the ball in her hands I’m a confident coach and we’re a confident team.”
Heller had six points, but made an irreplaceable impact with 15 rebounds. There were at least two NC players taller than her, on the floor, almost the entire game. But she attacked the rim relentlessly and forced multiple NC turnovers, by contesting boards and having the ball go off of NC players.
“That’s Bri Heller, that’s the epitome of Bri Heller,” Gray said. “She plays her tail off every single night. She’s, if not our hardest worker, right up there. Doesn’t matter if she’s undersized or not, she goes after everything.”
Two excellent players can make all the difference in a basketball game, but O-E’s depth was on full display. Merry finished with 18 points, two assists, three boards and two steals.
Brooke Close hit just one shot, but it was as clutch a triple as there was, extending O-E’s lead back to six when NC was threatening in the fourth quarter, and also dished out four assists.
“I’ve got confidence in all of my players,” said Gray. “We tried to get the bench expanded during the season… I think it paid off today. Just being able to steal a few minutes here and there is big. Getting (Heller) a breather here and there… Being able to go seven deep is a nice feeling.”
The next roadtrip for O-E will be much farther than Kane, and it remains to be seen how well its fans will travel. But for one more game, at least, the O-E faithful filled up the bleachers and made their presence heard.
“This is it,” said a visibly touched Gray, holding back tears. “It makes me well up. I graduated from Otto-Eldred and to see this, it’s just amazing. And the support we get, it’s unbelievable, I can’t say enough about the people of our community coming out to support us… I love ‘em.”
O-E will face Elk County Catholic in the D9 Class A championship game on Saturday.
McFarland 4 4-6 13, Lutzy 6 0-0 12, Siegel 4 3-7 11, Kriebel 2 1-3 7, Green 2 1-2 6, Aites 0 2-2 2, Bauer 1 0-0 2. Totals:
Otto-Eldred (60)Sheeler 10 2-3 27, Merry 6 2-4 18, Heller 1 4-6 6, Close 1 0-0 3, Drummond 0 2-2 2, Rhinehart 0 2-2 2, Gordon 1 0-0 2. Totals:
Three-point goals: NC 4 (Kriebel 2, McFarland, Green), OE 10 (Sheeler 5, Merry 4, Close); Total fouls: NC 16, OE 16; fouled out: Rhinehart (O-E)
