Tigers power past struggling
Grayville, 84-12.
The Olney Tigers returned
home after a grueling
week at Red Hill in the
Little Illini Conference
Tournament.
Olney finished up the LIC
tournament on a three
game win streak with wins
over Paris, Red Hill, and
Newton.
The Tigers (10-12) welcomed
the Grayville Bison
(2-11) into Ron Herrin Gym
for a non-conference affair
to kickstart the home
stretch of the 2017-2018
season.
The visiting Bison featured
a younger team that
followed the heels of a good
senior lead team from a year
ago.
In the first quarter, Olney
established their will early
jumping ahead quickly on
the first possession of the
game.
Junior Brent Hatten
found a cutting freshman
Braden Flanagan on a cut to
the rim for a layin from the
right side to jump ahead 2-
0.
The Tigers would smother
the Grayville offense who
had a difficult time putting
the ball through the net on
the night which allowed the
Tigers to go on a big run
early in the game.
The Tigers would push
the lead ahead to 22-0 in
the first quarter following
several Grayville turnovers
against the Olney pressure
defense.
The Tigers took advantage
with Dakotah Brown
and Braden Flanagan accounting
for the first eight
points of the game.
Sutton Dunn and Brent
Hatten then continued the
run with shots in the paint
to extend the first period
lead.
After consecutive baskets
from Brown, Dunn, and
Hatten, Connor Zuber kickstarted
his offense with a
shot inside off a hard drive
to the rim.
The Zuber bucket powered
Olney ahead 20-0 with
3:15 to play in the first.
Brown capped off the
scoreless streak with a right
wing jumper extended the
lead to 22.
Brenden Cherry broke
free of the Tiger defense and
rattled home a runner to
give Grayville their first
points of the game with 1:05
to play in the first.
Kaleb Foster split a pair of
free throws and Brown
knocked down another two
pointer to send Olney to the
second quarter with a 25-2
advantage.
“The thing we talked a lot
about tonight was keeping
your level of play high,” Olney
head coach Rob Flanagan
said his message was to
his team. The Tigers utilized
everyone on the roster
in the game and everyone
provided some positive play.
“We have got to keep working
everyday to get a little
bit better.”
Olney would utilize a different
tactic from the second
period on after starting
the game with some fullcourt
pressure.
Olney mixed in a different
group of players throughout
the half and a few different
half-court defensive looks.
“We played zone from basically
the second quarter
on,” said Flanagan about the
changed mindset from the
end of the first. “I told our
guys not to push it.”
The Tigers continued to
shoot the ball well throughout
the game, 36-61 on the
night for 59%.
During the second quarter,
the Tigers extended the
lead with baskets by Connor
Zuber and Sutton Dunn to
start the frame.
Braden Adams, six-footfive
forward, would give Olney
a big lift as the big man
converted on a power shot
through contact at the rim.
Adams has provided a
good lift over the last several
games, including a solid
night against Grayville.
Adams follwed up the
shot inside by finding Connor
Zuber for a three as part
of a four assist night for the
big man.
Olney would jump ahead
43-3 following the Zuber
shot from distance with the
good shooting performance
from the home team.
“I think the thing with
Grayville is that they are
young and they didn’t shoot
the ball well,” Flanagan said
about how the lead ballooned
in the game.
Grayville had some decent
looks that just didn’t fall
home.
Olney would close out the
first half with a 57-7 lead after
putting up 25-2 and 32-
5 quarters in the first half.
The Tiger bench continued
to see a lot of time in
the second half with the
starting unit seeing very
limited minutes, and some
not seeing the floor at all.
Braden Adams found a
couple of tough shots in the
lane as the forward received
a few looks on post ups in
the second half.
Kye Stallard found his
points in the game by getting
a look for three to fall as
the defensive minded senior
was able to get the ball to
fall through the net.
The Stallard basket would
cap off the Olney scoring in
third.
Brayden Hatcher would
knock down a triple with
1:28 to play in the third
which was the final play that
resulted in a basket in the
period.
Olney would take a 73-10
lead heading into the final
period of play.
The fourth quarter was
much of the same for Olney
as the Tigers emptied the
bench to get every player in
uniform into the ball game.
Grayville would finish off
their scoring with Cameron
Finch knocking down a
deep wing jumper with 3:22
to play in the game.
The Tigers would close
out the game as Felix Pajonk,
Bayar Sonomdagva,
and TQ Johnson finished
the game off with a seven
point streak over three minutes.
