Tigers knocks off Newton
60-52 to win LIC Tourney
Consolation Championship
The Olney Tigers would
go to battle with the Newton
Eagles for the first
time this season.
The Tigers (9-12 overall,
3-2 LIC) would battle
Newton (15-5 overall, 3-1
LIC) for the Little Illini
Conference Tournament
Consolation Championship.
Newton was entering
the contest on the back of
a cluth single point victory
over Lawrenceville (62-
61) to advance to this
game. Olney was playing
well on the strength of
back-to-back double figure
wins over Paris (74-
38) and the host Red Hill
Salukis (56-39).
Zach Jansen for Newton
go the game started with a
shot inside off a bad Eagles
pass that was scooped
up for a score.
Olney would struggle
shooting the ball in the
first half but would find
enough offense from a
group of Tigers and rely
on their defense to try and
make a statement.
Dakotah Brown was an
early factor for the Tiger
offense as he buried a
three pointer to give Olney
the lead at 5:59 to
play in the first period.
“Dakotah pitched in
with 11 and kind of got us
off early,” Olney head
coach Rob Flanagan said
about the junior guards
solid game on the day.
Brown had 11 points, seven
rebounds, four assists,
and three steals.
Olney would get a turnaround
jumper from Sutton
Dunn and Brent Hatten
got loose for a triple to
power the Tigers into a 7-
0 run and a lead of 7-2
with 4:20 to play in the
first.
Newton would battle
back as Zach Jansen and
Collin Harris sliced inside
for a pair of two pointers
cutting the Tiger lead to
one.
Leading 7-6, Olney
would close the final 2:52
seconds of the first frame
of basketball on a 7-2 run,
fueld by Brown and Hatten.
Brown dashed towards
the rim for a two point
hoop starting the run.
Hatten, again, found
space from the perimeter
for a long distance bomb
and Brown got open from
just inside the arc to bury
a jumper to give Olney a
14-8 lead heading into the
second period.
The improving Tiger defense
helped to stifle the
Eagle offense in the first
half of play while the
Tigers tried to overcome a
tough shooting half.
The Tigers had a difficult
time putting the ball
in the basket with consistency
over the first 16
minutes of play.
“We didn’t hit some
shots in the first half,”
Flanagan said. “We had
guys step in and pick us
up.”Newotnwould cut the
six point lead down to two
starting the second frame
fo action as big man
Nicholas Cohorst tried to
make his presence felt.
The Tigers were holding
Newton at arms length on
the strength of a defense
that was forcing Newton
into a tough shooting
night as well. Olney
would convert just three
points over the first five
minutes and five seconds
of the second quarter, but
held the lead due to the
defense.
“I thought we did a good
job handling some of the
stuff they do,” said Flanagan
about the Tigers defense
making the defensive
gameplan stick while
getting good looks on the
offensive end as well. “I
was proud of the way we
handled it. I thought we
were prepared.”
Two players stood out in
the first half as players
that were prepared to go
and stepped up. Big man
Braden Adams and guardforward
Reid Doll.
Adams gave the Tigers a
lift when forwards Dunn
and Kaleb Foster were
saddled with foul trouble.
The six-foot-five forward
battle the bigs for Newton
and kept them off balance
in the second frame.
After newton battled to
within two, 19-17, with
just under a minute to
play in the half, Reid Doll
made his presence known
by getting space for a
three pointer to extend
the Olney lead to five with
30 seconds left in the first
half.
“I thought we played
better against the zone
tonight than we did
against Flora,” Flanagan
said about the Tigers work
against the Newton zone.
That execution allowed
Doll the space from deep.
Olney would go on a 5-1
run to close the half as
Brent Hatten knocked
down a shot at the buzzer
to send the game into the
break with an Olney lead,
24-18.
The Tigers and Eagles
traded blows to start the
second half with neither
team creating space or
cutting into the gap.
Olney kept around a five
point lead while Newton
was trying to draw the
game closer.
Brent Hatten began to
catch fire from the field
for the Tigers as the lefthanded
junior would ignite
the Tigers offense to
close out a highly contested
third period.
Hatten and Cohorst
each traded two point
hoops before Hatten
knocked down a triple giving
Olney a nine point
lead.
Cohorst answered with
a shot from the blocks to
cut the lead by to seven
with 1:57 to play in the
third frame.
