Sherman Scores 35 in 109-79 Win Over Shawnee State
Omar Sherman delivers 2 of his 35 points on Saturday against Shawnee State.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas) was an unstoppable force Saturday as he guided the William Penn men’s basketball team to a 109-79 non-conference victory over Shawnee State in the finale of Wendy’s Classic.
Both teams had lackluster outings the night prior, and #2 WPU (9-0) especially was challenged by its coaching staff to improve in all facets and the Statesmen did that and more. The navy and gold outshot the Bears (4-3) 58.1%-44.6%, including a 47.1% clip from behind the arc after shooting only 28.6% from long distance Friday.
Just as they did against Wright State Lake in the Classic opener, the Statesmen took a huge lead early, scoring the first 10 points of the matchup. SSU finally broke through, but the advantage was in double figures for much of the first stanza. The visitors rallied to pull within four twice late, but WPU managed the last nine points of the half for a 57-44 edge.
The hosts, who were actually outrebounded 40-39, were never threatened in the second period. Not only was the offense a strong suit for the navy and gold, their defense was also on point, forcing 28 mistakes (17 for WPU) which led to a 28-12 margin in points off turnovers.
Four Statesmen reached double digits, but it was the Sherman Show all afternoon as he was 17-for-25 from the floor for a season-high 35 points. The senior, who also had three blocks, two assists, and two steals, pulled down 10 boards as well for a double-double effort.
Marlon Alcindor (Sr., Queens, N.Y.) shook off a tough performance the night before by going 5-for-9 overall (3-for-5 3-PT) as part of a 13-point game. Q Cager (Fr., Hopkinsville, Ky.) matched Alcindor’s point total to top the bench personnel, while TaJuan Johnson (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) joined the double-digit club with 12 points.
Mario Manuel (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management) and Eddie Daley (So., DeWitt, Mich., Sports Management) both contributed nine points, while Abrian Edwards (Sr., Austin, Texas) finished with seven points in addition to 12 assists and three steals. Entering Saturday, Edwards topped NAIA Division I with 9.4 assists, but his showing against the Bears moved that clip to 9.7.
William Penn, which hit the century mark for the sixth time this campaign, overcame a less-than-stellar outing at the line, ending up just 15-for-27.
“This was a great holiday week for us,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We picked up three quality wins and we continue to improve. I like where our defense is and where it might be headed. We still need to rebound better and limit our turnovers, but we are getting there overall.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Monday to resume Heart of America Athletic Conference play, hosting rival Grand View in the Annual TP Game at 7:30 p.m.
