DURHAM — Even though the Oyster River High School boys basketball team entered this week’s three-game home stand on a five-game winning streak and atop the Division II standings, the Bobcats knew it’d be a challenge to hold that position.
Pelham emphatically removed the Bobcats off their perch on Friday night.
The Pythons jumped out to an early 10-point lead and point guard Derek Crowley carved through Oyster River's defense with 22 points in a 73-45 victory over the Bobcats.
“They played real well. They’re quick, fast and athletic and they were pumped up to play us,” Oyster River coach Lorne Lucas said. “We didn’t have a great game and they caused it. They played great defense, ran the floor and spaced it out real well.
"So … it’s back to work.”
Oyster River (8-3) was coming off Tuesday’s 57-55 loss to Timberlane and Thursday’s 58-53 victory over Windham. The Bobcats are now tied for third with Pembroke (8-3) in the Division II standings behind Hollis-Brookline (7-2) and Merrimack Valley (9-3).
“We missed a lot of layups in the first half and we struggled defensively at moments,” Oyster River sophomore Joe Morrell said. “It was tough; we played three games in four days. Tuesday was a disappointment because we were up most of the game; (on Thursday) we were able to finish. I think we learned a lot from today. We struggled to keep our intensity, and that’s what we’re going to need come playoffs.”
Kyle Landrigan began the game with a 3-pointer for Oyster River, but Pelham (7-3) ripped off the next 13 points. Crowley’s 3-pointer midway through the first quarter was followed by a drive by Drew Brown (17 points) and a converted steal by Devyn Tucci that gave Pelham a 13-3 lead with 2:30 left in the quarter.
Morrell (11 points) ended Oyster River’s five-minute scoring drought and Brennen Oxford followed with a hoop, but Brown capped off the first quarter with a 3-pointer to give Pelham a 16-7 lead.
The Pythons opened it up in the second quarter, countering a Morrell bucket with an 11-0 run sparked by 3-pointers by Crowley and Cam Loring. Crowley added a transition hoop and Tucci’s three gave Pelham a 27-11 lead with 1:50 left in the second quarter.
“We have our ups and downs as a team, but we think of ourselves as one of the top teams in the division,” Pelham coach Michael Larson said. “We knew they were a good team, athletic, and liked to run up and down the floor. We thought we had the personnel to match them and we felt like we had a good game plan and we executed it."
Oyster River trailed 31-14 at halftime after shooting 6 of 24 (25 percent) from the floor. Pelham outscored the Bobcats 15-9 in the third quarter to take a 46-23 lead into the fourth.
“We couldn’t get in sync at all; not even a little bit,” Lucas said. “Everything we did, defensively and offensively ... just taking the ball out of bounds we threw it right at them a couple of times. All you can do try to put it behind you, get some rest and get back to work in practice on Sunday.”
Oyster River’s best stretch of the night was a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. Cam Thibodeau (14 points) sank four 3-pointers in Oyster River’s 22-point fourth.
“We’ve got to get more mentally tough,” Lucas said. “I was the most proud of them in the fourth quarter. They had more energy and were all over the place. I said to them between the third and fourth, ‘We’re not going to come back from this, but right now you’ve got to show some pride.’ They went out and played hard and that’s all I could ask them to do.”
Oyster River visits Kennett (6-4) on Tuesday. The Eagles have won six straight following last month’s 62-57 loss to the Bobcats.
“Our coaches are getting us open looks," Morrell said. "It’s just mental toughness and finishing when we need to."
PYTHONS 73, BOBCATS 45
PELHAM (73)
Mercer 3-0-6, Brown 7-2-17, Andrews 5-1-11, Crowley 6-8-22, Tucci 2-3-8, Loring 3-0-7, Drover 1-0-2, Kirane 0-0-0. Totals: 27-14-73.
OYSTER RIVER (45)
Morrell 4-3-11, Oxford 2-0-4, Lewis 1-0-2, Thibodeau 5-0-14, Landrigan 3-2-9, McKenna 2-0-5, Judge 0-0-0. Totals: 17-5-45.
Pelham 16 15 15 27—73
Oyster River 7 7 9 22—45
3-Point Goals—Pelham 5 (Crowley 2, Tucci, Loring, Brown); Oyster River 6 (Thibodeau 4, McKenna, Landrigan).