Osceola vs. Rich Hill
A new week of basketball started out on a good note as the Tigers hosted their conference rivals the Osceola Indians on Tuesday night. The Tigers came into the game with a win on Saturday night and that same night the Indians had won the Championship against Appleton City in overtime. These two teams had met earlier in the year in the WEMO Tournament with Osceola winning that game by a score of 49-53. This would be a three game night starting with the Junior Varsity boys.
At times this year the JV had played solid ball but had some let downs that cost them close games. This night would be different as the team came ready to play even though it was only two quarters. The Tigers got off to a quick start offensively by pushing the ball down the floor and running it effectively against their opponents. Defensively the Tigers struggled against Osceola’s inside game and after one quarter Rich Hill held a 13-12 lead. The second quarter the Tigers adjusted the defense shutting down the Indians inside game and the offense was able to pull away to win the game 22-14. It was a nice win for the JV on this night. Scoring for the Tigers was Brayden Chandler with 8 points followed by Daylan Black 7, Parker Collins 6, and Garren Steuck 1.
The final game of the night saw the Tiger varsity spring into action. It was obvious from the start that this game was going to be a nip and tuck game all night long. With both teams giving their best, both fan bases would enjoy the effort from their teams. In the first quarter both offenses traded baskets and both defenses played well, after one quarter the Tigers led 11-10. In the second quarter the teams seemed to play a carbon copy of the earlier frame but Rich Hill continually attacked the basket and saw Osceola getting into foul trouble. The Tigers could only convert 7/12 from the line and were able to only increase their lead slightly to lead at the half, 23-21. The third quarter again both teams played it close and neither team could really create a spread but Osceola was able to pull even by the end of the third and the score was tied 35-35. The final quarter continued as the previous three quarters with neither team able to pull away. The Tigers took advantage of the Indians who had several players in deep foul trouble but Rich Hill was still having trouble converting at the charity stripe. Towards the end of the fourth the Tigers hit a couple of important treys allowing them to take the lead and after that Osceola fouling to try and regain the possession of the ball. The Tigers were able to hit enough at the line to come away with a victory of 53-45. Coach Moles commented after the game that on this night the Tigers rebounding proved to be the difference as Rich Hill out rebounded Osceola 44-19. The Tigers improved their season record to 6-8 and 1-1 in the WEMO Conference. Their next game will be Friday night against another conference foe, Adrian at Adrian.
The Tigers placed nine players in the scoring column for the night, truly making this a team effort. Leading Rich Hill in scoring was Clifton Bridgewater with 13, Magal Chol-Case 9, Lucas Harwood-Blake Laning-Daniel Bridgewater all with 6, Brayden Chandler 5, Bryce Yohe 4 and Adrien King-Daylan Black with 2 each. Magal Chol-Case led the rebounding with 11. The Tiger had 15 turnovers and were 17/33 from the free-throw line