AJ Hall was the hero for Cardington-Lincoln (7-2, 4-0), making an and-one play to secure a 51-49 win over Northmor (7-4, 3-1) with less than a minute on the clock. The win gives the Pirates sole possession of first place in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
“We are feeling great after the game,” said Cardington-Lincoln Coach Jason Rice. “We told the boys this was a big game for us and was proud of the boys the way they responded. We didn’t play our best game by any means but we had several guys step up in crucial moments.”
Merek McClure gave Cardington-Lincoln a 7-4 lead on a three, but Northmor was able to score the next four points to make it an 8-7 Golden Knight lead. Hunter Fulk of Northmor stole an inbound pass, but it was quickly stolen back by AJ Brehm of the Pirates. Northmor went on to take a 13-9 lead on a three for Grant Bentley, which is how the first quarter would end.
In the second quarter, Jax Wenger stole a pass and scored on a fast break layup to make it a 15-9 game in favor of Northmor. The Pirates battled and tied the game at 17-17, and when Northmor was making a move to the basket Isaiah Ward swooped in for a steal. Cardington-Lincoln went up 21-18, and Brayden Lackey helped secure this lead with a big block near the basket. Hall went on to hit a very deep three to put Cardington-Lincoln up 28-24 at the end of the half.
The Pirates outscored the Golden Knights 15-14 in the third quarter, led by seven points for McClure. It was a 38-37 lead for the Pirates when McClure drilled a three to go up by four. Cardington-Lincoln went up 48-42 on a three by Ward in the fourth quarter. AJ Bower responded with a three of his own to make it a 48-45 game with 2:30 left. Drew Hammond had a nice block for Northmor on the next Cardington-Lincoln possession, as well. While Northmor had an 11-8 advantage in the fourth, the Pirates were able to fend off a comeback and take the win thanks to Hall’s and-one play.
Cardington-Lincoln shot 44% and 36% from three, while also making 80% of their foul shots. Northmor shot 32% and 16% from three, and made 71% of their free throws. The Pirates led 31-29 in rebounds, 14-8 in assists and 4-3 in steals. Northmor led 2-1 in blocks.
Brehm was the top scorer for the Pirates with 11 points, which included a three in the third quarter. McClure and Ward each had 10 points. Hall put up eight points including the second quarter three and the game winning play. Kalin Briggs and Lackey each had four points, and Journey Williamson and Warren Garrison scored two points.
“Isaiah Ward and Merek McClure both were guys that played crucial minutes and did a great job,” said Coach Rice. “Both Brehm and McClure had big minutes and did a very nice on both sides of the ball for us. We learned as a team how to win a lower scoring and tight game. I’m proud of the boys and said we did enough to win but we have to clean up a lot of little things in practice and future games.”
Northmor was led by Bentley’s 17 points, which included a pair of threes. Wenger had 12 points, Fulk scored seven points, Drew Hammond had six points and, AJ Bower had four points and Trevor Brubaker scored two points.
Northmor Coach Blade Tackett said the team played exactly the way they wanted, and felt it was an outstanding game. He said they wanted to slow the game down and go one possession at a time. Tackett called the first quarter flawless, but said the second quarter had contested jump shots that allowed Cardington-Lincoln to get out in transition and score. Despite the Pirates ending the quarter with 19 points, Northmor was still within two possessions at halftime and Tackett was happy with their status. He said the team was tight in the third quarter as well, and with under a minute left they were up by one. It came down to a defensive possession, and Cardington-Lincoln's Hall was able to capitalize.
"I would take the same scenario again if I could, as I trust our defense to get stops in that situation," Tackett said. "All that being said I don't want to make excuses or take anything away from Cardington. Hats off to them as they are playing really well this year. They have great shooters and great athletes all over the floor. Congrats to AJ Hall on a great play at the end of the game. It was a packed gym and an electric atmosphere with great plays throughout the 32 minutes. Overall a great experience for both teams and all of the players."
Tackett said the team is battling injuries, and still competing at a high level. Bentley's shoulder popped out twice during the game, but he played through the pain to lead the team in scoring and be a presence all over the court. Drew Hammond has been battling a knee problem and Brubaker is battling a broken hand while playing. Cole Cuffman has started at point guard while Jax Wenger was out, and while he was excellent through nine games, he broke his wrist and is now out for the foreseeable future.
Wenger made his return and despite being sore and having little practice, he picked up where he left off last season.
"He was great defensively and rebounding, had only one turnover, and was able to drive at will," Tackett said.
Tackett added, "The KMAC is a grind. We have to get back to the drawing board, try to get healthy, and take it one game at a time. We have Danville on Wednesday who hasn't had many wins but is competitive in every game. We have to be ready and take this game as seriously and have as much energy as we did Cardington."
The Pirates travel to Loudonville (3-7, 0-3) on Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Northmor travels to Danville (1-9, 0-3) on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
