Flanagan nets 25 as Tigers win
LIC bout at Marshall 73-52
The Olney Tigers were
looking to accomplish
something no team has
done since joining the Little
Illini Conference, wn at
Marshall.
Olney (6-9 overall, 2-1
LIC) would face off against
the host Lions (9-6 overal,
2-0 LIC) in a game hosting
big conference implications.
The Lions had yet to be
defeated in the league
while the Tigers were looking
to remain a threat to
win the conference after
suffering a tough overtime
loss earlier in the year with
Robinson.
Five players would end
up scoring double digits
for the Tigers and it all
started with how Olney
prepared for the contest.
“I attribute this win to
having three or four really
good practices after
Christmas,” Olney head
coach Rob Flanagan said
about the preperation
leading up to the battle between
the cats.
Olney jumped out early
behind hot shooting from
senior Connor Zuber and
freshman Braden Flanagan.
Zuber sliced down the
left side of the lane and
glided through the air to
bank home the first shot of
the game.
After a defensive stop by
the Tigers, Flanagan
would knock down the
first of his three triples on
the night.
Zuber would cap off an
8-0 run to start the game
for Olney with a three
pointer of his own jumping
the Tigers on top of the
Lions with 6:22 to play in
the period.
“We talked about getting
off to a good start. I
thought we got off the bus
ready to play and I hope
we learn from that,” Coach
Rob Flanagan said about
the hot start. “Connor and
Braden really got us off
early.”
Marshall would stop the
bleeding a bit as six-footseven
sophomore Jesse
Burdick would knock in a
shot inside to give Marshall
their first points of
the game.
Olney would respond as
the freshman Flanagan
would drain his second
triple of the quarter and
junior Dakotah Brown
would follow that up by
getting a shot inside to fall.
Zuber would hit his second
three of the quarter
and push the Tiger lead up
to 16-4 with three minutes
to play in the first.
Marshall would come
back and trim the gap as
Wade Tharp hit a leaner
and Isaac Wood would hit
a buzzer beater from just
inside half court to trim
the Tiger lead to four
heading into the second.
As the Lions began their
comeback, the Marshall
fans began to make their
presence felt.
“Really good atmosphere
and they always have nice
crowds here,” Flanagan
said about playin in Marshall.
The Lions fans
make the Lions hard to
beat on their home floor,
and Flanagan was pleased
with the way his team responded.
“I thought we
handled that.”
Marshall trimmed the
gap to two before Braden
Flanagan again hit a three
to give Olney some space.
Marshall would not go
away and the Lions battle
back to claim their first
lead of the game at 37-25
after Jesse Burdick got a
shot in the paint with 2:53
left in the half.
Sutton Dunn would
knock down a three to return
the Tiger lead just
seconds later and both
sides would exchange the
lead a few more times
down the stretch of the
first half.
Kaleb Foster and Dakotah
Brown would give Olney
the lead on three consecutive
baskets before
Burdick ended the half
with another shot in close
sending the game into the
break with the Tigers on
top 35-32.
Brent Hatten was stifled
in the first half due to
some very good Lion defense
and the Tigers were
ready for that.
“I think the big key to us
was they were face guarding
Brent, which we knew
was coming. Our other
guys did a really good job,”
Flanagan said about the
team able to handle their
leading scorer on the season
being shut down in the
first half. Flanagan knew
Hatten would have to be a
big factor in the second
half if Olney was going to
be able to pull out a victory.
“We didn’t scream and
yell, it was not that kind of
halftime. We did challenge
him to relax and let
the game come to him,
and to win the game with
his defense.”
The Tiger six-foot-three
junior accepted the challenge
of checking the Marshall
big man Jesse Burdick.
“Burdick is a load,”
Flanagan said about the
sophomore forward of the
Lions. Burdick ended with
14 points and four rebounds
on the night.
The second half started
out all positives for the Lions
who jumped out on a
9-2 run taking a 41-37 lead
with 6:11 to play in the
quarter.
Olney would call a timeout
and Coach Flanagan
would challenge his team
to respond to the way
Marshall began the half.
“I thought that was a
growth moment for us,”
Flanagan said about the
way his team handled the
challenge. “We responded.”
T
he Tigers would utilize
15-2 run to close the quarter
following the timeout.
Brent Hatten would get
fouled and hit a pair of
free tosses before Burdick
answered with a bucket of
his own.
Braden Flanagan and
Dunn would kickstart the
big part of the run with a
three and two point hoops
on consecutive possessions.
