Johnson, Kirk lead Octorara to road win at Donegal
Written by: TJ Eck on January 2, 2024
Section 3 might just be the most competitive division of the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
“It’s a dogfight every night,” said Octorara head coach Gene Lambert.
The latest example of what Lambert’s describing was played Tuesday night in Mount Joy as Octorara defeated Donegal, 74-66, in a game that was closer than the score indicates.
For the Braves it was a gritty, comeback victory in a game that Octorara led at one point by double digits before the Indians made their run.
“We did what we were supposed to do, we played defense, got stops and we finished well at the rim,” said Octorara junior guard Jason Johnson.
Johnson came up with the biggest moments of the game during a tense fourth quarter. Donegal’s Joey Williams drilled a three-pointer to make it a 65-64 Octorara lead with under two minutes to play. Johnson proceeded to score buckets on back-to-back possessions to push the Braves in front by five. Donegal would get no closer.
“As you can see, he’s turning the corner for us,” said Lambert when discussing Johnson postgame. “He has talent.”
Johnson poured in 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win. His teammate Zach Kirk had a game-high 24 points to go along with five boards. The two Octorara guards were a nightmare for the Indians all night.
“We just give each other energy,” said Johnson. “Tell each other what we need to do to be better players and boost each other up.”
Lambert added: “They play together very well. They’ve known each other since they were little kids and they have played together since they were young.”
Kirk notched seven of his points in the first quarter as the Braves got out to a 20-8 lead in the opening frame. Donegal responded in the second quarter and briefly held a one-point lead until Johnson scored a layup just before the halftime buzzer to put Octorara up by one at the break.
The host Indians came out of the locker room strong and took a 50-47 lead into the fourth quarter. Donegal extended its advantage until a sequence of plays early in the final frame.
Octorara’s Vincent Thaler scored on a drive and was fouled. Donegal was called for a technical foul as a result of the play. Thaler made his free throw then Kirk knocked down 1-of-2 technical free throws. On the ensuing Braves’ possession, Octorara scored to take a 57-56 lead. Moments later Kirk put in two more of his 24 points, extending Octorara’s edge to three and forcing a Donegal timeout with four minutes remaining in the contest.
“We got some big stops in a row, made them work offensively and we rebounded to where they were one shot and done,” said Lambert. “Donegal is a good team. I knew coming in that they had experience, they had guys who can shoot the ball. Our defense, I thought, did a solid job.”
Donegal was led in scoring by Williams, a sophomore guard, who posted 23 points while knocking down three three-pointers. Jonzel Morant added 16 points while Sawyer Floyd finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. The Indians drop to 6-5 overall (1-2 L-L League) and now prepare for a road game at Northern Lebanon Thursday evening.
Octorara wins its league-leading 10th game of the season and improves to 10-1 overall (2-0 L-L League). The Braves face another contender in Section 3 when they host Cocalico (5-4 overall, 2-0 L-L League) Thursday night.
“We got Cocalico on Thursday, they’re not going to come to Octorara thinking they’re not going to be able to win.” said Lambert. “That’s the fun part. We know our section is going to be tough.”
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