ALMA PHOTO GALLERY
MANCHESTER PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team made it another clean sweep during its annual Smokey Ballenger Classic, this time besting Alma on day one before another double-digit victory against Manchester in Friday championship game.
The Cardinals, improving to a smooth 9-2 on the season, have no won nine-consecutive homes games against non-conference opponents and also run their current winning streak to a crisp six pack.
Senior
Dallas Patrick claimed Most Valuable Player honors at the even with a pair of double-doubles, while
Alex Hannah also landed on the All-Tournament Team after returning from a recent injury.
--------
ALMA RECAP (W 88-74):
The Cardinals trailed by two points in the early going and then never again, using a 13-3 run to open a sizeable lead (40-25) with just over four minutes left before halftime. Alma stopped the bleeding with a few points from Tyshaun Walker and eventually trailed by just nine at the break.
The Scots hung within striking distance to begin the second frame and only trailed by eight, 61-53, after a timely three-pointer just across the midway point. But Otterbein kicked into gear with yet another important 13-3 burst, this time blowing the contest open to an 18-point gap…
Alma continued fighting and closed to within 10 approaching the final minute, but would never threaten into single digits. The visitors shot just 34% on the night compared to an almost even 49% clip on the Otterbein side.
Dallas Patrick led the charge with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8 of 13 from the field across his 28 minutes of action.
Alex Hannah, back on the court after missing three full weeks, provided a valuable 13 and 9 off the bench.
Julian Heckman (13 points, game-high five assists) and post
Anthony Holmes (10 points) complemented the attack nicely throughout to help make up for a rare off night from leading scorer
Cam Evans.
Otterbein held a 33-11 edge in bench scoring and scored 46 points in the paint. Alma, receiving 20 points from Walker, went just 5 of 30 from long range.
---------
MANCHESTER RECAP (W 70-60):
Both sides jockeyed for early positioning through a rather slow start, encountering featuring ties at 13-13 and 15-15 before a three-pointer by former Cardinal Zach Sawyer kept the Spartans within one… 19-18.
Otterbein struck a 13-3 run from there behind multiple knockdown shots from both Evans and Hannah, resulting in a 32-21 advantage just two minutes later. Neither side would score for nearly a three-minute stretch and the Cards limped into halftime with a closer 32-24 edge.
The second half featured runs from both sides. Otterbein regained a double-digit lead (38-26) a few minutes in but a pesky visitor team hung tough and only trailed by three over the midway point of the frame.
The Cards held a narrow lead (57-53) heading into crunch time before two Patrick free throws, followed by a massive three-pointer from Hannah on the left win, helped create a nine-point cushion with exactly two minutes left. That was enough to get assistant coach
Matt Winters out the door on time to his wedding rehearsal dinner, as head coach
Andy Winters will put the finishing touches on his "best man" speech ahead of this weekend's festivities.
Evans delivered a bounce-back effort from Thursday's outing with a double-double, posting 24 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Patrick tallied 16 points and season-best 11 boards while going a perfect 8 for 8 at the charity stripe.
Hannah and Heckman both chipped in 11 for an Otterbein team that shot 41% from the field and 16 of 20 collectively at the line. Both teams struggled from behind the arc by going a combined 11 of 51.
Bryant Smith, also named to the All-Tournament Team, ripped off 23 points for Manchester (currently 4-0 in HCAC) while Sawyer had 18 in his return home to Central Ohio.
--------
UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will take in the New Year before resuming Ohio Athletic Conference play middle of next week, traveling to Ohio Northern come Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
