Steady as she goes, Otsego's crew logs win over South Haven

Otsego's Carl Nord shoots a layup | Craig Powers, Powers Media

Complete pictures from this game (over 50 pics) can be found here.

They say the gauge of a great player is the effect he has on his teammates.  While the Klein brothers, Derek and Jared, justifiably garner the lion’s share of the publicity for Otsego’s success, the versatility of the Bulldogs is telling.  Their 12-1 record speaks of their consistency, which extends far beyond any good players.  On any given night, Otsego can beat their opponents in a number of different ways.  On Friday night, in a 74-64 victory over rival South Haven, they showed at least four:

South Haven's Michael Walker drives to the hole | Craig Powers, Powers Media

1. Carl Nord — Junior forward Carl Nord is undersized for his position.  He spends the vast majority of his time underneath the basket on both ends, and he stands only 6-1 (as listed in the program).  He rarely handles the ball, and has little in the way of a jumpshot.  All that, and he’s shooting around 80% from the field on the season.

Nord has an ability to move without the ball that is tremendously effective and remarkably smooth, and always seems to end with him standing by himself underneath the basket.  On Friday, Nord found himself in familiar territory on multiple occasions in the first half, scoring 17 of his team-high 23-points to help the Bulldogs keep pace early.

2. Jared Klein — Sophomore point guard Jared Klein is traditionally Otsego’s first option (1-A, maybe).  He struggled on Friday to hit a shot, and while his penetration was effective he was unable to finish at the hoop.  He ended the game with a relatively unimpressive 12-points.  However, not only was he responsible for catalyzing Otsego’s businesslike attitude when they found themselves down seven after the first quarter, his penetration and dish strategy was also frequently responsible for his teammates’ layups.

3. Derek Klein — Senior forward Derek Klein is an interesting breed.  He’s 6-5, clogs the middle of the lane in the 2-3 zone, rebounds like a man among boys and yet might as well be a 2-guard.  His shooting range extends past 20-feet, and even towering over his opponents he can handle the ball in traffic.  As Otsego’s other first option (1-B, maybe), the elder Klein scored 21-points on Friday and dished out a handful of assists.

4. The Crew — Down nine points early in the second quarter, Otsego rallied on a 25-4 run to pull ahead by 12, a run in which five different Bulldogs scored.  Junior guard Nolan Potter took the ball coast to coast and slashed to the hoop, finishing with 11-points, while senior forward Jeremy Metz was active around the hoop.  In a hotly contested game of runs, Otsego’s crew was the glue that kept the Bulldogs moving steadily in the right direction.

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