Rattlers Bite Broncos
The Olds Broncos headed into the Snake Pit to take on the Medicine Hat College Rattlers. The game started with a fury between the two teams both in black and gold. Medicine Hat busted out of the gate with a fast 10-2 run. This was thanks in large part to Rattlers' Omon Edobar, Jusci Thompson, and Jamel Slack. The trip was flying all over early and converting on almost every trip down the court. On the Inside Deangelo Ashley started to work as well. Snatching up rebounds and getting to the line. The Rattlers held the early control. At the midway point in the first, the Medicine Hat side held an 18-6 lead. With the Rattlers starting to bring in their bench, the Broncos were able to start to close the gap. Now only 10, Olds continued to push. The game became more back and forth with mistakes on both ends. The Broncos were able to close the lead with a late 3, they still trailed the Rattlers 18-25.
The second quarter started with a great inside move from Deangelo Ashley for the Rattlers and a Huge block for Ashley on the Defensive end. This gave the Rattlers back an 11 point cushion. And Alley-oop from Omon Edobar to D'shawn Tyrell got the crowd going in the Snake Pit. As the game settled in again, the play became back and forth with the teams trading baskets. Neither team able to gain a big advantage as the quarter moved past the halfway point. Up by 11, Medicine Hat did not look satisfied as their team meeting was still heated as they believed 11 was still too close. Coming out of the timeout the Rattlers started to play tougher. The Broncos were only able to shoot from outside as Ashley was Patrolling the Key with reckless abandon for the Rattlers. At the end of the half the Rattlers were able to hold on to their 11 point lead, closing out the half 44-33.
The Olds Broncos opened the second half with a quick basket. The Rattlers answered right back with a quick 3. Play moved quickly in the frame with both teams getting shots up quickly. This seemed to favor the visiting Broncos as they closed the gap. This was quickly stopped with an offensive flurry from the Rattlers. Medicine Hat regained and increased their lead, now up 60-45 with 3:36 on the clock. This flurry forced Olds to regroup calling a timeout. With the lead increasing tensions raised when a battle under the basket became a little more than a battle. As tensions flared Rattler Deangelo Ashley and Bronco Jouvon Edison both received Technical fouls. This was Edison's fifth and saw him sitting for the game early. This jostling match saw the Referees calling the game much tighter after the incident. The Rattlers were able to hold on to a 66-54 lead at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with offence on both ends. Back to back offensive fouls from Medicine Hat stalled their attack. This allowed the Olds squad back in the game reducing the Rattler lead to 9. The lead still unsafe, Medicine Hat again started to push the ball. A second huge alley-oop this time from Edobar to Jamel Slack saw the Medicine Hat crowd ignited with new energy. A big run saw the Medicine Hat Rattlers up by 20, 79-59 with 3:53 left on the clock. This caused the Broncos to burn their second timeout. With the clock inside two, Medicine Hat started to go deeper into their bench. The bench seemed to handle their own maintaining the lead. As the clock ticked lower and lower the end result was all but written as the Rattlers started to run out what was left of the clock. A 92-67 finish for the home side. A more favorable result than the week previous.
Your ACAC Players of the game from Olds was Karan Gill, and from Medicine Hat, Omon Edobar.