Chargers Fall Short in OT Battle vs. Clark State, 84-80
A large student section and almost the entire women's team who had just played their game stuck around to be loud and proud in support of the Edison States men's team against OCCAC rival Clark State.
Article by Rob K. Winkle, Jr., B.A. | Photos by Reflections by Rob, LLC
Piqua, Ohio - A large student section and almost the entire women's team who had just played their game stuck around to be loud and proud in support of the Edison States men's team against OCCAC rival Clark State. The two schools are 37 miles apart, less than 45 minutes away, and are always full of fierce competition, fiery fans, and games that mean something within the OCCAC every year.
Edison State would enter tonight 11-8 (7-1), holding 2nd place by the overall record in the OCCAC but the same conference record as OCCAC-leading Hocking. This game started and remained close, with both teams jumping to a 9-9 tie with 12:21 left in the first half of play. The Chargers would be led in scoring by sophomore guard and two-time OCCAC Player of the Week this year Caleb Iheukwu (Westerville North HS), scoring 13 in the first half and 25 total in the game (unofficial stats, official boxscore not available at press time). Iheuwku averages 18.8 ppg this year. Following him in scoring for the Chargers would be freshman point guard Ronald Smith (Thurgood Marshall HS) with 20 (11.3 ppg this year), and another of the Chargers' four double-digit scorers tonight would be sophomore shooting guard Jesse Dixon (Portsmouth West HS) netting 17 (11.2 ppg this year).
The Chargers would go down by 4 with 6:13 remaining in the 1st half, 21-17, and end the first half with a 6-point deficit at 36-30. This game was far too important and far too important in the OCCAC for the Chargers not to bring the fight to the Eagles in the second half. Freshman forward and a prior Player of the Week winner, Daviyon McDonald, would continue his consistent play, dominating the boards and defense but also firing back offensively. After not scoring in the first half, McDonald would put up a blistering 11 points in the 2nd half of regulation and, by the game's end, tally 19 points (13.0 ppg this year) and be the game's third-leading scorer for Edison State. Solid defense, stingy boards, ball movement, and clutch shooting from the line would pull Edison State to a 60-60 tie with 7:14 left in regulation.
The Chargers pulled ahead and held the lead until the 2:31 mark at which Clark State would tie the game back up at 66-66. A sense of urgency at this point from both teams created foul trouble for both, aggressive play, loud fans, and an overall big game environment and feel, which this game indeed was. The Chargers would lead by 3 with 12.5 seconds left to go in the game and Clark State would hit clutch shots to tie the contest at 71 to send it into OT.
The overtime period was the same: both teams playing hard, aggressive basketball on all sides, fans loud and proud making noise, and an electric atmosphere within Charger gymnasium. At the end of the night, the Chargers' dauntless efforts would come up short, losing the fight with a final score of 89-85.
The Chargers did everything right and fought until the end of this game, dropping their record to 11-9 (7-2) and dropping them to fourth in the OCCAC while also ending their three-game home winning streak. Coach Vanover showed nothing but pride in his team after the game and it was easy to tell this team had no intention of giving up in the OCCAC and is looking forward to the Clark State rematch in Springfield in late February. The men have eight games remaining, of those seven are OCCAC contests, and four are home games which means the OCCAC conference is still well within their reach. Your next chance to see both the men and women in action is on Saturday, February 3, at Edison State's Piqua campus, with the men's tip-off at 1:00 pm and the women at 3:00 pm. Both squads will take on OCCAC opponent Lakeland. The rest of the Charger men's games are below.
- February 7, 2024 @ Hocking 7:30 p.m.
- February 10, 2024, home vs. Cuyahoga County 1:00 p.m.
- February 17, 2024, home vs. Bryant & Stratton(OH) 1:00 p.m.
- February 21, 2024 @ Cuyahoga County 6:00 p.m.
- February 24, 2024, home vs. Community Christian (MI) Sophomore Night 1:00 p.m.
- February 28, 2024 @ Clark State 7:30 p.m.
- March 2, 2024 @ Lakeland 1:00 p.m.
To view and order pictures of all the action, visit Reflections by Rob, LLC.