Osceola gallop like Ranchers past Toronto, open home stand with 120-116 win

The Osceola Ranchers are 1-0.

Don't be confused. The Osceola Magic, sporting commemorative jerseys harkening to the area's ranching heritage and calling themselves the Ranchers for the night, the NBA G League team won a game that featured a number of scoring runs, defeating Toronto Raptors 905, 120-116 Monday at the Silver Spurs Arena.

The game was the start of four home games in six games, eight home games in the final 10 regular season games and 10 games in 19 days, with another four home games March 25-30. The Magic will be back at it at home Wednesday against Toronto, then Friday and Saturday against the Long Island Nets.

Osceola (17-8) rallied from down as many as 14 in the fourth quarter to win Monday and take the lead in the G League Eastern Conference, thanks to the Maine Celtics' 122-101 win over the Delaware Blue Coats.  Coach Dylan Murphy said he wasn't surprised by the comeback when players like Trevelin Queen, who led Osceola with 32 points and 10 assists, Miye Oni and Jett Howard (20 each) and D.J. Wilson (21) starting making plays in bunches.

"We've got a bunch of super-competitive guys who want to win," Murphy said. "They get the intensity it takes to win at the professional level, whether we're up, down, 10, 20, 30, they continue to fight. This was one of the easier ones with the wild swings. It's a recognition that we gotta do more. I never worry about our guys' intensity. Tonight was one of those nights we didn't shoot the ball well (in stretches) so we gotta crash (the boards), defend better, get those 50/50 balls."

Behind the hot early shooting of Jett Howard, Trevelin Queen and Alex Morales -- who started at point guard Monday for Mac McClung, who sat out with a lingering injury -- the Ranchers rode out to an early 32-22 lead and a 34-27 advantage after one quarter. But Toronto heated up in the second quarter, outscoring Osceola 35-27 and taking a 62-59 lead to halftime. Toronto's Kobi Simmons had 24 of his 36 points by halftime,

The Ranchers missed scoring opportunities in that quarter; on successive trips down court, Queen missed a dunk at Osceola missed three 1-for-2 free throws. 

Osceola couldn't counter Toronto's scoring and chip into the lead, which was nine (74-65) midway through the third quarter and 10 (92-82) entering the fourth. But, with Orlando Magic player Caleb Houston from Orlando in the house looking on, the G League team did the NBA team proud, opening the fourth quarter hot on offense and defense. Osceola chipped away at the lead, when Queen was hit a 3 and was fouled for a four-point play and Wilson hit 3s on back-to-back possessions, Toronto's lead was down to 96-94, and when Daeqwon Plowden buried a 3 from the corner right in front of the Raptors' bench, Osceola took a 97-96 lead with seven minutes left, and would not trail again.

Thanks to a 21-4 run, Osceola ran the lead to 103-96 with four minutes remaining. Drake Jeffries drilled a pair of 3s in the last two minutes, but the Ranchers scored on jumpers by Plowden, Queen and Howard around them to keep the lead built. And on a night were Osceola was just 11-of-17 from the free throw line, Queen iced the game by going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 36 seconds.

Queen said he's committed to making the right play each time to help the team win.

"We stuck to the game plan and believed in one another. My thing isn't to make the big play, it's to make the right play, whether it's scoring or dishing it off," he said. "I've been working hard on controlling the game and being the best leader I can. It's crunch time now, so there's a championship mindset. But regardless of the standings, I'm focused on winning. 

Murphy said he can definitely tell the intensity level is rising in the locker room and on the bench with the G League season coming down to the wire.

"The guys know what the stakes are. We want to make the playoffs first, then get as high a seed as possible and play at home (in the playoffs). These things matter and we're gonna fight every night, tired or not."