SMETHPORT — When it rains, it pours and for the Smethport boys basketball team, there seemed to be a big blue-and-yellow storm cloud rolling in as they faced off against Otto-Eldred, losing 77-42 in a barrage of threes.

Right out of the gates, O-E seemed to be automatically in rhythm, nailing a 3-pointer just five seconds into the game. The Hubbers responded on their first possession, but soon found themselves in a shootout as the Terrors chose to score only by shooting from range. Driving and dishing, the ball found itself in the hands of Austin Cousins, who hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter alone and all consecutively.

“We just looked for good shots. We coach that if there’s a hand down, that’s a shot,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Derrick Francis. “We just looked for good shots and were super unselfish. At the end of the day its just fun to be so unselfish.”

While the Hubbers eventually cut the lead to just four points with 2:30 left, the Terrors once again showcased their firepower from deep, this time with Landon Francis and Manning Splain getting the greenlight. At the end of the first quarter, the Terrors had built up a 30-16 lead, all of their 30 points coming from 3-pointers.

Forced to close out and play a high zone defense to avoid another onslaught of threes, the Hubbers began giving up looks inside. O-E’s crisp passing and drives, as well as numerous offensive rebounds, opened up a new dimension of scoring for the team as they padded their lead.

On offense, the Hubbers seemed frantic. Facing a defense that smothered and trapped ballhandlers as well as denied entry into the paint, the Hubbers looked to score by using the pick-and-roll, as well as scanning for shooters on drives. However, nothing seemed to get the lid off the basket and they entered halftime down 53-25.

“Defensively, we threw everything we could at (O-E.) We started in 1-3-1, went man-to-man for a little bit, triangle-two, 2-3,” said Smethport head coach Tim Brosky. “We tried everything just to get hands in the face (of their shooters).”

If O-E won the first half with their offense, it was its defense that won the second half. A three-quarters-court press appeared in the first minutes, as well as a double-team up top against the Hubbers guards, a combination which resulted in several turnovers.

Facing this, the Hubbers first tried to find shots in the post, dishing it to their bigs. However, after being unable to get a good look for minutes at a time, the Hubbers then switched to off-ball screens with the hope of freeing up shooters. Regardless, the Terrors defense proved too much to handle in the third quarter, and the Hubbers only managed to tack on six points.

With the lead out of reach and a running clock in play, the Terrors subbed in their reserves to finish the game out. Despite getting some points from Keegan Watson, who knocked down two contested jump shots and earned three points off an and-one layup, the Hubbers too put in their reserves, accepting defeat as it came with the score of 77-42.

“We worked hard from beginning to end. I didn’t see anyone hanging their heads at any point in the game, even when the clock started running,” said Brosky. “We knew that guys were going to give everything that they had, that we could still work on our offense and that we could still have a productive game. It’s one of those games that you learn from and move forward as a team.”

Cousins’ seven 3-pointers gave him a team-high 25 points as he led the Terrors to their seventh North Tier League of the season. Alongside him was Landon Francis, who hit five 3-pointers and ended with 17 points, Manning Splain who finished with 13 points, and Brax Caldwell who scored 10 points in the win.

The Hubbers had two players end in double-digit points, with Keegan Watson leading his team with 16 points and Hayden Leet ending with 10.

“We don’t want to peak right now, we just want to keep getting better, and we are. We just want to play fast, clean basketball the right way,” said Derrick Francis. “We’re just grinding along.”

Cousins 8 2-2 25, Man. Splain 5 1-1 13, Francis 5 2-2 17, Caldwell 4 2-2 10, Max Splain 2 0-0 5, Thomas 2 1-1 5, Maholic 1 0-0 2. Totals:

Alfieri 3 0-0 7, Dunn 1 0-0 3, Watson 6 0-1 16, Leet 2 4-4 10, Cole 1 0-0 2, Rousnville 0 3-4 3, Sanderson 0 1-2 1. Totals:

Three-point goals: O-E 15 (Cousins 7, Francis 5, Man. Splain 2, Max Splain), Smethport 8 (Alfieri, Dunn, Watson 4, Leet 2); Total fouls: O-E 13, Smethport 7; fouled out:

JV: O-E won 40-25