Newman, McCarty hang on to beat Oregon in double overtime

STERLING – The hair covering Noah McCarty's forehead was drenched in sweat as he talked about his team's mental
toughness.

But it was the physical effort that summoned the sweat, and helped Newman down the stretch to pull out a 68-65 double-overtime win over Oregon in the championship game of the Newman Christmas Classic on Wednesday.

“For us to hang in there for two overtimes took a lot of toughness,” said McCarty, who had a monster game with 25 points and 19 rebounds. “It shows that we can be a tough team, and that we can battle and hang with a good team.”

Just about every missed shot ended up in McCarty’s hands, and he had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10 boards. His play helped the Comets to a 33-22 halftime lead, one Newman (12-2) watched evaporate in the third quarter.

Oregon, after struggling to find any sort of consistency in the first half, opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, and eventually took the lead and went into the fourth up 42-41.

The Hawks’ two-headed attack of Trevor Otten and Arne Wendler was countered by McCarty, an NIU commit.

Wendler, a 6-foot-5 post threat, finished with 23 points and put the Hawks up 59-58 with 29 seconds left in the game. On the ensuing possession, McCarty was fouled at the rim and made one of his two foul shots, tying the score at 59.

Oregon’s Jerrick Orsted had an open mid-range look to win the game, but his shot circled the rim and fell out, sending the game to overtime.

While McCarty carried the bulk of the load, Newman got help from all over its roster. Reserve sophomore guard Travis Williams scored all of his 10 points from the fourth quarter on, and sank four crucial free throws in double overtime to provide a slim cushion.

“I started off slow, but tried to keep at it,” said Williams, who recorded a missed shot, a rebound and an assist through the first three quarters. “My teammates kept encouraging me, and I felt their support on the [foul line].”

The extra sessions were familiar for Newman and Oregon (11-4), as the teams went to overtime in the Forreston tournament the last time they met. There, the Hawks pulled out a two-point win, but there would be no repeat as Newman pulled away this time in the second overtime.

Despite a good offensive show, players said the game came down to defense. Newman opened the game with a man defense, but switched to a 1-3-1 zone in the second half which effectively sealed off the paint and forced Oregon to work around the perimeter.

“That [zone] worked better for us,” McCarty said. “There wasn’t much room down there for them to drive.”

Otten took advantage of the perimeter game, hitting four 3s, but the lack of an inside game hurt Oregon in the final stretch. Trailing 68-65 in the second overtime, Otten hung around the 3-point arc waiting for an open look that never came.

Instead, Otten, who finished 8-for-15 for a game-high 27 points, was forced to try a deep, contested 3 from the left wing that fell short as time expired.

“Switching to that 1-3-1 was a good call by [Newman] coach [Ray] Sharp,” Otten said. “We fought back all game and had a chance, but came up short. I had a couple of looks, but I missed too many shots.”

Boys basketball

Newman tournament

Championship

Newman 68, Oregon 65, 2OT

Star of the game: Noah McCarty, Newman, 25 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists

Key performers: Trevor Otten, Oregon, 27 points, 3 rebounds; Arne Wendler, Oregon, 23 points, 7 rebounds

Up next: Winnebago at Oregon, 7:15 p.m. Jan. 7; Newman at Erie, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8