Osbourn Park Stumbles at Freedom Via Buzzer-Beater

Osbourn Park head coach Jeremy Coleman and his team huddle up before the final play versus Freedom on Friday night.(photo via Amber Bonner)

The 5-2 Osbourn Park Yellow Jackets came into Friday's game having won three games in a row by an average margin of 21.6 points. That streak would come to an end at Freedom as they lost 46-45 in heartbreaking fashion when the home team hit a three-pointer at the buzzer as time expired. 

The visitors had a slow start, falling behind 11-5 early. They'd regroup and end the quarter on a 6-0 run to knot things at 11. 

The Eagles would open the second quarter with a 6-0 run of their own to go up 17-11 as OP called a timeout with 5:48 left in the half. Minutes later, the Yellow Jackets would make another run thanks to a pair of steals by sophomore guard Tavyahn Faison. 

Faison's latter steal saw him off to the races to score on the opposite end. Freedom junior guard Dylan Kehrer would foul him hard, but still give up the basket for an and-one opportunity. Faison would hit the floor in a nasty way, as the OP fans and bench were visibly mad by the play. Kehrer was assessed a technical for the foul. Freshman guard Jalen Proctor would come in to make one of two free throws.

Logan Dwyer led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 17, including a go-ahead layup with three seconds left. 

(photo via Amber Bonner)

Osbourn Park would continue to rally, taking a 21-20 lead into the half. 

The two teams would continue their back-and-forth battle through the third. The Eagles would outscore OP 13-9 to take a 33-31 lead heading into the final quarter. The Yellow Jackets would struggle against Freedom's zone defense, shooting 35% from the field and 2-16 from beyond the arc. Their signature up-tempo offense was not on display with fast breaks being very scarce.  

OP's defense increased the pressure, forcing a turnover followed by a Freedom timeout with 5:15 left in the game. Down 39-37, Osbourn Park went on a  4-0 run to regain the lead as Freedom called another timeout with 1:51 to go. 

Osbourn Park senior guard Logan Dwyer would lead the team throughout their multiple rallies, piling up 17 points on the night on 6-12 shooting. His final basket would give OP a 45-43 lead with three seconds left in the game. Freedom would advance the ball past halfcourt with 1.2 to go.

Coming out of the Freedom timeout, the ball was inbounded to Eagles senior guard Taharka Siaca Bey. Bey turned and heaved a three-pointer to win the game as time expired. The student section ran onto the court and swamped Bey and the team. 

Sophomore guard Tay Faison returned after a three game absence and led OP in steals with four.

(photo via Amber Bonner)

I talked with Logan Dwyer following the loss. 

"We started off slow against their 2-3 zone. It took us a while to find our rhythm, attack their gaps and get our big guys involved. In the second half we were able to push the ball out more and get looks. We got beat on the defensive end by our guards. We let it be way closer than it should have been. They got a lucky shot at the end."

Head coach Jeremy Coleman reflected on the last-second defeat.

"Our team came into the game feeling good after three solid wins and unfortunately allowed Freedom to dictate the pace. That's not our way. We shot horribly and made bad decisions with the ball. Despite this, we played solid defense and gave ourselves a chance to come away with a victory. That's a testament to what we can do when we aren't playing to our opponent's level."

Junior big man Josh Okuadido led OP in rebounds with eight, five of which were of the offensive variety. Sophomore guard Trey Terrell finished the game with 13 points, going 6-6 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Daniel Salguero had four rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

But wait- there's more. 

Bey would then create more tension between the two teams as he returned to the court with fans filing out,  apparently looking for Osbourn Park players to trash talk. This rubbed OP the wrong way. Bey would eventually find his way to his team's locker room. As fans and the teams were leaving the school, a commotion provoked by Freedom players next to OP's team bus led coaches and administrators to get involved. Neither side would get physical despite multiple people getting restrained. Head coach Jeremy Coleman witnessed the ugly incident firsthand and looked back on it.

"What happened after the game was completely uncalled for and a poor sense of sportsmanship. Freedom worked their game plan and a young man's prayer was answered. That shot should have been the end of it. I applaud my players and fans who stepped in to protect their own."

In case anyone was wondering, the two teams face off again in conference action on Friday, January 21st at Osbourn Park at 7:30 pm. 

Monday's game vs Patriot has been moved to Wednesday, January 5th. 

The team now goes on winter break with a 5-3 record, not resuming action until December 27th & 28th when they take part in The Boardwalk Classic tournament in Wildwood, New Jersey. 

For more on the Yellow Jackets, visit their website and follow them on Twitter @OPJacketshoops.