Scoring 42 points in a district playoff game usually isn’t enough to get you a victory. But with the way the Johnsonburg boys played defense on Friday night, they would’ve gotten away with 32.
The Rams completely shut down Otto-Eldred in last night’s D-9 Class A Quarterfinal game en route to a 42-30 victory.
Despite not having anyone score more than 11 points, Johnsonburg was able to get enough baskets, many of them off of turnovers, to earn the win as well as a spot in the state tournament.
Otto coach Dan Dalton was left frustrated but gave credit where credit was due.
“First and foremost, they’re a good basketball team,” Dalton said of Johnsonburg. “They definitely have mastered that 3-2 zone. We had a tough time getting anything out of it. We tried to work the ball inside, they like to pinch the middle, and we just couldn’t get anything moving.”
It was a struggle for both offenses in the early going, as the game was scoreless for nearly three minutes. The Terrors were eventually able to hit a few one-handed floaters, while the Rams got a balanced output, with 10 first-quarter points coming from five different players.
The action picked up a bit in the second quarter. Otto’s Sawyer Drummond, who finished with a game-high 16 points, converted a pair of and-one baskets underneath the rim.
“He’s tough,” Jburg coach Bill Shuey said of Drummond. “He crashes hard and we were lucky to keep him at bay on the offensive glass.”
Eventually, though, Johnsonburg’s defense began to clamp down and started forcing turnovers. The Rams were then able to get out in open space and finish some easy fast break layups.
“We got those easy buckets and then they started to believe in themselves and you could see that the momentum was on our side,” Shuey said.
Johnsonburg went into the half with a 20-16 lead that felt larger than it looked. Eventually, it would be.
The Terrors’ ball security issues continued into the second half, with too many sloppy passes finding their way into the hands of a Johnsonburg defender.
Even when Otto was getting open looks, the ball wasn’t finding its way into the hole, a problem that was exacerbated by the lack of offensive rebounds.
On the other end, the Rams executed on several nice pick-and-roll plays to build their advantage.
Johnsonburg ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 34-22 lead into the fourth.
After holding the Terrors scoreless for the last few minutes of the third, the Rams continued that scoreless streak until late in the fourth. It wasn’t until a 3-pointer by Cole Sebastian with 1:38 left in the game that Otto finally made a change to their total on the scoreboard.
“I think our ball movement wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be tonight and I think that was a key factor in it all,” Dalton said.
Johnsonburg, meanwhile, kept coming up with fast break points, with Austin Green (11 points) and Kacey Raubenstrauch (nine) leading the way in that regard.
“In the second half we knew that we had to step the defense up, which was going to complement the offense,” Shuey explained. “We got some steals, got some turnovers, but more importantly we kept them off the boards.”
The Terrors made a few more buckets late to close the gap a bit, but it was all too little too late.
“I didn’t think we played as well as we should have tonight for the first round of the D-9 playoffs,” Dalton said.
Johnsonburg will face top-seeded North Clarion in the district semifinals at a place and time to be determined.
Johnsonburg and O-E met in last year’s D-9 Semifinals, a game that had a lot more drama than last night’s contest, when Johnsonburg earned a 51-50 victory.
While the Rams would eventually fall to Elk County Catholic in the district title game, they went on to win their first PIAA contest over Jamestown.
Shuey’s squad looks primed to make a similar run this year.
“They’re starting to feel good about playing as a unit,” Shuey said of his players. “They’re being very complementary of each other; it seems like they’re playing the game for each other and not for themselves.”
AT BRADFORD
Otto-Eldred (30)
Sawyer Drummond 5 6-7 16, Close 2 0-0 4, Sebastian 2 0-0 5, Sherwood 2 0-0 5, Sheeler 0 0-0 0, Dalton 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 6-7 30
Johnsonburg (42)
Schloder 1 4-4 6, Austin Green 4 2-2 11, Raubenstrauch 4 1-2 9, Lobaugh 1 0-0 2, Singer 2 0-0 4, Freeburg 4 0-0 8, Bliss 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 7-8 42
O-E 6 16 22 30
Jburg 10 20 34 42
Three-point goals: O-E 2 (Sebastian 1, Sherwood 2), Jburg 1 (Green); Total fouls: O-E 11, Jburg 11; fouled out: none
