In an early Wednesday afternoon school day game at the Paycom Center, the nearly 9,000 kids got their money’s worth with the Oklahoma City Blue taking down the Raptors 905 123-119 in overtime.
The loss marked the fifth in the last six games for the 905, who now sit out of a playoff spot at 12-9 after leading the Eastern Conference just a couple of weeks ago.
The first half of the first quarter was played at a pretty slow pace, with two players in particular shining early: Jamison Battle and Branden Carlson. Both players would nail a pair of triples within the first five minutes (Carlson, the former 905er, would finish the quarter with 11 points), as the teams would be tied up at 10 a piece midway through the quarter. The pace would pick up for the remaining of the opening frame — which generally plays into the 905’s favour — but it would be Oklahoma City jumping out to a lead, 23-16. The 905 would battle back within the final moments of the quarter, ending the first on an 11-2 run to tie things up 35-35 heading into the second.
The 905 carried that momentum into the second quarter, breaking the game wide open. The junior Dinos only allowed five points in the first five minutes of the frame, jumping out to a 53-40 lead and extending their run to 29-7. It was all Toronto, Ontario raised and former member of the Blue Eugene Omoruyi, who would finish with 10 points in the quarter. An immediate 18-6 run by the Blue, led by former 905er Jahm’ius Ramsey, would bring Oklahoma City within one with four minutes to go. It would be back and forth the rest of the way as the offence continued to pour in, with the 905 taking the lead 71-66 at the break.
Jamison Battle (10 points), Eugene Omoruyi (16 points), Frank Kaminsky (12 points), and Kennedy Chandler (10 points) all finished in double figures after the first half, as former 905ers Jahmi’us Ramsey and Branden Carlson led the way for the Blue. The pair combined for 29 points, nearly half of Oklahoma City’s first half total.
The third quarter would not see a change in offensive output, as the teams would combine for 56 points in the frame. It would be the Blue taking the lead by the time the buzzer sounded after the third 97-96, behind some more great play from Ramsey and Miller Kopp. There would be some unfortunate injury news for the 905, however, with both Jamison Battle and Dylan Disu being ruled out. Battle took a high hit on a screen from Carlson while Disu seemingly re-aggravated a foot injury that kept him out for nearly two months.
The fourth quarter would come to a standstill to start, with the first bucket not coming until 9:25 left in the frame. It would be back-and-forth until the final moments, tied 115-115 when Kopp had a chance to end the game in regulation with a wide-open three, but it would rim out.
Overtime it is.
And it would be all Dillon Jones, scoring the winning basket and scoring six of the seven points for the Blue in the extra period.
Notable performances:
Raptors 905:
Eugene Omoruyi 27 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks
Frank Kaminsky 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one steal
Evan Gilyard II 14 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals
Kennedy Chandler 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal
Oklahoma City Blue:
Jahmi’us Ramsey 27 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist
Dillon Jones 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and one steal
Branden Carlson 18 points, six rebounds, six blocks, two assists, and two steals
Cormac Ryan 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists
