In an electric sold-out Spaulding Gymnasium, the Owls of Keene State took on the Wolves of Western Connecticut State University (WestConn) in the championship game of the Little East Conference.
The Wolves started on the front foot in the first ten minutes of the game, taking a four-point lead four minutes into the first half. However, thanks to big buckets by junior Ryan Blakey and senior Octavio Brito, the Owls quickly jumped ahead by nearly 20 points, with the first half coming to a close.
Each team struggled heavily behind the three-point line in the first half. Blakey scored the Owls’ only three-pointer and Cameron Gallon scored the lone three for the Wolves.
Going into the second half, the crowd was buzzing to see KSC continue to dominate the game. The Owls followed suit and kept their lead and slowly extended it to 21 with 14 minutes to play in the game.
Sophomore Wesley Odiase went on a tear. After scoring his 13th point of the game, a three-point shot from long range, Odiase cut through the paint and slammed the ball home with a one-handed dunk. Spaulding Gymnasium erupted, and WestConn had no choice but to call a timeout to try to save their team from this momentum push. Odiase did not let this phase him, scoring another three with 11 minutes to play.
With 7:45 left in the game, the Owls were leading by 29 points. The Wolves began to foul the Owls out of frustration. This in turn caused Wolf Jordan Belcher to foul out. At this point in the game, it was a matter of just making it to the end. Soon after a timeout, Head Coach Steven Enright made some changes and put in players such as juniors Liam Johnston and Mitch Shettles.
The Wolves made a slight comeback, inching within 14 points with 2:15 to play. However, this was not enough. Keene State finished on top 80-67. This win secured their fourth straight conference tournament win. For the Owls, this was expected.
Enright said post-game, “We did what we expected to do,” adding, “This senior class should be honored and remembered for the rest of Keene State basketball’s existence.”
Brito was awarded Little East Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player after the game. However, in this game, Brito stood back and let his teammates get some love. Odiase nearly had a double-double and attributed his success to his roommate, Brito.
“[Brito] is my roommate, I get to see the behind-the-scenes,” Odiase said. “The hard work, the little things he puts in off the court.” Odiase said he believes Brito’s work rate inspires Odiase to improve himself.
Carson Flake can be contacted at
cflake@kscequinox.com
