The Knights started down 24-22 to Hersey in the third quarter of Thursday night’s boys’ basketball showdown, but the momentum shifted. The Knights started the second half with layups from junior forward Simon and senior guard Colin Tucker, and one made free throw from senior Anderson Neach. This made the score 27-25, Knights.
But the Huskies (4-0) did not let up on their aggressiveness, which allowed them to pull away for a 60-43 win at the Jean Walker Fieldhouse in the MSL opener for both teams.
Hersey’s big run started with 5:40 to go in the third. Junior forward Jake Nawrot and senior guard Charlie Pomis scored layups to move the score to 29-27.
Then, a steal from senior guard Logan Luxem led to a Wade-to-LeBron style alley-oop to Pomis, who slammed it down.
Pomis continued his dominance, scoring six straight for the Huskies as shots fell with ease.
“[Pomis] is good at basketball,” Knights’ head coach Rathe said. “He is a good athlete.”
During the third quarter, Pomis shot 83.3% (5-6) from the field and 50% (1-2) from behind the arc. He tallied 10 of his 14 total points in the third quarter, leading the charge for the Huskies’ big run.
As a team, the Huskies shot 58.3% (7-12) from the field in the quarter, and 33.3% (1-3) from three.
The Knights (3-2) couldn’t find a way to score a bucket. After the alley-oop, the Knights’ only score was two Tucker free throws, as they got outscored in the quarter 18-7. The Knights shot 32% (8-25) on field goals in the second half.
The Huskies ended the third with a layup from senior Ethan Gries. As the 17-2 Hersey run ended, the Knights found themselves down 42-29 heading into the fourth.
The Knights had plenty of turnover problems in the third.
The Huskies’ defense forced the Knights into throwing bad passes, leading to Hersey scores. The Knights had four turnovers in the quarter and eight in the game.
“They pressure the ball really well,” Rathe said, “We just can’t get sped up on offense as they, you know, are trying to get us to play in a faster tempo.”
In the fourth, not much changed for the Knights.
The Huskies were led in the fourth by Nawrot, who scored eight of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter. His six-foot-five frame and athleticism led to an impressive number of layups. As a team, the Huskies shot an insane 71.4% (15-21) from the field in the second half.
The Knights’ leading scorer was junior Quinn Zinzer, who scored five of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter. Junior Danny Simon finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds, senior Will Sratigos added 6 points off the bench, and senior Anderson Neach had 3 points and 4 rebounds.
The Knights had done a great job containing the Huskies in the first half. The Knights held the Huskies to a 39.1% (9-23) field goal percentage and 33% (2-6) from three-point range. The Huskies did not have a lead in the game until 20 seconds remained in the first quarter.
The Knights shot 47.6% (10-21) from the field and 25% (2-8) from three in the first half.
The first half offense for the Knights was led by Zinzer and Simon, who had eight and six points, respectively, out of the team’s 22. For the Huskies, Nawrot had seven of the team’s twenty-four points in the first half.
“We controlled the tempo in the first half,” Rathe said. “We took the right risks. We took the right attacks, you know, kind of what we planned.”
Overall, the Knights did not shoot well the whole game compared to the Huskies. The Knights shot 39.1% (18-46) from the field, and a total of 22.2% (4-18) from three-point range.
The Huskies shot 54.5% (24-44) from the field, and a total of 40% (4-10) from three.
“That’s the thing with basketball,” Rathe said, “Shooting is shooting, and, you know, you can’t live and die by our shots going in.”
The Knights will try to end their two-game losing streak on Tuesday, Dec. 9, as they visit Wheeling to play the 1-4 Wildcats.
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