Hatten would then
break out and get a shot
inside and then back-toback
three pointers to end
the quarter strong for Olney.
Hatten scored all ten of
his points in the third in a
pivotal part of the game.
“Brent carried us in the
third,” Flanagan said about
his junior guard/forwards
performance on both the
offensive and defensive in
the third.
After Hatten’s second
consecutive three, the
Tigers ended the third
holding a 52-43 lead.
Braden Flanagan would
open the fourth pushing
Olney on top by 11 with a
pair of free throws, which
Flanagan hit all 10 of his
attempts in the game.
Marshall would then go
on a 7-0 run to trim the
gap to four and the game
was again hanging in the
balance.
“I thought we played a
really good floor game in
terms of handling the ball,”
Flanagan said about how
Olney handled Marshall
turning up pressure and
extending the defense to
the full-court.
Sutton Dunn would
knock down a triple which
was followed by Flanagan
getting a layin and Brown
drilling a three to answer
the Marshall 7-0 run with
an 8-0 version for the
Tigers.
Marshall was forced into
a timeout with 4:33 to play
in the game trying to find
answers.
Zuber gave Olney the
leap out of the timeout
getting a shot inside to fall.
Flanagan hit four
straight charity tosses and
Marshall began to extended
trapping pressure to the
full court.
Brown, Flanagan, and
Hatten executed the press
breaking defense to perfection
leading Dunn to
the get a basket at the rim.
“Sutton Dunn had a really
good fourth quarter,”
Flanagan said of the outburst
of the junior forward.
After Marshall cut the
gap to 54-50 with 6:20 to
play, the run that Olney
put together was 19-0 run
lasting for five minutes
and 25 seconds.
The Tigers would allow
only two points the remining
6:20 after the Downs
jumper cut the gap to four.
“We are certainly happy
to win here. The first time
we have won here since
being in the league,”
Flanagan said about the
Tigers win at Marshal.
“Something that I think is
a milestone in th eprogram.
It is nice to be the
first team to win here. I
am proud of them for
that.”
The Tigers placed five
players in double digits
during the 73-52 win at
Marshall.
Freshman Braden
Flanagan led all scores tying
a career high with 25
points. Sutton Dunn (13),
Dakotah Brown (11), Connor
Zuber (10), and Brent
Hatten (10) all had portions
where their offense
carried the Tigers.
“Really proud of our
guys,” Flanagan said about
getting the five players in
double digits and picking
up the impressive victoryat
Marshall.
In junior varsity action,
the Tigers were upended
by the Lions 51-37.
The Tigers could not
overcome an aggressive
Marshall JV squad and fell
to open up the nights action.
OLNEY STATS
Points: Braden Flanagan
- 25, Sutton Dunn - 13,
Dakotah Brown - 11, Connor
Zuber - 10, Brent Hatten
- 10, Kaleb Foster - 4.
Rebounds: Dakotah
Brown - 6, Brent Hatten -
5, Braden Flanagan - 4,
Kaleb Foster - 4, Connor
Zuber - 2, Sutton Dunn -
2.
Assists: Braden Flanagan
- 6, Dakotah Brown -
5, Connor Zuber - 4, Brent
Hatten - 2.
Blocks: Brent Hatten -
2.
Steals: Braden Flanagan
- 3, Dakotah Brown - 3,
Brent Hatten - 3, Connor
Zuber - 1, Kaleb Foster - 1.
MARSHALL STATS
Points: Jesse Burdick -
14, Wade Tharp - 10, Isaac
Wood - 10, Marcus Downs
- 6, Cole Boyer - 6, Jacob
Shaffner - 4, Ethan Harper
- 2. Rebounds: Cole Boyer -
6, Jesse Burdick - 5, Jadon
Wallace - 3, Jacob Shaffner
- 3, Wade Tharp - 2, Marcus
Downs - 2, Isaac Wood
- 2, Ethan Harper - 2.
Assists: Wade Tharp - 3,
Jadon Wallace - 3, Jesse
Burdick - 2, Isaac Wood -
2, Jacob Shaffner - 1.
Blocks: Marcus Downs -
1, Jesse Burdick - 1.
Steals: Jacob Shaffner -
1, Marcus Downs - 1, Jesse
Burdick - 1, Isaac Wood -
1.
JUNIOR VARSITY
SCORING
Olney: Chase Williams -
10, Braden Adams - 10,
Zach Duenas - 5, Reid Doll
- 4, Jaydon Aquino - 3,
Ethan Rodgers - 2.