Upset: OHS over Oliver Springs
Playing in front of a rowdy home crowd on senior night at OHS Gymnasium, Oneida put together one of its best games of the season to knock off previously unbeaten district leader Oliver Springs 56-43 on Friday.
Playing against what is easily the biggest, if not the most talented, front court in District 4-A, Oneida made a statement by attacking the lane early and often. Koty Duncan played particularly well, scoring a team-high 14 points. Jonathan Lewallen and Cody Carson each added 13 for the Indians, while Dylan West scored eight and Chuck Jeffers added five.
The Indians (12-13, 7-3) battled the Bobcats evenly through much of the first half, then began to pull away late in the second quarter.
Oliver Springs (20-7, 9-1) grabbed the lead at 13-12 on a Wesley Rather 3-point shot with 3:13 remaining before the intermission. Rather finished with a game-high 20, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Duncan would score on the next trip down court for Oneida, and the Indians never trailed again, finishing the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 21-13 lead to the intermission.
It was a mostly defensive struggle much of the way, with Oliver Springs shooting just 19 of 59 from the field, while the Indians shot 14 of 32.
Oneida extended the lead to 32-17 midway through the fourth quarter, then withstood a fourth quarter rally by the Bobcats, who clawed to within seven (39-32) with just under four minutes remaining, but could get no closer. The Indians made enough free throws down the stretch — connecting on 18 of 25 in the fourth quarter — to preserve the lead.
While the game’s outcome did not change the district standings as the regular season ends — Oliver Springs is #1 and Oneida #3, the Indians established themselves as a legitimate contender in the district tournament, which begins tonight.
Oneida ended the regular season by winning six of the final eight games.
In a major change, each of the District 4-A tournament games will be played at the higher-seeded school. Oneida will host #6 Oakdale tonight (Thursday) at OHS Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The winner will travel to #2 Wartburg on Saturday for a 7 p.m. start. The championship game is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The consolation game will be at 6 p.m. that evening.