The Marietta Men’s basketball team capped off their tremendous play during such an irregular season by winning the OAC tournament championship. The Pioneers were able to overcome all of the challenges that came with COVID-19 and deliver the school their fourth tournament crown in program history. To keep the 2021 surprises going, Marietta saw some unexpected faces on their road to the championship.
Their first game started out as a close one against the number eight seed Otterbein, but the Pioneers were able to pull away ending with a 88-71 final. Senior Jason Ellis led the team in scoring this game totalling 22 points and hitting 6 of his 7 shots from deep. Also playing well was Mason Lydic with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Marietta did what they had to do this round to advance them to the semifinals to play the Quakers who upset the number 2 seed, Heidelberg.
Marietta came to play in the semifinals as they cruised to a victory over Wilmington with a score of 102-68. The Pioneers were in control the entire game as they finished their first half up 20 points and continued their excellent play to finish the game out. The entire Pioneers team was on a mission proven by 6 players scoring double digits. It was a collective team game of dominance, and the boys advanced to the finals to play an unexpected winner of Muskingum and Ohio Northern.
The other side of the bracket was also full of upsets as the number 6 ranked Muskingum was able to upset the number 3 ranked Mount Union Raiders, and Ohio Northern was also able to upset John Carroll. Ohio Northern defeated Muskingum in the semifinals to advance to play the 11-1 Pioneers in the championship.
The Pioneers continued to prevail by defeating all obstacles of that challenging season and were crowned the champion over the Ohio Northern Polar Bears with a final score of 100-49. The large win margin of 51 points was the highest difference in an OAC championship game ever.
It was a Cinderella story for the senior Jason Ellis as he finished his career with a statement. He scored the first 13 points of the game, including his fourth point of the game which made him a 1,000 point scorer. He has joined the members of the 1,000 point club, becoming only the 36th player to accomplish this achievement. After winning the championship, he was also named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
When asked how it felt to defeat the challenges of the season, Ellis responded, “It felt amazing. All of our hard work that we put in during the preseason paid off. We battled through adversity this year and stayed together as a team and ended up on top.”
Marietta played well in the first half and went into the midway point with a 43-30 advantage. The Pioneers took flight in the second half, as they outscored the Polar Bears 57-19. The Pioneers proved why they won the regular season conference title and paved their way there through the tournament to earn their crown.
Also playing well for the Pioneers in the championship game was Tim Kreeger adding 11 points and Mason Lydic contributing 10. Senior Kyle Matoszkia contributed by hauling in a career high 17 boards in his final game as a Pioneer.
The Marietta Men’s basketball team capped off an exceptional regular season with an even more impressive tournament run through all the uncertainty and obstacles created during the pandemic. Their ability to overcome adversity and their hard work will be displayed when they are awarded their new shiny piece of jewelry, the OAC Championship Ring.
By Logan Domer
