Explosion runs past Oakland County

ELIDA — It was close who got the biggest cheer of the day.

Greg Tyson’s high-flying breakaway slam brought down the house. But probably a louder ovation was given to front-row spectator 100-year-old Lucy Mathers, who stood and waved to the crowd when she was announced.

The Lima Explosion put on a good show for Mathers and about 600 fans with a 122-96 victory over Oakland County Sunday at the Elida Fieldhouse.

Lima, ranked No. 24 in the nation in the ABA, stands 10-3.

Bryant Austin (Indiana Tech) led the way for the Explosion with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Austin was born in Lima, but went to high school at Hilliard Darby.

Tyson (Heidelberg/Lima Senior) had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. D’Angelo Jordan (Tiffin) had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

In all, the Explosion had seven players in double figures. Kyle Gillette (UNOH) controlled the inside with 15 points and 12 rebounds. James Hicks (Indiana Tech) had 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Willie Tisdale (Cameron/Lima Senior) had 13 points.

“I wanted to establish a post game early in the second half. We wanted to go inside more and we felt that was our advantage,” Explosion coach Quincey Simpson said. “We were able to do so and it made our outside shooting wide open.”

Oakland County’s bus from Detroit was delayed coming down I-75 and the game started an hour late.

That didn’t bother the Explosion early, as they ripped out to a 13-5 lead. Tyson’s steal in the backcourt and fast-break, rim-rattling, slam made it a 22-15.

Tyson, a two-time NCAA Division III national long jump champion, proved he still has plenty of spring in his legs.

“I stay in the gym and try to keep the hopping ability going,” Tyson said with a laugh. “It’s always good when you have dunk like that to get everyone in the game. Anytime you can have a play like that and get the crowd going, it’s great for them and it’s great for us because it gets us going and pressing.”

Lima led 29-20 after the first quarter and 56-42 at the half.

The Explosion pulled out to a 20-point lead, 68-48, with 9:41 left in the third. Oakland County came back behind John Head, who scored 18 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter.

The Cowboys got within 10, 73-63, with 5:10 left in the third. Austin then hit a layup, Tisdale drained a 3-pointer and Austin sank a long-range 3-pointer.

That quickly pushed the Explosion’s lead to 81-63. They were never challenged the rest of the night.

Austin also did a better job, defensivley, on Oakland guard Brandon Cassise (Oakland U.), who had 18 points, but only four in the second half.

“That was an emphasis at halftime,” Austin said. “He really runs the team, so without him, their team really can’t go.”

Lima’s next scheduled game is at 3 p.m. Feb. 12 against Chicago at the Elida Fieldhouse. Chicago, ranked No. 5, is 2-0 against the Explosion.

“Playing competition like that (Chicago) is always a good thing and there’s a lot of trash talking from them,” Tyson said. “It’s kind of turning into a rivalry just from the simple aspect of the back-and-forth and being real physical. You have to play real physical against a team like that. We’re not going to back down from any team we play.”

Explosion notes: Lima guard Clyde McKinney (Indiana Tech) was out with a separated shoulder he suffered last week against Chicago. ... The playoffs will be based on the national rankings. With Lima being ranked No. 24, the Explosion could host a round-robin regional in mid-March.