Neilson sparks Odessa in win

ODESSA – Corbyn Neilson scored 25 points to lead the Tiger boys to a 63-52 win over Chesterton Academy on Senior Night, Saturday, Jan 27.

From the outset, Neilson had the hot hand for Odessa. In the first quarter, he scored seven points to give his team a 14-10 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, the Knights tied the game 19-19. Thanks to Neilson, they drew no closer.

Within two minutes, he hit three 3-point shots to push Odessa's lead to 32-26 at the half.

Zach Claassen stepped up for the Tigers after the intermission. He used his size to bully the Knights under the basket.

His eight points helped Odessa extend its lead to 11 points going into the fourth quarter.

Neilson and Claassen each hit 3-point shots late in the game to preserve the Tigers' 62-53 win.

Besides Neilson's 25 points, Claassen scored 15, Jacob Scrupps scored nine and Dakota Steward scored seven. Sean DeVore and Chad Strebeck scored three and two points, respectively.

Claassen, Steward and Neilson each pulled down seven rebounds.

Chesterton's Josh Willard and Aidan Mallahan scored 19 and 14 points, respectively.

"It wasn't the best looking game, but we came together in the second half," Scrupps said. "Corbyn Neilson went off in the first half and that really helped."

Scrupps, reflecting on Senior Night, lamented the fact that his basketball career was winding down.

"It's kind of sad that it's almost done," he said. "I've loved it here and hope we can finish strong in the next couple of weeks."

"Since we celebrated our seniors tonight, I think it was an emotional game for them," Odessa head coach Mike Carlquist said. "We played all right but what really matters is how we play next week when the tournament starts. We need our guys to catch fire and for everyone on the team to contribute."

The win improved Odessa's record to 8-9 with two league games remaining. Chesterton fell to 1-11.

The Tigers then fell to Cusick 70-44 Tuesday, Jan. 30 before finishing the regular season versus Valley Christian in a game that tipped after press time Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Odessa qualified for the District 7 1B Tournament and will play Republic in a loser-out game at Inchelium High School at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.