WINONA LAKE — The Lakeland Christian Academy Cougars scratched and clawed Thursday night, but failed to draw blood. Taking on the Oregon-Davis Bobcats (6-11) at Grace College’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, the LCA boys basketball team (1-17) opened with a 3-0 lead, but that was the bright spot in a 51-16 loss. Sophomore Jon Harmon hit the game’s opening bucket 19 seconds in, but LCA only scored one more point the rest of the half, attempting eight shots and committing 15 turnovers. “Getting our guards to be able to read defenses right now is a big thing for us,” first-year LCA coach Joel Burrus said. Despite their lack of scoring, the Cougars were still within 12-4 with 3:23 left in the first half, but O-D reeled off the game’s next 16 points, going up 28-4 at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter. Sporting seven players on the roster, longtime coach Dean Foster has been smart with his gameplan in his first year at O-D, slowing things down. “We knew coming into tonight that Oregon-Davis was going to play at their pace,” Burrus said. “We wanted to push it up or else we weren’t going to be able to score very many points. We don’t score many points anyway, and our opportunities were going to be short when possessions were being taken away.” In all, LCA committed 27 turnovers and was outrebounded 35-18. “We know the only way we’re going to win games is to get solid down on defense,” Burrus said. “Nowadays, the glamor part of basketball is what you see on TV. We’re trying to make this into an old-school style. We’re going to have to claw, scratch and fight to win games.” And right now, LCA’s just trying to find a way to be in games in the later stages of the contest. “Our goal right now is to be in the game in the fourth quarter,” Burrus said. “Can we get it to the fourth quarter and win or lose it there? If we can be in that 10, 15-point range going into the fourth quarter on some of these teams, can we win it?” O-D junior Blake Hurford led his team with 14 points, with juniors Zach Johnston and Carl Schnekenburger scoring 12 each. On LCA’s side, Harmon’s two three-pointers accounted for a team-high six points, while junior Nathan Gross had four points and five rebounds. Going into tonight’s home game, back at LCA against Wabash, Burrus is looking for progression from his team, which starts two seniors and three sophomores. “We’re just young and we’re trying to get guys like Jon Harmon, (sophomore) Carter Twombly and (sophomore) Connor Blum – get their legs under them and their feet wet,” he said. “I know we’re later in the season, but still, when you’re a sophomore it’s a process. We’re trying to build.”
OREGON-DAVIS 51, LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 16 OD 10 10 20 11 – 51 LCA 3 1 7 5 – 16 OD – Zach Johnston 4-7 3-4 12, Carl Schnekenburger 6-12 0-0 12, Cameron Clark 1-4 0-0 2, Henry Clark 2-5 0-0 4, Blake Hurford 6-8 2-2 14, Braxton Moorefield 0-1 0-1 0, Joel Worthington 3-9 1-1 7. Totals 22-46 6-8 51. LCA – Cody Kline 0-1 0-0 0, Jon Harmon 2-7 0-0 6, Chris Silveus 1-3 0-0 2, Carter Twombly 1-2 0-2 2, Connor Blum 1-9 0-0 2, Brigham Davis 0-1 0-1 0, Kyle Shuler 0-1 0-0 0, Nathan Gross 1-2 2-5 4. Totals 6-26 2-8 16. Three-pointers – OD 1-6 (Johnston), LCA 2 (Harmon 2); Team Fouls (fouled out) – OD 10, LCA 12 (Twombly); Turnovers – OD 16, LCA 27; Rebounds – OD 35 (H. Clark 9), LCA 18 (Gross 5); Assists – OD 9 (Johnston 2, C. Clark 2, H. Clark 2, Hurford 2), LCA 2; Steals – OD 14 (H. Clark 4), LCA 5 (Silveus 2); Blocks – OD 0, LCA 0; Records: OD 6-11, LCA 1-17
