BRADFORD, Pa. – For a half, Cameron County looked poised to potentially shock the NTL world.
The second-seeded Red Raiders were nearly even with top-seeded and heavily favored Otto-Eldred trailing by just two, 24-22, at halftime.
But the third quarter turned the game in Otto-Eldred’s favor, as Manning Splain knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the quarter to help the Terrors expand the advantage to 10, 40-30, by the end of the frame on its way to a 54-43 win in the inaugural NTL Tournament championship game.
“It’s tough to beat a team three times in one year,” Otto-Eldred head coach Derek Francis said. “Especially a quality team like (Cameron County). We finally made some shots in the third quarter to stretch the lead out.”
Landon Francis, the coach’s son who had been kept scoreless in the first half, also hit a key 3-pointer during the 16-8 O-E run.
“We accomplished another goal of ours,” Derek Francis said. “But now it’s time to focus on our main goal for this season.”
Splain had a big night for the Terrors with 22 points while Shene Thomas added 13 and Francis nine.
Landon Farren paced Cameron County with 15 points while Josh Smith scored 12.
Both teams move into the District 9 playoffs.
Otto-Eldred is the second seed in Class 2A and will host seventh-seeded Port Allegany on Friday, Feb. 23, while Cameron County is the fourth seed in Class 1A and will host Union on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
