The Oakland-Craig Boys continue to roll, knocking off Wisner-Pilger 73-36 at home on Thursday, December 15th, GACC 63-60 on the road on Tuesday, December 20th, Omaha Nation 81-56 at home on Thursday, December 22nd, Wilber-Clatonia 60-38 and Centennial 56-51 at the Malcolm Holiday Tournament last Thursday and Friday, and Madison 64-25 at home Tuesday night.
The Knights exploded early and never looked back against Wisner-Pilger, taking a 27-5 lead at the end of one. Oakland-Craig won the second quarter 17-15 to go up 44-20 at halftime.
The Knights outscored the Gators 20-8 in the third quarter to lead 64-28 at the end of three.
Oakland-Craig won the fourth quarter 11-8.
Carter Thiele led the Knights with 19 points and 8 rebounds while Garrett Seagren totaled 18. Garrison Dodge and Kobe Benne chipped in 14 and 10, respectively.
Head Coach Aaron Meyer on the win.
"I really couldn't have asked for a better start to this game. Defensively, we set the tone early. Carter's penetrations and Garrett hitting outside shots, that's a pretty lethal combo. I just can't say enough about Garrison Dodge. Kid is all hustle and heart. Such a luxury having confident guys come off the bench. We are close to hitting on all cylinders right now, so we are going to keep doing what we are doing."
Meyer says he couldn't have asked for a better start to the game.
"We've been waiting to put one together. We've had these games where we've really worked hard, we've hustled, we've executed, played really good D, but just haven't really had the hot hand. And I think you saw there in the first quarter we've got guys with the ability to shoot the outside shot and finish inside, and the young bigs are coming along. Each game we're playing an opponent that's a little bit better and a little bit better, and so you got to keep coming out every night playing a little bit better, and so we've been able to do that."
The Bluejays and Knights were tied at 15 at the end of one. Oakland-Craig won the second quarter 22-20 to lead 37-35 at halftime.
GACC won the third quarter 16-14 to tie the game at 51 at the end of three.
The Knights outscored the Bluejays 12-9 in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win it.
Benne led the way with 20 points while Seagren and Thiele notched 17 and 16, respectively.
Meyer says it was a good win.
"We had a little bit of a rough start to the game. Maybe we were just a little too excited at the start. Kobe Benne put us on his shoulders gave us an early lift. Such a back and forth game from the get go. We have some little things in all areas of the game we would improve on, but to go into GACC and come out with a "W" takes a special effort. Always fun to make a last second shot memory!"
Oakland-Craig held a 21-5 lead at the end of one. Omaha Nation won the second quarter 24-18 to make it a 39-29 game at halftime.
The Knights outscored the Chiefs 20-8 to go up 59-37 after three.
Oakland-Craig put up 22 points in the fourth quarter compared to 19 for Omaha Nation to make up the final score.
Seagren had a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds. Thiele added 21 points and 8 rebounds while Benne chipped in 14 points. Dodge had 7 points while Evan Reinert notched 7 rebounds.
Meyer says it was a great game all the way around.
"Our offense was good to start the game, but or defense was even better. Give the Chiefs credit for fighting back into the game. We were able to regroup and come out fast to start the 3rd quarter. Playing against a pressing team like we were, it sure is nice to have guards as fast as Carter, Garrett, and Kobe."
The Knights held a 14-6 lead on the Wolverines at the end of one.
Both teams scored 11 points in the second quarter, and the halftime score was 25-17 in favor of Oakland-Craig.
The Knights won the third quarter 16-11 to lead 41-28 at the end of three.
Oakland-Craig notched 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to 10 for Wilber-Clatonia.
Thiele led the way with 25 points while Seagren notched 12 points and 9 rebounds. Benne added 8 points.
Meyer says he was pleased with his team's performance.
"I loved our defensive intensity to start the game. The second quarter dry spell was a little rough. Thankfully we made the majority of our free throws and limited our turnovers. Lastly, I thought we did a good job of controlling the pace of the game."
The Broncos led the Knights 12-10 after one. Centennial won the second quarter 15-13 to take a 27-23 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig outscored the Broncos 17-13 in the third quarter to tie the game at 40 at the end of three.
The Knights notched 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for Centennial.
Benne led the way with 22 points while Thiele totaled 8 points and 8 rebounds. Robby Mayberry registered 7 points while Seagren recorded 7 rebounds.
Meyer says his squad came through when it mattered most.
"From the get go, it was a back and forth game. It wasn't our best team performance, but we found a way to win. We did a good job of helping inside on their big guy. Kobe got hot near the and, and we were able to finish things off at the FT line. This championship was quite an accomplishment for our team."
Oakland-Craig doubled up the Dragons 14-7 in the first quarter. The Knights outscored Madison 22-4 in the second quarter to take a 36-11 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig outscored the Dragons 19-9 in the third quarter to go up 55-20 at the end of three.
The Knights won the fourth quarter 9-5.
Seagren totaled 20 points to lead the team while Thiele had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Wyatt Seagren added 8 points.
Meyer says defense was the name of the game.
"Our start was a little slow, but it wasn't due to lack of effort. Once we finally started finishing shots around the rim, things got a little easier for us. Madison has a couple guys that were combining for 35 points a game. We were able to hold them to a combined 15 points, so I'm real proud of the efforts of Garrett and Carter, along with the rest of the team. When your best players are willing to play solid defense, everyone else will follow suit."
Oakland-Craig (9-2) is at Stanton (2-7) Friday night.
The Mustangs lost 66-35 at Battle Creek Tuesday night.
