Chargers Fall Short, Lose 97-76 to OCCAC Leader Lakeland
Saturday was a unique day at Charger Gymnasium, a day we knew would bring intense action to two schools and two programs that have been leaders within their conferences over several years.
Article by Rob K. Winkle, Jr., B.A. | Photos by Reflections by Rob, LLC
Saturday was a unique day at Charger Gymnasium, a day we knew would bring intense action to two schools and two programs that have been leaders within their conferences over several years. Lakeland Community College won the OCCAC outright in the 22-23 season and split the championship in 21-22 with Hocking in the Men's program. While not winning a championship, Edison State has been at the top and battling for the OCCAC for several years. Edison State 11-9 (7-2) entering Saturday were in second place in the OCCAC, aiming to gain ground on the 15-2 (7-1) Lakeland Lakers conference-leading squad. Today's win by the Chargers would have tied the two teams in conference play.
The Chargers were coming off a hard-fought OT loss to neighboring OCCAC rival Clark State on Wednesday and would be led on the scoring efforts by sophomore forward Adbulai Jalloh (Westerville South HS) and freshman point guard Ronald Smith (Thurgood Marshall HS), both with 16. sophomore shooting guard Devonte Curry (Briggs HS) followed them with 10 points, and freshman guard Sean Caldwell (Gamble Montessori) dropped 9, along with sophomore shooting guard Jesse Dixon (Portsmouth West HS).
Edison State would come out with an early lead and hold that lead until the 12:37 remaining mark in the 1st half when Lakeland took a 19-15 lead, and the Chargers would not recover in the half from that point. Continuing to play hard and with the intensity this matchup brings. Both teams had immense foul trouble, particularly Edison State, as four technicals (3 Edison State, 1 Lakeland) were whistled in this game. At the 1:35 remaining in the first-half mark, the Chargers trailed 47-31. The Chargers, however, would not quit as well as their leading scorers players such as Devonte Curry (Briggs HS), who powered through heavy contact on several plays, dropping buckets and picking up free throws, and contributed a team second in points of 10 (tied with 1). The other 10-point scorer, Sean Caldwell (Gamble Montessori), would not stop or be denied the basket on several occasions, as the Chargers were unwilling to let this game die with only one half played.
The Chargers would come in the second half and fight hard Daviyon McDonald (Dublin Jerome HS) would score 8, block several shots, and pull several rebounds on par with his 10.6 RPG average and seemed to be heating up until 14:16 remaining in the game where McDonald would receive his second technical foul and forced to leave the game, followed by an immediate second Class-A technical whistled on Edison State's coach, Kyle Vanover it was not clear during the game what the whistles were concerning. This would put Lakeland at the line for extra opportunities, which they capitalized on and, unfortunately, made things even more difficult for the Chargers. Edison State would still score an additional 33 points after the ejection/double tech. However, Lakeland would also post another 34, bringing the final score to 97-76.
This game drops Edison State's season record to 11-10 (7-3). More importantly, they lose two spots in the OCCAC, dropping to fourth given their conference record is now worse than Lakeland and Hocking's 8-1 and the same as Clark State's 7-3. However, Clark State holds third place via tiebreak by their overall record and head-to-head, given Edison State's hard-fought OT loss to Clark State Wednesday night.
The Charger men now have just seven games remaining, six of them are OCCAC contests, including rematches at Clark State and Lakeland, Sophomore Day at Piqua on February 24, with Community Christian (Mich.) is the other remaining non-OCCAC game. OCCAC opponents other than Clark State and Lakeland that remain are Hocking, Bryant & Stratton, and Cuyahoga (two games). The dates below are the remaining last chances you have to see the Chargers at Edison State this year:
- February 10, 1:00 p.m. Cuyahoga County
- February 17, 1:00 p.m. Bryant & Stratton (OH)
- February 24, 1:00 p.m. Community Christian College (Mich.) Sophomore Day
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