Chargers Lose 92-79 at Home

Article by Rob K. Winkle, Jr., B.A. | Photos by Reflections by Rob, LLC

Edison State's men's basketball team entered Saturday's action against Cuyahoga Community College in fifth place in the OCCAC, hoping to gain ground with the season nearing its end. In OCCAC play, only the top three conference teams qualify for the tournament. This left two places for the home-court Chargers to gain, entering with an 11-11 (7-4) record to take on OCCAC opponent Cuyahoga, who started the day at 18-6 (7-3), third place in the conference.

The Chargers came out quickly at the beginning of the game with some early buckets and took the lead, but it would be a short lead in the first half. By 10:22 remaining in the 1st, Edison State would trail 24-14. On the strength of freshman Daviyon McDonald (Dublin Jerome HS) scoring 21 in the game to lead the Chargers in points, several blocks, and rebounds, they would battle with six at the 4:02 remaining mark, 36-30. Two-time OCCAC Player of the Week winner this season, sophomore Caleb Iheukwu (Westerville North HS) would also provide firepower scoring 19 in the game second in scoring. The Chargers would go into half, only trailing by four with a score of 42-38.

In the second half, the Chargers would come out hot, tying the game at 42 with an and-one from Curry (17 points, 3rd on the team), and would hold the lead until 16:54 remaining in the second half when Cuyahoga would retake the lead. This would only be a couple of the many lead changes and back-and-forth in the early second half. Edison State would regain the lead with 15:13 remaining by a score of 53-51.

The Chargers' efforts would be aided by Freshman Ronald Smith (Thurgood Marshall HS), who posted 13 points and had good defense, rebounding, and ball movement team-wide. The Chargers' looked to regain command of this key matchup. The Chargers would lose the lead briefly with 7:54 remaining until Cuyahoga's Ezra McLee was called for a technical foul, sending Curry to the line that put Edison State back on top 73-72.

This win, however, for the Chargers' was not meant to be; Cuyahoga regained the lead quickly with 6:27 remaining and would not lose it again in the remainder of the game. Ultimately, a tough fighting effort by the Chargers would come up short on their home court with a final score of 92-79. This would send Edison State to their fourth loss in a row, bringing their record to 11-12 (7-5), which keeps them in fifth place in the OCCAC. Cuyahoga would improve to 19-6 (8-3), a third-place position. Also, in OCCAC action today, Clark State defeated Lakeland, who entered the day in first place, creating a much harder path for the Chargers to the OCCAC tournament and a top-three standing. The Chargers now have five games remaining, four of those against OCCAC opponents, including Cuyahoga for a rematch, along with their rivals Clark State and now second-place Lakeland, all teams chasing the now OCCAC leading Hocking College. The Chargers will play two more games in Piqua on February 17, 2024, vs. Bryant & Stratton (OH), which is a conference game, and February 24, 2024, against Community Christian (Mich.), which is the sophomore night for the Chargers.

View all available action photos of home Charger games at Reflections by Rob, LLC.