Hatten would knock
down another jumper before
Ben Carr would commit
a flagrant foul on Connor
Zuber who picked the
senior guards pocket and
was grabbed to prevent a
layin.
Olney’s Braden Flanagan
would provide a spark
following as he converted
one steal into a lay up and
knocked the ball loose the
next possession and converted
another shot inside.
The Tigers closed
the third out with a burst
of offense and leading the
Eagles 44-32.
“I thought Connor Zuber
made some big plays.
He attacked,” Flanagan
said of the solid play of the
senior. “The flurry at the
end of the third from
Braden was big. Couple of
steals and you look up and
it is 12.”
Newton would not go
away and that was of no
surprise to the Tiger head
man.
“We knew there would
be no quit in Newton,”
said Flanagan. “We have
to continue to strive to get
a killer instinct.”
newotn would chip
away at the Tiger lead and
with just under one
minute remaining,
Nicholas Cohorst would
throw down a two handed
dunk off a missed Jack
Chapman layup to cut the
Olney lead down to 54-50.
Both Braden Flanagan
and Dakotah Brown
missed the first of oneand-
one free throws allowing
the Eagles to trim
the gap to four, then two
after Chapman rattled
home a shot with 43 seconds
left.
“I felt good about all the
people we had at the line,”
Flanagan said about the
shooters at the line at the
end of the game. “Braden
missed the front end. I
would put him there every
time. Dakotah missed the
front end and then came
back, gutted up, and hit
two. Brent hit two.”
Brown’s two made shots
follwed Chapman’s layin
and after Chapman could
not convert, Cohorst
fouled Hatten who
knocked in two more.
Olney would take a 58-
52 lead with 25 seconds
left and force another
miss by the Eagles.
Junior Brent Hatten
would seal the deal with a
pair of free tosses to give
Olney their 10th win, 60-
52 over Newton.
“I am very happy we
won. I have a ton of respect
for Doug (Mammoser),”
Flanagan said
about being able to defeat
the Eagles. “They are
good players, they are a
good team.”
Olney was able to do
enough to hold off the Eagles
to pick up the win
and improve to 10-12 on
the season.
“The fly pattern by
Braden Adams and the
three from Reid Doll,”
Flanagan reflected on two
plays that stood out of
guys that provided a much
needed lift. “That is a
heck of a team win for us.”
Following the win,
coach Flanagan noted that
Olney would take a day to
get rested up before returning
to the grind of the
end of the season.
“We have been in the
gym everday since January
15th,” Flanagan remarked.
“I give my kids a
lot of credit.”
OLNEY STATS
Points: Brent Hatten -
22, Dakotah Brown - 11,
Braden Flanagan - 8, Sutton
Dunn - 6, Connor Zuber
- 5, Reid Doll - 3,
Kaleb Foster - 3, Braden
Adams - 2.
Rebounds: Dakotah
Brown - 7, Connor Zuber -
5, Brent Hatten - 5, Kaleb
Foster - 3, Braden Flanagan
- 1, Braden Adams - 1.
Assists: Dakotah Brown
- 4, Connor Zuber - 2,
Braden Adams - 2, Braden
Flanagan - 1, Kaleb Foster
- 1, Sutton Dunn - 1.
Blocks: Brent Hatten -
2.
Steals: Dakotah Brown -
3, Kaleb Foster - 3,
Braden Flanagan - 2, Sutton
Dunn - 2, Braden
Adams - 2, Connor Zuber
- 1. NEWTON STATS
Points: Nicholas Cohorst
- 17, Zach Jansen -
11, Collin Harris - 10, Jack
Chapman - 7, Ben Carr - 7.
Rebounds: Nicholas Cohorst
- 13, Zach Jansen -
9, Jack Chapman - 5,
Collin Harris - 3, Ben Carr
- 2.Assists: Ben Carr - 2,
Nicholas Cohorst - 2, Jack
Chapman - 1, Justin Zumbahlen
- 1.
Steals: Ben Carr - 1,
Nicholas Cohorst - 1, Zach
Jansen - 1.
UP NEXT
The Olney Tigers will
return to historic Ron
Herrin Gymnasium for
non-conference matchup
against the Grayville Bison.
The junior varsity tip off
for the home game for the
Tigers is scheduled for a
6:15 start time.