Five Takeaways: Ottawa-Glandorf at Wapakoneta
Despite being separated by just two games in the Western Buckeye League (WBL) standing coming into the night, Ottawa-Glandorf buried Wapakoneta on their home court on Friday night, 74-36.
The Titans were coming off their first and only loss of the season, as they fell to Lexington last Saturday. However, the redemption factor wasn’t the only reason O-G won by 38 points. So, let’s explore what happened.
Controlling the pace
Ottawa-Glandorf went to a full-court zone pressure look from the first time they put the ball in the basket. For a team with an absence at point guard, it was a nightmare. Wapakoneta wasn’t even in control of their own possessions at times, as the pressure forced them to certain spots. Eventually, the fatigue led to a ton of turnovers in a second quarter where O-G ran up 25 points.
On the other end, O-G’s rapid ball movement forced Wapakoneta to chase and closeout on shooters all night. The collective result was, again, Redskins fatigue.
Schoonover’s injury
We mentioned Wapakoneta was without a point guard. That’s because of Nick Schoonover’s fractured patella. Schoonover is a 5’10” senior with a tight handle and very good court awareness who could play at the D-III level. Instead of having a reliable guy to deal with their pressure, guys like Aaron Good were forced into uncomfortable roles.
Forward duo
As far as players go, the reason O-G has a shot at making it to Columbus this season is because of their senior frontcourt of Jay Kaufman and Jake Dible. Back from an ACL tear, a 6’4” Kaufman provides versatility on both ends of the floor as their 4. He scored in the low post with fluid footwork and a soft touch. Kaufman can also shoot it (more on that in a second). On the offensive end, Dible is two inches taller than Kaufman but he provides more of a face-up scoring game. The D-III prospect has a soft touch with his mid-range jumper and passes it well.
They compliment each other defensively also. Kaufman can guard a range of forwards and is strong enough to body bigs. In their full-court look, Kaufman is able to chase down errant passes by shouldering past weaker opponents. Dible packs more of a physically punch in the paint.
Both of these forwards are nice small college prospects, with Kaufman having a higher upside as a potential NAIA player. Otherwise, both would be a nice gets for in-state D-IIIs.
O-G’s shooting woes
The outside shooting was up and down for O-G tonight. As a team, their confidence never wavered and they consistently created wide open looks by moving the ball unselfishly. In that game-changing second quarter, junior sixth man Carter Heringhaus capitalized by knocking down shots off the catch. Then later in the game, Kaufman proved to be their most dynamic shooting threat.
However, the shooting wasn’t quite what it needs to be in mid-March. Their offensive ball movement is conducive to outside shooters, but their roster may not have enough of them.
Introducing Adam Scott
Scott, a 6’5” junior Wapakoneta forward, jumped onto our radar in a major way tonight, scoring 12 points, grabbing 11 boards, and dishing three assists. He’s a fluid shot creator from the block, scoring over his left shoulder at least three times against tight defense. His jumper develops slowly, but otherwise the mechanics are solid. Scott has a pretty quick first step and he sees the floor well.
With a solid build and speed, Scott runs the floor and has upside as a defender. He rebounded it well. Doesn’t have a ton of confidence as a ball-handler, but certainly looks like a combo forward physically. We’re certainly intrigued going into the grassroots season.