T-Ducks beat the Mountaineers in a thriller

The T-Ducks (3-3) won in impressive fashion against Eastern Oklahoma State College (3-3) in a rematch 90-83 on Nov. 15.

This is Richland’s second game against the school. Their earlier matchup resulted in the Mountaineers getting the best of the T-Ducks in a nail-bitter by a score of 86-85 on Nov. 7.

From the tip-off, Richland grabbed the early possession and dictated the pace by continuously driving in the paint, which resulted in kicking out to the corners and wings to convert 3-pointers. Each time the T-Ducks grabbed a defensive rebound and crossed half court, they started to get results. Guards such as sophomore Justin Crawford, would find opportunities for his teammates including sophomore Ed Trahan to convert the easy layup and even draw the foul.

Richland had great rhythm in the first half, and everything was going their way. The pace was perfect as the Mountaineers couldn’t escape the defensive pressure.

Head coach Jon Havens was greatly involved in the energy that was on the court; he not only encouraged his players to create and make plays, but demonstrated discipline, reminding players when to slow the pace and convert to necessary and high percentage plays.

The first half couldn’t have ended much better for the T-Ducks, they went to the free- throw line six times, converting all 12 shots while also knocking down six 3-pointers, making them have a 15-point lead by halftime.

In the second half, Richland tried to set the tone early on, but it seemed as if the Mountaineers set a new tone of their own, scoring back-to-back fast break baskets and draining a mid-range jumper to cut the lead to nine points.

A timeout was taken to reevaluate and make adjustments. The T-Ducks soon showed more aggressiveness by plowing through screens and forcing multiple shot clock violations, making the Mountaineers frustrated. But that didn’t stop Eastern Oklahoma State from trying to make a comeback.

Richland was successful in shutting down their post moves and layups, which resulted in the Mountaineers embracing their 3-point shooting. The T-Ducks ran a zone defense which would insist that they would make quick switches from guarding the opposition’s play- makers but would often leave a shooter open in the corners and Eastern Oklahoma State took full advantage of that.

The second half was coming down to the last five minutes and both teams scored often, causing the lead to change four times, until sophomore guard LJ Brown hit a clutch corner 3-pointer putting the T-Ducks in the lead for good. The Mountaineers called a quick timeout, but their chances of a comeback dwindled as Richland forced a pair of turnovers and their ability to draw fouls kept them ahead in the closing minutes.

Richland’s blueprint for their win was evident by an impressive 15 offensive rebounds and converting 31 of 33 free-throws ending the night shooting nearly 94% from the foul line. Standout of the night was sophomore forward Ed Trahan who led all scoring with 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sophomore guard Justin Crawford scored 12 points and had 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal.