DUKE CENTER — Allison Cousins took the game’s first possession down the court and banked in a jumper off the glass.
The Lady Terrors never looked back from there, as Otto-Eldred dominated Sheffield 57-11 Friday night in the first round of the Randy Stebbins Memorial Holiday Tournament.
The Lady Terrors, who scored just 37 points against Bradford on Tuesday, had 26 in the first quarter, and held a 38-2 halftime lead over the Lady Wolverines.
It was clicking on all cylinders for O-E, as their hot shooting translated into some dominating defense. The Terrors lived up to their name, forcing double-digit turnovers in both halves and allowing Sheffield to make only five shots from the field. During one particular run stretching from the middle of the third quarter to the beginning of the third, Otto-Eldred was on a 46-2 run, and had scored 38 unanswered points.
“We talked before the game about how we had to make a statement and play our game,” Otto-Eldred head coach Barb Close said. “We’ve been trying to find the fluidity with our team and working in those new players. Getting chemistry with the new personnel on the floor and we looked a lot better with that tonight.”
The Lady Terrors were paced by senior center Camryn Thomas. Thomas picked up a double-double with her work on the boards, and led all scorers with 14 points. Her game carried over to the defensive end, as well, with Thomas picking up two blocks. Her coach, however, has been even more impressed with the senior’s leadership so far on this young season.
“Camryn is a big presence,” Close said. “She’s a big team leader and she is a very good role model for our younger kids. She does a great job of teaching them what Lady Terror basketball is all about.”
One of those younger contributors for O-E is Kayley Heller. The freshman played good minutes in the second half, and rewarded her coach by coming down with nine rebounds.
In addition to Thomas and Heller, O-E got another strong game from senior point guard Allison Cousins. She had 12 points and limited Sheffield’s biggest threat — Destiny Wynn — to just six points on the other end, in addition to picking up three steals.
On the other bench, Sheffield has now dropped its first three games of the season. After two close games to start the 2017-18 campaign, the Lady Wolverines will look to get back on track against Oswayo Valley on Saturday.
As for O-E, with the win against Sheffield, they advance to the tournament championship game against Portville on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Lady Terrors remain undefeated, and their hot start on the year has been led by the defense. Through three games this season, the Terrors have only allowed 56 points. Although it’s only mid-December, Close is using these early non-league games to mold her team for those critical games down the stretch. For her team, it comes down to some solid, fundamental defense.
“We just play really tough man-to-man defense,” Close said. “We drill that everyday. We have other defenses that we use, but I just really think if you’re going to be the type of team that you want to be when you get to the playoffs you need to be able to play man-to-man defense. That’s our focus.”
AT DUKE CENTER
Sheffield (11)
Destiny Wynn 3 0-0 6, Ashley Frederick 2 0-0 4, Marissa Grubs 0 1-2 1, Mya Grubbs 0 0-2 0. Totals: 5 1-4 11
Otto-Eldred (57)
Camryn Thomas 6 2-3 14, Allison Cousins 6 0-0 12, Greeley 4 0-0 8, Emily Smith 2 2-2 7, Kayley Heller 2 0-1 4, Lauren Cousins 1 0-0 3, Haley Frederick 1 1-2 3, Jadelynn Spinney 1 2-3 3, Autumn Smith 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 17-23 54
Sheffield 2 2 4 11
O-E 26 38 50 57
Three-point goals: O-E 2 (L. Cousins 1, E. Smith 1), Sheffield 0; Total fouls: O-E 9, Sheffield 9; fouled out: none
