SCIOTO'S SPURTS LEAD TO 73-59 WIN AT OLENTANGY

Scioto’s spurts lead to 73-59 win at Olentangy.

In a hotly contested OCC Cardinal Division opener the Irish varsity put together a 7-0 spurt in a little over a minute spanning the third and fourth quarters that led to a 73-59 win in a hotly contested game at Olentangy.

After a slow-paced first few minutes, the teams traded runs with one another the rest of the night.

The Irish were able to establish a 17-8 lead late in the first quarter, but the Braves quickly cut in to the lead and kept the point spread within a single possession for most of the second quarter. The Braves’ sizeable front court - featuring a rotation of 6-4, 6-4 and 6-7 players - led to early foul trouble for Scioto’s post players.

bradley McDougald showed his versatility by hitting outside shots and driving to the basket and the Irish were able to build a 33-25 lead at the break. Jamare Mills hit five of six free throws in the first half.

An 11-1 run to start the third quarter helped stake the Irish to a 44-26 lead and a Braves timeout with 4:03 to go. They lead extended to 49-29, but Olentangy went on an 11-0 run over three minutes.

The score was 49-40 and the third quarter clock was winding down when Mills dropped a pass from the low block to an open Marco St. John who calmly hit an open baseline jumper.

This bucket ended the quarter and started the 7-0 run. David McKinley opened the fourth quarter scoring with a 21 foot trey on the right wing. On the next Braves possession, he stole the ball and fed Rainer Duzan for a lay-up and a 56-40 lead. Olentangy hit enough shots to keep things interesting but were never able to get the game close enough to make run that could put them over the top.

Neither team had a great shooting night from the field. The Irish combined a ball hawking defense - they had 12 steals and caused 19 Olentangy turnovers - and a solid night at the free throw line (20-25 as a team) to earn the victory.

Three Irish players scored in double figures - McDougald (19), . Duzan (17) and McKinley (11). Starters Eric Stamets and Tyler Harrell had 4 and 2 points, respectively.

Bench scoring played a role in the outcome as the Irish had a 20-7 advantage. This included Mills (9), Deji Olatoye (6 and a team high 8 rebounds) and St. John (5).

Mitchell Girberd scored a game high 22 points for Olentangy and Alex Tracy added 10 points.