Game 20: Monmouth-Roseville @ Orion (Boy's Basketball)

Game 20
(12/4/09)
Monmouth-Roseville @ Orion

The opener of the final Olympic Conference season. Both teams (along with Sherrard, Rockridge, and Macomb) will remain together next year, but play under the West Central Conference banner (with Illini West in the North division).

The Titans come in with a (5-0) record, after winning the Williamsfield Thanksgiving Tournament. Orion (3-1), were dealt an upset by Erie in the BankOrion Tip Off Classic.

Orion jumped out to an early 17-10 lead late in the first quarter, but a buzzer-beater by Alex Bresnahan cut it to a four-point game heading into the second quarter. Right off the bat, sophomore Tanner Williams (6'5") made his presence known, both offensively and defensively. Williams made a couple thunderous dunks in the first half, and his lanky arms tipped many Titans passes. The big man was also guarding the most athletic Titans, and manned the point on the zone defense.

The host Chargers led by ten at halftime (31-21). Bresnahan scored 12 points in the first half, while Williams put up 11 points in the first half (9 in the first quarter). We had an interesting dilemma come up early in the broadcast. Coach Brent Hutton had told me before the game that Ted Leuck (#24) tore his ACL on Saturday. Late in the first quarter, #24 subbed into the game. I glanced at the fresh/soph roster and found that Zach Kahley (also on varsity) was #24, but he was listed as #22 in the varsity roster. And then....#22 subbed in. Now I was mystified. At halftime, I asked Orion Athletic Director Nathan DeBaillie what the situation was, and he cleared it all out for me. Leuck, in fact tore his ACL, but #24 was given to Tyler DeDecker (#33 in the varsity roster), and Kahley was in fact #22. Problem solved.

The night got longer in the third quarter, as Orion jumped out to a 42-29 lead heading into the last eight minutes. With Tanner Williams in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, the Titans took advantage and trimmed a once 16-point second half deficit to 10 points on a couple occasions. The Titans could not trim that deficit to single digits until late in the game, and would drop their league opener, (59-51).

Tanner Williams scored a team-high 16 points, while the Chargers got double-digits from Danny DeBacker (15) and Trent DeDecker (10). Alex Bresnahan scored a game-high 18 points for Monmouth-Roseville. Markus Hunter added 12 points for the Titans.

The night would end with a "getaway" in the Monmouth AmericInn. Working the weekend shift, would have meant getting home around 11:30, then waking up around 4 a.m. to work in the morning, then head to Galesburg for the girl's broadcast Saturday afternoon. The station put me up in the hotel, and even though it was work-filled, it was kind of a nice change of scenery...even if my room overlooked the Farmland processing plant, lol.

The Quest File Notes
Game 20
Date: 12/4/09
Result: Orion wins Olympic Conference opener over Monmouth-Roseville, 59-51
Location: Orion
Miles: 134