By Scott Puryear
Goodwell, Okla. — On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma Panhandle State men’s basketball team came out of the blocks fast on their home court and raced to a 107-63 win over the Barclay College. All 13 players who suited up for OPSU scored in the game.
With 16:00 to play in the first half, 5’11” Marcale Marshall scored on a high flying slam dunk and OPSU went up 11-5. With no player taller than 6’5, the Barclay Bears worked hard to stay with the Aggies (who went up 35-17 with 7:30 on the clock).
The teams went to the halftime break with the Aggies holding a 55-30 advantage. Marshall led both teams with 13 first half points and former Guymon prep Josh Edenborough chipped in nine, all on three pointers.
With fourteen minutes left in the game, the Aggies had increased their lead to 70-41. With 2:16 left, the Aggies went over the century mark on an Edenborough free throw and the score stood 100-63. At the final buzzer the score stood 107-63 and the Aggie win upped their season record to 2-3.
Barclay’s Toney Hatton, hard working 6’5 inside player, led all scorers with 24 points.
Five Aggies scored in double figures, led by Edenborough’s 17. Reggie Lassiter added 16, Marshall scored 15, and Trayvon Williams knocked down 11. OPSU’s 7’0 center, Stephen Colvin earned a “double-double” with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Williams pulled down eight rebounds and handed out five assists while Marshall also had five assists.
OPSU head coach Jerry Olsen gave every player on his squad some good court time and after the game said he was pleased with the speed his team showed and the way they kept their focus. Also, and for the game, the Aggies shot an even 50% from the field and outrebounded the Bears 56-36.
On Thursday night, the women and the men were both in action and each picked up strong victories over the teams from Hillsdale Baptist. In the double header played in the OPSU gym, the Lady Aggies won the opener 66-30 while the men got their own win in the second game, 95-80.
Lady Aggies 66, Hillsdale Baptist 30
Powered by guard Nicole Candelaria’s 21 points, the Lady Aggies dropped Hillsdale Baptist 66-30. The Lady Aggies jumped out quickly, held a 28-12 advantage at the half, and there was little doubt as to which team was in control.
For the game, a tough OPSU defensive effort saw to it that not one player from Hillsdale scored in double figures.
Of Candelaria’s 21 points, 18 came in the first half alone. The senior also pulled down six rebounds, passed out two assists, and earned two steals. Camile Washington scored nine points for OPSU while Cassie Wood and Rachael Beck each scored eight. Lauren Cherry had a strong defensive night with six rebounds and three steals, and Kariz Bioni had five rebounds to go along with five assists.
With the victory, the Lady Aggies upped their season record to 3-5.
Aggies 95, Hillsdale Baptist 80
The men’s game was a physical one at both ends of the court for the entire night. Though the Aggies led by 30 points more than once in the second half, a hardworking Hillsdale team stayed in the fight, but the Aggies finished them off 95-80.
With 11:00 on the first half clock, the game was tied at 16-16, but the Aggies promptly went on a 16-2 run on the way to a halftime advantage of 42-25.
As the second half began, the Aggies showed their quickness and athletic ability and with 11:19 left in the game, guard Reggie Lassiter’s three-point play put the Aggies up 67-37. OPSU head coach Jerry Olson substituted heavily and the game ended with the Aggies ahead 95-80 and their season record at 3-3.
The high flying Trayvon Williams led OPSU in scoring with 18 points. Senior forward Mark Bultman had perhaps the game’s best performance with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of steals. Lassiter scored 16 points and earned seven assists and Josh Edenborough scored ten points. Marcale Marshall scored nine points while center Steph Colvin scored six and pulled down seven rebounds. Quick-handed guard Kevin Geofroy had three steals.
Though pleased with the victory, OPSU head coach Jerry Olson said, “Now it’s the real thing” (referring to the Heartland Conference opener on Saturday).
Both the OPSU men’s and women’s teams will travel to Odessa on Saturday for their first league games of the season against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The women’s game is set for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off and the men’s teams will go at 4:30 p.m.
