MONTEAGLE, Tenn. - Senior Dylan Pumpian put 20 points on the board to lead the Stormy Petrels to a 99-94 win over the Covenant Scots in Oglethorpe's season opener on Friday.
Pumpian was followed by Perry Robinson with 19 points, Jordan James with 16, Malachi Dooley with 15 and Willard Thompson debuted with 14. James led in rebounds with 16, followed by Robinson and Jackson Kemp with 11 apiece.
"That was not a fun game," said head coach Philip Ponder after the win. "Covenant plays a style of play that you rarely see, pressing and trapping all over the place. You can't run a play against that defense, so everything we've been working on for the past five weeks was thrown out the window for the night. They had us on our heels, but we made some adjustments and guarded them much better in the second half."
Oglethorpe trailed 92-87 with under four minutes left until finishing the game on a 12-2 run. This finishing run started with a Thompson made 3-pointer, then James tied the game and gave the Petrels the lead with an old-fashioned 3-point play near the three-minute mark.
Covenant tied the game in the final minute, but the tie only lasted a few seconds as Kemp earned a trip to the free throw line where he made two to give Oglethorpe the lead for the final time.
"I like the way we finished up those last four minutes, making some clutch plays on both offense and defense," Ponder continued. "It wasn't pretty, but we will take an ugly win to start the season. Now we have to get ready for an extremely good Huntingdon squad tomorrow."
Dooley was the first to score, easily sinking a three-pointer. Covenant quickly matched the Petrels' pace and was able to hold the lead for most of the half. The game was tied 49-49 with just a minute and a half left in the first period, but the Scots managed to pull ahead to 55-49 by halftime.
The second half opened with a 9-0 run from Oglethorpe, putting the Petrels back on top. The score tied multiple times throughout the rest of the game, and the final few minutes seemed to be in Covenant's hands. Oglethorpe battled to regain control, and the game was tied 94-94 with just 51 seconds left. The Petrels ended the game with a 5-0 run of good free throws to win the game 99-94.
Game Notes
- Three players made their Oglethorpe debut: Thompson, Logan Turner, Jaylon Taylor, and Joe Helenbrook.
- The game was a neutral match hosted by Sewanee.
- Oglethorpe's record against Covenant is now 7-4, winning the past three games.
Up Next
The Petrels will continue to be hosted by Sewanee, facing Huntingdon on Friday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. The first home game will be Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4 p.m. against Warren Wilson.
