The Ottawa-La Salle-Peru Boys Basketball team used a strong last three minutes of the first quarter to take initial advantage on Ottawa on Friday night.
Cavaliers created a 17-point lead in the third before charging the inter-state 8 conference at Kingman Gym and regular-season finale at Senior Night in Ottawa.
La Salle-Paru coach John Senika said, “It is always difficult to come here to play Ottawa, and (Pirates Coach Mark) Cooper is always ready to play her people.” “I told my friends before the game that we just had to be mentally difficult and in the beginning the storm was to be done. I felt that we had done a good job of doing both those things.
“This was a great team’s attempt to everyone tonight. We really defended well tonight. I mean what we kept them for 37 points? I will take it.”
After the 252nd all-time meeting-LP is now leading the All-Time Series 142-109-LP improved 22-8 in this season and 7-3 (second place) in league play.
Ottawa overall 12–14 and I-8 to 3-7.
LP balanced the victory, in which Seth Adams posted 14 points, six rebounds and three theft. Jack Jereb (Five Rebound), Michael Hartman (three rebounds) and Josh Senika (eight rebounds) all had 10 points.
Ottawa was led with 12 points from Cooper Nall, with Lucas Goitz eight and Ivan Snook provided six points, five rebounds and six assistance.
LP’s senior Brendon Baudreyu said, “I think there was a couple stretch, where we committed a little crime, but I think we were very good.” He said, “He hit some shots here and there to get very loud, but it seemed that we were always able to find a way to score at the other end.
“I think when we needed a basket, we were able to run our crime and find one.”
Ottawa’s Goitz put a house splash in the first quarter in 15 seconds and later added a take up, but La Sail-Paru took a pair of triple 18–7 with six points from Adams and a triple from Senika.
Nall opened the second with power drive for two, but an adams drive, then a floater in the lane replaced the three-point play, pushed the caves for a 25–13 halftime advantage.
Cooper said, “In the last half of the first quarter of L-Pucer, the run there made us back and we had to play a catchup overnight.” “Children were able to fight back and were able to bring us to a decent position in fourth place, but were not able to close any difference from there.
“This is a sport that really wants to win both sides. It is a long and storey rivalry that closely follow the two communities. We did not have enough tanks to fight back all the ways from going down to all the ways.”
LP pushed a 36–19 lead by Jereb to 36–19 with 1:30 in the third tray and gained 36–24 in fourth place.
Ottawa, 38–33 with 5:34, with 3:34, 3 from Goetz and back-to-back hops from Tristen Finale.
From there, four points from Senika and a triple by Hartman helped LP back back.
next: Both teams opened Postsen at Class 3A Sterling Regional on Wednesday, in which number 8 Ottawa number 2 plays the host Golden Warriors at 6 pm, followed by number 5 la sale-paru number 3 Dixon.
