Tioga County Sports ReportONEONTA — Oneonta took the lead early, and gradually pulled away for a 69-53 win over Owego here Friday night in STAC boys basketball action.
"It was a strong effort on a snowy and windy night in Oneonta," said Owego coach Chris Evans.
"Calvin Smith, Carter Rieg, and Duke Snyder are all playing so hard right now," he noted. "We just had a tough time overcoming Oneonta’s size — we were much smaller at just about every position.
"Also, it’s hard to overcome a 31 to 6 free-throw discrepancy, but you kind of have to expect that up there," added Evans.
The Yellowjackets made 14 of 31 shots from the free-throw line, while the River Hawks only took six free throws, making four.
Oneonta made 5 of 6 free throws in the first quarter, and led 16-10, then upped its lead to 28-21 at the halftime intermission.
The Yellowjackets used a 14-9 third spurt to stretch its advantage to 12 points, at 42-30, heading into the fourth quarter.
Owego's offense found its footing in the final eight minutes, but so did Oneonta's. The Yellowjackets outscored the River Hawks 27-23 in the fourth quarter to lock down the win.
Carter Rieg, who nine in the fourth quarter, and Calvin Smith led Owego with 17 points apiece, while Duke Snyder scored nine points, and Kingston Brainard added eight points.
Britten Zeh led Oneonta with 20 points and Brady Carr added 17.,
Owego, now 3-3, returns to action next Saturday against U-E in the "Coaches vs. Cancer" Tournament at the Broome County Arena.
