By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Derek Reece Jr. (Springfield/Toledo, Ohio) and Rico Stafford (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) each had a team-high 21 points to lead to Owens Community College men's basketball team past Kellogg Community College 91-61 in the SHAC tonight.
With the win, Owens enters its holiday break with a 9-4 record overall. They will be back in action on Dec. 30 at home against Jackson College beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Tonight's game, which was the home debut of new head coach Dennis Springs, saw Owens produce an 11-0 run that helped them take a 19-7 lead through six minutes. Curtis Trigg, who had 22 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, led an 8-0 charge that pulled Kellogg within three with 6:34 left in the half.
Shondell Jackson (Warren Harding/Warren, Ohio) responded with back-to-back layups that started a 9-0 run. Stafford closed the run with a layup that gave Owens a 38-24 lead with 3:25 left. Jamiri Bennett (Maumee/Toledo, Ohio) made a layup in traffic late in the half before Trigg scored the final points to get his team within 12 at halftime.
Owens hovered around that margin until a dunk from Stafford started a 6-0 spurt to give his team an 18-point lead. Marquevious Wilson (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) then scored seven straight points, and then another 3-pointer from Jamerson later gave Owens a 21 point lead with just under six minutes left.
Mason Durden (Whitmer/Toledo, Ohio) joined the scoring with a jumper late, and Stafford scored the game's final four points, which including a tip-in with a few seconds left to give Owens a 30-point win.
Reece totaled 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, along with a 5-for-6 free throw performance. He added seven rebounds (four offensive) and two steals. Stafford totaled his 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and he added seven rebounds (four offensive) and four steals.
Jamerson added his second double-double of the season with 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, 11 rebounds (three offensive) and three steals. Jackson was the fourth player in double figures with 10, and he added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio) added nine assists for the third consecutive game. The nation's second best assist producer has at least seven assists in seven straight games, and he is averaging 8.5 per game this year.
Aside from Trigg, Kellogg (4-7) also got 11 points from Emmett Harrison.