Streator pulls off huge comeback, Ottawa wins in OT to set up rivalry title showdown at Shootin’ the Rock

OTTAWA – In the final day of pool play games Friday at the Dean Riley Shootin’ the Rock Thanksgiving Tournament at Kingman Gym, Streator came back from 17 points down at halftime to top Oak Forest, while Ottawa was able to outlast Sterling in overtime to put the two longtime rivals in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Other tournament placement contests Saturday will be Pontiac vs. Oak Forest at 12 p.m., Plano vs. La Salle-Peru at 1:30 p.m. and Princeton vs. Sterling for third at 3 p.m.

Streator 41, Oak Forest 38

The chances for Streator to reach the championship game weren’t looking promising at halftime down 34-17 to Oak Forest. However, the Bulldogs flipped the script in the second half as they committed just three turnovers after 13 in the opening 16 minutes and held the Bengals scoreless for the final 13 minutes, 12 seconds.

“It was obviously dead quiet in the locker room at halftime,” Streator senior guard Isaiah Weibel said. “We talked the entire time about how our defense was going to get us back in the game. We also knew we had to take care of the ball better.”

Oak Forest led 13-9 after one quarter and used runs of 13-0 and 8-0 to push to its intermission advantage. After Hayden Noha’s rebound basket at the 5:12 mark of the third made it 38-24, hoops from Weibel and Tristen Finley helped close the gap to eight points heading to the fourth.

A 3-pointer by Matt Williamson opened the frame, followed by seven consecutive points by Nolan Lukach, the final two on a layup with 2:38 left that gave Streator the lead for good. Weibel sealed the win with a steal with seconds left.

Streator held Oak Forest (1-2) to four points and 2-of-23 shooting in the second half.

“We knew coming out of the timeout they were going to run an elevator play,” Weibel said of the game-clinching steal. “I was just waiting for my man to set the down screen. I was able to jump the pass when they tried to get it to the guy coming up past the elbow. It was an awesome feeling when I got the ball in my hands.”

Lukach — coming off a 26-point, 13-rebound game in a 50-32 victory over Princeton earlier in the day — led Streator (3-0) with 14 points and nine rebounds. Williamson finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, Weibel with eight points and six rebounds, and Finley with six points.

Streator coach Beau Doty said limiting miscues in the second half was the key to the comeback.

“The biggest adjustment for us was taking care of the basketball,” Doty said. “We knew coming into the game that Oak Forest’s defensive pressure could present problems for us, especially being our second game of the day, and we hadn’t seen that type of pressure yet this season. They had us on our heels, out of rhythm, and took us out of our offense. It was just the exact opposite in the second half.

“This group has proven to have senior toughness. A majority of our rotation guys are seniors, and they have been through battles before. They know what it takes to be successful. They showed the will to win today and earned the right to play for a championship.

“That’s a great way to start the season.”

Ottawa 60, Sterling 50 (OT)

Ottawa led 16-10 after one quarter, 30-24 at halftime and 38-36 heading to the fourth. Sterling was able to send the game to overtime at 47-all when Nico Battaglia swished a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining and the Golden Warriors created a Pirates turnover as time expired.

In the extra session, a 3-pointer by Aric Threadgill a minute in off a nifty pass from Hezekiah Joachim, then an and-1 by Owen Sanders gave the hosts the upper hand. From there, two free throws each by Threadgill, Sanders and Kyler Araujo helped close out the victory.

Threadgill finished with a game-high 24 points – including five 3s – and six rebounds, with Joachim adding 14 points and five assists, and Sanders 13 points and eight rebounds. Araujo posted nine points and seven rebounds.

“I knew this was going to be a very competitive game,” Ottawa coach Mark Cooper said. “We would get a six- or seven-point lead, and then Sterling would close the gap, including the shot to send it to overtime. We were in a good position, but credit Sterling for executing a solid end-of-game play.

“Fortunately, we were able jump out strong in overtime and score first. That gave us confidence, and then we were able to come down and get another basket to make it a two-possession game.”

Battaglia and Keadon Phillips each netted 18 points for Sterling, with the latter also leading the team with nine rebounds and five assists.

“I give our guys credit for battling back all game long,” Sterling coach Ryan Vasquez said. “We were able to get stops in the fourth quarter when we needed them, and at the same time take the type of shots we needed to make it one-possession game. We were able to execute the final play in regulation to a ‘T’ and get that big (3-point) shot from Nico to send it to overtime, but Ottawa was able to make a couple of plays and scores that kind of sucked the wind out of us.

“This game was a great learning experience for our guys. We have great senior leadership, but also some younger guys that need these types of games. We’ll bounce back and be ready to go (Saturday) against Princeton.”