Senior guard Logan Dwyer came up clutch with this three-point shot to give OP the win over Osbourn on Senior Night.
(photo via Amber Bonner)
Riding high off of a convincing win versus Gainesville Wednesday night, OP looked to build off it at home Friday night versus Osbourn. They did just that, winning 54-51 in thrilling fashion.
Before the game started, Osbourn Park recognized their senior players: Logan Dwyer, Daniel Salguero and Malcolm Bilal. The energy in the gymnasium was palpable, and both the home side and visitor side had equally impressive turnouts.
OP got things off to a strong start with a 10-4 lead early forcing an early Osbourn timeout. The Eagles would close the gap and got the score to within one point at 10-9 to end the first quarter.
Osbourn Park seniors Logan Dwyer, Daniel Salguero and Malcolm Bilal were recognized on Senior Night prior to their game versus Osbourn. (photo via Amber Bonner)
Sophomore guard Tay Faison picked up his second foul with1:33 left in the first half, putting Osbourn in the bonus and sending junior guard Idris Johnson to the free-throw line. Thirty seconds later, OP center Josh Okuadido would pick up his second foul and give sophomore Teyvien Barbour a chance to knock down two free throws to put Osbourn ahead 25-24. Osbourn park would regroup with a timeout immediately. Osbourn would eventually head into halftime, up 27-24.
Barbour continued his strong play, finishing a layup and drawing a foul to get three the hard way and give his team a 35-32 lead in the third quarter. The game would be a heavyweight slugfest throughout, with neither team leading by more than six at any time. Just as soon as one side would gather momentum, the other would march right back to get it within one possession. Osbourn Park would head into the final quarter down 38-33.
Sophomore Trey Terrell would lead all OP scorers with 20. (photo via Amber Bonner)
Terrell would continue to dazzle when at one point he saved a ball from going out of bounds and in the process delivered a perfect no-look pass to Faison for a layup that put OP up 48-44, forcing yet another Osbourn timeout which would come into play at the end of the game. Terrell would finish the game leading OP with 20 points, while chipping in 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds. Faison would continue his stretch of strong play, pouring in 15 points, 6 rebounds with 1 assist and 1 steal. He'd go 5-6 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Before the home crowd could get comfortable, the Eagles took a 50-48 lead, thanks to a steal leading to three points and a long rebound leading to an eventual and-one opportunity.
Daniel Salguero would soon pick up his fifth foul and exit the game. Freshman RJ Jones would replace him. Idris Johnson would once again be sent to the charity stripe, giving his team a 51-49 lead. Hope was not lost however, when Trey Terrell came up with a huge steal late. He'd get the ball to Jones who would thread a nice assist to Logan Dwyer, tying the game at 51 with 18.6 to go.
Sophomore Tay Faison's last three games have seen him average 12.6 points, 5 rebounds and 4.6 steals. (photo via Amber Bonner)
That would not be the end of Dwyer's night. After OP's defense forced a five second call against Osbourn, Tay Faison would handle the ball, driving towards the lane. As the Eagles defense converged on him, he kicked the ball to an open Dwyer. Logan sank the three-pointer to give OP a 54-51 lead. With no timeouts remaining, Osbourn would have to rush an inbounds pass in and miss a halfcourt shot attempt as time expired. I spoke to Dwyer after the dust had settled.
“It was a great feeling. It was my first time experiencing
anything like that. When everyone jumped on top of me after I hit that shot, a
rush of emotions ran through my body."
Dwyer was 0-4 from three prior to hitting the final salvo. I asked him about his mentality in that situation.
"I give credit to my coaches and teammates,
because they’re always there to support me even when I’m not hitting my shots.”
Dwyer's 6 assists led OP. Other leaders included Josh Okuadido with 9 rebounds and Daniel Salguero with 4 steals. The team shot a remarkable 9-19 (47%) from three, and only had 8 turnovers to Osbourn's 15.
I caught up with head coach Jeremy Coleman after the game.
"Tonight was another solid team win. We knew Osbourn was disciplined and well-prepared. We did not want them to dictate the tempo or flow. In the face of a high pressure situation, I'm proud of how my guys responded. They weren't nervous and completed their assignment. I'm proud of our execution in the fourth- especially that inbounds play on defense. I'm happy to earn another conference win as we continue to gain confidence."
The win moves Osbourn Park to 7-4 (3-2) as they travel to face the 7-5 Riverside Rams at 12:30 on Saturday.
For more on Yellow Jackets basketball, keep it tuned here and follow them on Twitter @OPJacketshoops.
Osbourn Park would like to thank their sponsors for the 2021-22 season:
USMC Memoriam - Joseph Dwyer
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