The Eagles top Sheldon

Kevin McCarthy
 

It was Sacramento versus San Jose Thursday night in the Oak Grove campus gymnasium and the home cooking was good for Coach Rich Young’s Eagles as they topped visiting Sheldon 64-55.

Tyree McCrary

Neither team was able to pull away immediately as the score went back and forth in the first quarter. Sheldon couldn’t match the athleticism of Oak Grove but started out in a press anyway and played very fundamental ball. Early on, OG’s Kelly Kaigler scored a couple of quick buckets, one a straight-on 15-footer and the other a driving layup. His teammate, 6-foot-7 Tyree McCrary nailed a pair of three-pointers and also had a dunk after stealing a pass. Oak Grove held a slim three-point advantage, 15-12, after the initial eight minutes.

In the second quarter, Sheldon’s trapping of Oak Grove’s ballhandlers caused problems and turnovers for the Eagles. But McCrary one-handed an above-the-rim lob pass for a spectacular dunk and Albert Lutz-Paap nailed a trey, forcing Sheldon Coach Scott Gradin to call a timeout. It became 30-18 when Oak Grove’s Marshawn Landrine, who had a game-high 16 points, scored on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:10 on the clock. Landrine later hit another trey with 30 seconds remaining, resulting in the Eagles enjoying the halftime score of 33-20. Sheldon was outscored by ten, 18-8 in the second quarter.

After the intermission and another Landrine three-pointer, the Huskies went on a five point run to cut the lead to 36-27 at the 5:55 mark of the third quarter. But a Lutz-Paap score from three-point range and a floater by Kaigler in the lane boosted the lead back up to 41-27. Play got a bit sloppy at this point, followed by Sheldon having some scoring success with backdoor cuts. After Kaigler took a pass from Stacy Long and nailed another trey, Sheldon responded with a basket, making the score 46-36 after three quarters of play.

In the final period, a Kaigler pass leading to yet another McCrary dunk at the 6:58 mark made it 48-36 but Sheldon responded with a couple of baskets, including one by impressive sophomore guard Marcus Jackson.

A Long pass led to still another McCrary dunk, making it 53-40 but Huskie guard Calvin Otiono responded with a basket from the right corner, bringing Sheldon back within ten, 57-47, with 2:21 on the clock. However, Oak Grove maintained the lead until the conclusion.

Oak Grove, with a roster filled with excellent athletes, wanted to speed up the game, putting up the ball and utilizing outstanding quickness and jumping ability to keep any missed shots alive. The Eagles also consistently drove the middle and kicked the ball out to open teammates for shots.

Sheldon, on the other hand, performed best getting good-positioned shots when breaking the Eagle press.

Oak Grove now moves on to face Skyline on March 10.