Olpe fights back from 10 down to beat Lebo
Ken Easthouse
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
OLPE — The Olpe Eagles overcame a 37-29 deficit entering the fourth quarter and went on to defeat the Lebo Wolves 51-50 Tuesday night.
Senior Jordan Pargman hit one free throw with 7.8 seconds left to give Olpe (10-0) the winning point. It was one of the few free throws made for Olpe, which shot a mere 37 percent from the charity line.
“We hit the big one there with 7 seconds to go,” Olpe coach Chris Schmidt said, “but we definitely have got to do better than that.”
Colton Stueve led Olpe’s late charge by nailing three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter — two of them back-to-back — and taking a charge.
“Coach was telling us, from the beginning of the week, someone needs to step up. So I thought, ‘no time like the present,’” said Stueve, who ended the night with a game-high 18 points. “We knew we could battle back, we just needed someone to step up.”
The game began at a snail’s pace, with defensive pressure preventing either side from scoring for the first few minutes.
“I said if this game was in the 30s and 40s we’d win it,” Lebo coach Matt Barrett said. “That’s the kind of game we wanted.”
Barrett did not use as many bench players as Schmidt, and both coaches admitted fatigue played into Olpe’s favor late in the game.
“I think they got a little tired (at the end of the game),” Schmidt said.
Neither team’s usually dominant post players had much of an offensive effect on the game. Olpe’s Seth Pargman was held to 7 points, while Lebo’s Aaron Gillespie and Taylor Barker were held to 6 apiece.
“I give Lebo a lot of credit. That defense is so tough to penetrate because it’s so big and long,” Schmidt said.
With the post players unable to score, Olpe turned to its outside shooting. The Eagles scored 24 points from beyond the arc, and 18 of those came from Stueve.
“We knew it would come down to the guards,” Stueve said.
Olpe girls 65, Lebo 41
The Olpe Lady Eagles used a strong second quarter to wear down the Lebo Lady Wolves 65-41 Tuesday night.
Kayla Krueger scored 12 of her 29 total points in the second period, as Olpe (10-0) ended the first half up 40-21.
“We knew we needed to come out to a good start,” Krueger said. “The second quarter we really turned it up and tried to get our lead before halftime.”
Olpe coach Jesse Nelson said he was worried before the game about his team being sluggish in recent contests and wanted to make sure his team was awake for a dangerous Lebo team.
“They are a good team and getting better,” Nelson said. “It’s the kind of team you have to come out and play well against.”
Lebo coach Mike McDougald said his team was overwhelmed by Olpe’s pressure defense, which Nelson said looked better this game than in the recent past.
“Olpe did a good job defensively and we didn’t handle their pressure well,” McDougald said, “and we didn’t execute as well as we would have liked.”
McDougald said his team’s post play was lacking, in particular, due to Olpe’s defense.
“Normally we like to get the ball inside some, but they did a good job of shutting us down,” McDougald said.
After the victory, Nelson was honored with a standing ovation for winning his 600th career varsity victory. Nelson’s 600th win came last week against Marais des Cygnes Valley, but this is the first home game Nelson’s squad has played since the accomplishment.
“It sounds hokey, but those things are really an award for the kids, players and communities,” Nelson said. “The community has been supportive and hasn’t kicked me out of here.”