Olney picked up win #11
on the season by downing
Grayville, 84-12.
“I told them you can come
out of a win feeling bad.
You can be out-hustled or
out-competed. I thought
we did a good job with those
things,” Flanagan said about
how the Tigers were able to
continue solid play with
everyone on the floor. “I
thought we did what we had
to do.”
It was a nice win for Olney
who was able to get the
entire team on the floor after
a playing four games in
six nights the previous
week.
“Last week was a tiring
week,” Flanagan said about
the Little Illini Conference
Tournament.
Following the win, Olney
was able to continue a win
streak now up to four and
gain a little bit more momentum
heading into the final
streak of games.
“You get some confidence,”
said Flangan about
how a game like this helps
the team after the gauntlet
of games during the season
so far. “Our schedule hasn’t
really allowed any kind of
run like this.”
Olney will have to continue
this streak of good play,
especially defensively, to
close the year out strong
with five regular season
games remaining with majority
of those games taking
place on the road.
OLNEY STATS
Points: Connor Zuber -
19, Dakotah Brown - 17,
Braden Flanagan - 11, Sutton
Dunn - 8, Braden
Adams - 8, Brent Hatten - 6,
Bayer Sonomdagva - 3, Kye
Stallard - 3, Felix Pajonk - 2,
Wilson Conley - 2, Ethan
Dietrich - 2, TQ Johnson -
2, Kaleb Foster - 1.
Rebounds: Brent Hatten -
7, Connor Zuber - 6, Braden
Adams - 5, Braden Flanagan
- 4, Jaydon Aquino - 4,
TQ Johnson - 4, Dakotah
Brown - 2, Reid Doll - 2,
Kaleb Foster - 2, Sutton
Dunn - 2, Wilson Conley -
2, Bayar Sonomdagva - 1,
Kye Stallard - 1, Ethan Dietrich
- 1.
Assists: Braden Flanagan
- 5, Braden Adams - 4,
Dakotah Brown - 3, Kye
Stallard - 3, Connor Zuber -
3, Jaydon Aquino - 2, Kaleb
Foster - 2, TQ Johnson - 2,
Brent Hatten - 1, Reid Doll -
1.
Blocks: Kye Stallard - 1.
Steals: Dakotah Brown -
4, Brent Hatten - 4, Braden
Flanagan - 2, Kye Stallard -
1, Reid Doll - 1, Kaleb Foster
- 1. GRAYVILLE STATS
Points: Brenden Cherry -
4, Cole Neeley - 3, Brayden
Hatcher - 3, Cameron Finch
- 2. Rebounds: Levi Stockton
- 4, Lincoln Armstrong - 1,
Kenny Funkhouser - 1, Cole
Neeley - 1, Marcus Risley - 1.
Assists: Cole Neeley - 2,
Brenden Cherry - 1, Brayden
Hatcher - 1.
Blocks: Kenny
Funkhouser - 1.
Steals: Kameron Worley -
2, Brayden Hatcher - 2,
Brenden Cherry - 1.
JUNIOR VARSITY
In Junior Varsity action,
the Tigers completed the
sweep of Grayville with a
78-27 victory.
Olney had three players in
double figures en route to
the JV victory.
JUNIOR VARSITY
SCORING
Olney: Chase Williams -
26, Reid Doll - 19, Wilson
Conley - 10, Jaydon Aquino
- 7, Felix Pajonk - 7, Bayar
Sonomdagva - 7, Ethan Dietrich
- 2.
Grayville: Kamron Worley
- 10, Brenden Cherry - 8,
Bryce Koester - 4, Landon
Arthur - 3, Cameron Finch -
2.
UP NEXT
The Olney Tigers will return
to historic Ron Herrin
Gymnasium for a Little Illini
Conference matchup
with the Lawrenceville Indians.
“We have some tough
games coming up from here
on out,” Rob Flanagan said
about the upcoming scheduled
starting with
Lawrenceville on Friday.
The Tigers (11-12 overall,
3-2 LIC) will battle in conference
play against the Indians
(4-16 overall, 1-4 LIC).
“I think both teams will
be ready to play Friday
night, I know that we will
be,” Flanagan said. “Hopefully
we could have a really
good crowd here.”
The Tigers and Indians
are looking to close out their
year on a strong note with
each team trying to finish
the season on a high note.
Tip off from Ron Herrin
Gymnasium is scheduled
for a 6:15 pm junior varsity
start time.