It was pretty, and then it wasn’t. The Red Scare went into the Elam Ending of the quarterfinals of the TBT up by double digits, ready to put 8 points on the board over the next few minutes and finish the game.
The Flyers would go ice cold, only gaining 7 of the required 8 points to end the game while they saw their opponents climb back to be within 7 points of winning. The meltdown by the Red Scare would end up being for naught, as Devin Oliver rebounded a missed jump shot to then out-letting to Trey Landers for a breakaway dunk to seal the deal.
The Red Scare is going the Final Four.
Granted, this is just The Basketball Tournament, but this means something special to Dayton fans, who had their dream season cut short in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a make-up for that. For a team that was #3 in the country and poised to make a Final Four run of their own, this one feels just as special for Flyer fans. You can only imagine how it feels for Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell, who were members of that team. Because it is that special, let’s type it out again.
The Red Scare is going to the Final Four.
Let’s get to the takeaways from this game.
This Team Can Beat Anyone
I will out myself and admit, I thought House of Paign had the more talented team. They had two star players and a very good supporting cast. I thought it would be too tall of a task for our Flyers. I was very wrong, as Trey Landers provided the much needed stifling defense against the Illini’s top player, Mike Daum. A combination of Darrell Davis and Ryan Mikesell took care of Andrew Feliz, the other star player on this Illini team. Most of the analysts following the TBT thought House of Paign was too good for Red Scare too. What does that tell you? It doesn’t matter who is on the other team or how badly they beat their previous opponents; this Red Scare team can beat anyone.
This Team Doesn’t Have a Best Player
On Wednesday, Darrell Davis led the team with 15 points, but also had three other players score in double figures. Today, Trey Landers led all scorers with 19 points. Ryan McMahon went another day with 4 threes. Trevor Thompson had another great day scoring double figures again. Ryan Mikesell had another great day with 16 points of his own. Devin Oliver was putrid on Wednesday, bu posted a double-double today. This team doesn’t have a best player because when this team is on its game, there are multiple guys that can hurt you. Whether it’s the Ryans from deep, Thompson working his way to the rim on the low block, Landers playing tough defense, or Darrell and Devin creating different ways to score, this team can attack and play in just about any way imaginable. That’s a problem for any team they go up against.
The Ryans are a Thing Now.
Ryan Mikesell and Ryan McMahon go together like peas and carrots. These two guys shoot the three and can create to get their own buckets, whether it be from three or driving to the hoop. Knowing our boy Chip, he is concerned with his plus/minus out there on the court. Well, Ryan #2 is just, if not, more effective in that category. McMahon finished with a +14, while Mikesell finished with a +4, dropping from a +10 early on in the game. Obviously the end of the game took away from some of Chip’s plus/minus, but these two guys being out on the court the most will help this team be really successful in their next game.
Don’t Mess with the Elam Ending
I think the Red Scare learned a valuable lesson today; they shouldn’t mess with any kind of lead during the Elam Ending. They were up by at least 25 points and were matching points with House of Paign during the Elam Ending to get within 2. They seemed to really let go of a lot of the energy and intensity that they had all game long, especially in the 4th quarter before the Elam Ending. Credit to House of Paign for ramping up their defensive intensity to not allow easy buckets and to only let Red Scare shoot contested shots. They came all the way back to be within two possessions of winning. Luckily for the Red Scare, Landers thought of a good way to get those two points in a way of a break-out after a defensive rebound. It was kind of out of the Obi Toppin playbook. Nonetheless, the Red Scare got out of there with a win. They will definitely talk about that ending as a team before their next game.
Other Important Notes
- Kyle Davis had a bad day. It happens. He’ll be all right.
- Jalen Robinson played 2 minutes today. Hope everything is ok with him.
- Devin Oliver had a nice bounce back game on defense but also put up 10 points and 11 rebounds.
- Trevor Thompson and Ryan McMahon don’t need to buy another beer in Dayton ever again.
Up Next
The Red Scare play their Final Four game against Golden Eagles Alumni, the Marquette team. The game is on Sunday, July 12th at 4:00 PM EST on ESPN.
The Golden Eagles Alumni have made it to the Final Four of TBT in 2018 and 2019. They were the runners-up in 2019 TBT, losing to Carmen’s Crew in the championship game.