SECOND HALF WIND: Tied at half, Dons pull away late for OFC win over Royals

DONIPHAN — The Doniphan Dons defeated the Twin Rivers Royals 56-43 in a home game Friday night in which tough defense and offensive patience turned out to be the difference.

In a matchup of two teams each dynamic scorers on each side, the game promised to be a close, back-and-forth struggle from the outset, and the contest played according to script — except when it came to scoring.

Twin Rivers’ Colton Hargraves led all scorers with 13 points. Doniphan’s top scorer was point guard Ben Killian with 12 points, while teammates Max Owen, Kam Barton and Emmitt Jones each scored 11 points.

Both teams struggled to score early on, with Twin Rivers taking an 10-5 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter.

“We knew it would be a tough game,” said Doniphan head coach Daniel Cagle. “It’s always a battle against Twin Rivers. They’re scrappy, and they find a way to keep the game close.”

A steal by Owen led to a slam dunk that electrified the home crowd. J.D. Burton followed with a layup, Emmitt Jones hit one free throw and missed the second, but Owen put the rebound in for two, and Doniphan held a 12-10 lead at the end of the first.

The second quarter was marked by smothering defense from both teams leading to several turnovers but not much scoring.

Twin Rivers eked out a 23-21 lead as time expired in the first half, but Doniphan’s Jones hit a last-second layup to send the game to halftime tied at 23.

Twin Rivers’ Hargraves led the first half scoring with 11 points. Doniphan’s usual top offensive players, Owen and Barton, were held to four and six points, respectively.

Doniphan game out strong in the third quarter, using a combination of effective shooting and tough defense to carve out a 32-27 lead with two minutes left in the period.

“I stressed to stay consistent on defense, and then our best offense is going to be off of our defense,” Cagle said.

A 3-pointer by Doniphan’s Killian extended the Dons’ lead to 37-31 at the end of the third.

“I thought we lost our composure, and that’s something we want to make sure we fix this month,” said Twin Rivers head coach Seth McBroom. “We have a real tough schedule and we’re going to be in a lot of games like this.”

A pair of 3-pointers from Twin Rivers’ Hargraves and Jagger Crismon cut the score to 38-37 with six minutes left in the game.

“Our boys are good guys,” McBroom said, “and they’re always going to play hard.”

Owen continued to struggle with scoring, missing a series of three-pointers and layups until he found an open shot under the basket to give the Dons a 46-41 lead with two minutes remaining.

Owen came through next with a crucial 3-pointer from the baseline. Killian followed that with a steal, an open layup, and two foul shots to open up a 53-41 lead with one minute left.

“I think we just kind of lost our really just our focus on the offensive end, on working the ball and getting a decent shot,” McBroom said.

Doniphan turned to ball-control offense to run out the clock, leaving the Royals with no choice but to foul. The Dons converted three of four chances at the line to end the game and seal the win.

“My guys knew it was a big game, so they came out and played hard,” Cagle said.