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Oran edges Kelly in tournament thriller, claims OIT consolation championship
ORAN, Mo. — The final seconds of the consolation championship at the 69th annual Oran Invitational Tournament were filled with drama, as Oran held off a late Kelly rally to secure a 74-70 victory on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Eagles (2-1), who appeared to be cruising to an easy win early on, had to dig deep to fend off the determined Hawks (1-2).
“It was a total team effort,” said Oran coach Corey Davis. “Everybody on the floor contributed in some form or another.”
Oran made scoring look effortless, while Kelly had to grind for every point, showcasing a clear disparity in offensive efficiency. This was evident from the outset, as the Eagles jumped to a commanding 28-17 double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter.
However, the Hawks clawed back into contention, winning the second and third quarters by narrow margins and reducing the lead to a mere point, 56-55, heading into the final quarter.
“We had a couple of possessions where we started to settle back into some of those bad habits,” Davis said. “Kelly was able to climb back into it and make it closer than what we would have liked. Luckily, our defense was there and able to pull it out.”
Oran’s Kole Burger delivered an impressive performance in the third quarter, scoring four consecutive baskets for the team. His relentless drives to the basket left Kelly’s defense scrambling, unable to halt his momentum. Burger’s aggressive play was a crucial factor in maintaining Oran’s slim lead as the game intensified.
“Kole Burger started filling it up a little tonight,” Davis said. “He’s pretty tough to stop when he gets going towards the basket. He really pulled us through that stretch.”
But Burger’s impressive run was overshadowed by the dominance of Carson Kern in the fourth quarter. Kern, a force in the paint, scored 13 of Oran’s 19 points in the final period, showcasing his power and tenacity on the offensive glass.
“Kern a tough guy,” Davis said. “I joke around that he’s a wild Mustang and you can’t saddle him. You just got to let him go.”
With just 10 seconds left on the clock, Kelly trailed by three points and had a chance to tie the game. But Oran’s defense rose to the occasion and forced a crucial turnover. This defensive stand sealed the Eagles’ victory.
“That was picture perfect with what we want defensively,” Davis said.
Kern was the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 30 points.
During the three games of the tournament, Kern scored 88 total points, to start the season with a 29.3 ppg average.
Oran’s other top contributors were Burger and Cole Diebold, who scored 17 each.
Skyler Still led the Hawks with 23 points, while Ross Peters added 19.
Oran travels to Risco (3-1), while Kelly is on the road at Caruthersville (0-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
“We have another tough game on Tuesday,” Davis concluded. “We’ll definitely be tested. We’ll play a couple more before we get to the Christmas Tournament. But we can start building together. The more games we play, the more and more improvement we’re going to see on the little things that we’ve been lacking so far.”
ORAN 74, KELLY 70
| Oran | 28 | 16 | 12 | 18 | — | 74 |
| Kelly | 17 | 20 | 18 | 15 | — | 70 |
Oran (74) — Carson Kern 30, Cole Diebold 17, Kole Burger 17, Parker Bryant 5, Reid Hobbs 5. FG: 28. FT: 12-30. F: 13. (3-pointers: Diebold 2, Hobbs 1, Kern 1. Fouled out: None.)
Kelly (70) — Skyler Still 23, Ross Peters 19, Grady Hall 8, Truman White 8, Griffin Pass 6, Kaleb Yount 3, Hunter Kirk 2, Brody Oesch 1. FG: 31. FT: 6-11. F: 23. (3-pointers: Peters 1, Yount 1. Fouled out: Hall, Pass.)