Stanton has had a down year while the Knights have had a great year so Oakland-Craig should be able to win.
The game is in Stanton though, and the Mustangs are always a tough team, especially at home.
You can bet Stanton will come to play.
The Knights can't get caught looking ahead to Winnebago either. Oakland-Craig has a legit shot to knock off the Indians, in my opinion, but the Knights have to be focused on the Mustangs Friday night.
Oakland-Craig has to keep what doing what they've been doing during this current 9-game winning streak, which is getting out and running and shooting well, in addition to playing great defense.
This is a team that's getting better with every passing game, and I look for the Knights to play great basketball this weekend.
It would be a huge deal for Oakland-Craig to knock off Winnebago. The Indians had a couple of close calls in the Shootout on the Elkhorn so certainly anything can happen on Saturday.
The Knights have to come ready to play both nights though. Oakland-Craig has to play a complete game against Stanton, and not save or try and conserve any energy for Saturday.
This team is playing great basketball right now, and I look for the Knights to play well this weekend. Oakland-Craig may not beat Winnebago, but regardless of how well the Knights fare in that game and the Stanton game on Friday, Oakland-Craig is having a great season.
The Knights have to continue to enjoy the ride and the season, and keep doing everything in their power to have success and win.
Oakland-Craig has to continue to take things one game at a time, but the thought of making state has to have had crept into the Knights' minds.
Oakland-Craig held a 15-12 lead on Wisner-Pilger at the end of one. The Gators outscored the Knights 20-11 in the second quarter to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room.
Oakland-Craig roared back in the third quarter though, outscoring Wisner-Pilger 18-8 to go up 44-40 at the end of three.
The Knights won the fourth quarter 16-13.
Dacey Nelson led all scorers with 29 points, including 20 in the second half, while Melanie Snader and Natalia McNeill recorded 9 and 8, respectively.
Head Coach Joe Anderson on the win.
"Our energy level just went up tremendously in the second half. They were really hurting us inside in the first half, but we did a great job of speeding the game up the second half. We made Wisner play at a pretty fast tempo, probably kind of took the big girl out of the game a little bit, cause they have some talented players."
Anderson liked what he saw from his team.
"We have to do a great job playing team defense. Be ready to help and collapse and do some different things cause obviously we're a little like what we call vertically challenged. But like I said we're able to make up for that with our speed and quickness and a little bit with the press and speed up the game."
The Knights led the Dragons 21-6 after one. Oakland-Craig outscored Madison 17-5 in the second quarter to take a 38-11 lead into the locker room.
The Knights won the third quarter 12-9 to go up 50-20 at the end of three.
Oakland-Craig put up 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 12 for the Dragons.
Nelson led the way with 25 points while Kennedy Benne registered 11 points and 7 rebounds. Shannon Pille contributed 10 points and 8 rebounds while Emmy Bousquet totaled 7 rebounds.
The Knights held a 23-19 lead at the end of one. The Chiefs won the second quarter 11-9 to cut the deficit to 32-30 at halftime.
Nelson recorded a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds while Benne notched 19 points and 8 rebounds. Pille chipped in 7 rebounds.
Oakland-Craig led Wilber-Clatonia 13-5 at the end of one. The Wolverines won the second quarter 18-10 tie the game at 23 at halftime.
The Knights doubled up Wilber-Clatonia 14-7 in the third quarter to lead 37-30 at the end of three.
Oakland-Craig put up 18 points in the fourth quarter compared to 11 for the Wolverines.
Nelson finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds while Benne totaled 12 points. Melanie Snader compiled 8 points while Pille notched 7 points and 9 rebounds.
The Clippers tripled up the Knights 24-8 in the first quarter. Malcolm won the second quarter 16-11 to lead 40-19 at halftime.
Oakland-Craig outscored the Clippers 12-10 in the third quarter to make it a 50-31 game at the end of three.
Malcolm put up 7 points in the fourth quarter compared to 6 for the Knights.
Oakland-Craig has played a pretty good stretch of basketball lately if you ask me.
The Knights (7-3) take on Stanton (8-1) on the road Friday night.
The Mustangs won 44-36 at Battle Creek Tuesday night.
Stanton is a very good team, and I would say the key to beating them is slowing down their scorers and playing tenacious defense.
Oakland-Craig prides themselves on defense, and I think the Knights are going to need to play well on that end of the floor to have success and win Friday night.
I also think Nelson, Pille, Bousquet, and Benne need to have strong games and performances for Oakland-Craig to pick up the W.
The Mustangs have won seven in a row while the Knights have ton four out of their last five so you can bet this will be a good game.
Both teams are playing at a really high level right now, and that should make for an entertaining ball game.
I give Stanton the edge with the game being on their home floor, but Oakland-Craig is more than capable of going into Stanton and stealing one from the Mustangs.
This is a big stretch of basketball for the Knights. Oakland-Craig has this game with Stanton, and then two more tough games with Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family and BRLD next week after a clash at Winnebago on Saturday.
The Knights are hitting the tough part of their schedule right now so we'll see what Oakland-Craig can do against these tough teams.
I think the Knights can win all three of their "big" games or lose all three games Friday night and next week. It all depends on how well Oakland-Craig plays and executes, and how bad they want it.
I don't see the Knights having much trouble with the Indians, but if Oakland-Craig doesn't play well or struggles at Stanton Friday night, then who knows what will happen.
Often times in sports teams lose a game they're not supposed to, but hopefully that doesn't happen to the Knights on Saturday.
Oakland-Craig has already proven to me that they are a really good team, but we'll find out just how good they are when they go up against some of the top teams in C-2.
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