Sullivan holds on despite late SJO rally for 59-55 road win

St. Joseph-Ogden dropped a 59-55 decision to visiting Sullivan on Jan. 5 after a late fourth-quarter push.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Hayden Dahl looks to make a pass in SJO's home game against Sullivan. Dahl finished the game with 8 points and 11 rebounds in the Spartans' non-conference loss last Monday. See more photos from St. Joseph-Ogden's home game against Sullivan.

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ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden led early and battled to the final minute, but a cold stretch and timely second-half scoring from Sullivan proved costly in a 59-55 loss to the visiting Redskins on Monday, Jan. 5.

The setback marked a third consecutive defeat for the Spartans, who slipped to 9-4 on the season. Sullivan improved to 10-6 with the road win.

St. Joseph-Ogden opened the game with energy, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on an early three-pointer from Katie Ericksen and maintaining control throughout the first quarter. The Spartans stretched the margin to seven points during the period, using crisp ball movement and patient shot selection to keep Sullivan on its heels.

Momentum shifted early in the second quarter. After nearly three and a half minutes of play, Sullivan grabbed a 19-18 lead and used the final 4 minutes and 38 seconds of the half to build an eight-point advantage. St. Joseph-Ogden struggled to find rhythm offensively during the stretch, managing just one field goal, a three-pointer from Addie Brooks, while turnovers added to the challenge.

"We didn't relly come out in the second quarter as a team," Brooks said. "It took us a little too long to come back together and pull through. We got to fix that in practice."

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Kayla Osterbur tries to get around a Sullivan player for another rebound. The senior finished the game with a double-double.

Sullivan carried that momentum into the third quarter, pushing its lead to double digits on three occasions. Freshman Elin Watkins began to assert herself offensively, attacking gaps and finishing in transition as the Redskins created separation. Still, the Spartans remained composed and methodically worked their way back into the game.

In the fourth quarter, St. Joseph-Ogden closed within 54-52 on a basket from Kayla Osterbur, bringing the crowd to its feet. Osterbur scored once more before fouling out with 1:05 remaining, with the Spartans trailing by three. After her exit, St. Joseph-Ogden managed just one additional free throw down the stretch.

"I was disappointed in our effort on both ends of the floor. We weren't very crisp," said head coach Brian Brooks. "I'm not taking anything away from them (Sullivan). They capitalized on it."

Brooks said the number of game over the past two weeks, coupled with weather-related cancellations hadn't given the team ample time to practice.

"We've played a lot of games lately. We haven't been practicing because it, not enough, and it is showing right now," he said. "We've lost three, one or two possession games in the last week. That can't happen."

Addie Brooks led the Spartans with 17 points, connecting on five three-pointers and going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Osterbur posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Hayden Dahl added eight points and 11 boards. Ericksen finished with nine points and eight assists, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley chipped in six.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartan head coach Brian Brooks make a strategy change in the fourth quarter that helped SJO get within two points of tying the game. St. Joseph-Ogden has suffered three consecutive losses by four or fewer points.

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Watkins led all scorers with 20 points for Sullivan, 16 coming in the second half. Senior Aeralyn Thrasher added 18 as the Redskins secured their second win in three games.

The Spartans turned the ball over 16 times.

"We gave them a lot of possessions on both ends of the floor," Brooks said. "We just got to get back to what we do in practice. We had some great practice habits early in the season. We've got to get back to that."

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