by AKRON, Ohio– Hoban controlled the game thanks to its pressure defense throughout the night. That helped coach TK Griffith and his team come away with a 70-65 win Tuesday night.
The Fighting Irish got off to an early lead in the first quarter. Then the Knights slowed things down a bit, which resulted in a kickstart to their offense. The Knights ended the final two minutes of the first quarter on a 6-2 run, headlined with John Johnson and Kenny Scott being able to get to the rm for easy baskets.
The Knights were in control of the game for the remainder of the half. Their lead even got up to as many as 10 points, but sophomore Jaylen Gunther had other plans. He started to gain more confidence as the game went on, even finishing off the half with a layup as he got through a slew of Knight defenders.
The Fighting Irish trailed 30-25 at halftime.
“It was a very last-minute decision to slow them kind of down a little bit,” Griffith said about the zone defense throughout the night. “It did change the tempo.”
At halftime, Deron Jennings scored just five points for the Knights. He would end the night with a team-high 15 points, including seven in the fourth quarter to help maintain a lead that was too much to overcome for the Fighting Irish.
After barely playing to start the year, his confidence has grown exponentially, making him a key starter moving forward for the Knights.
“I’m so proud of him, I don’t think he played one second in the first game of the season,” Griffith shared. “He just kept coming to practice every day, kept chipping away and didn’t react negatively.”
James McCarthy added 14 points for the Knights, along with 12 each from Sam Greer and Kenny Scott.
The Fighting Irish trailed by double digits for most of the third quarter as they tried to match with three-pointers that just weren’t falling throughout the night. Sophomore Jaylen Gunther ended with a game-high 28 points for Ursuline as he found most of his success driving to the basket and finishing near the rim.
A seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter was enough cushion for the Knights to continue to test its defense, forcing difficult shots all night for Kevin Gunther’s team.
With the second half of the season winding down, Griffith was looking for a statement win as we slowly head into March. He believes the win over Ursuline was just what his team needed, as he shared that the Fighting Irish were one of the best defenses they’ve faced all season.
“It helps us a ton…we needed a big win for us to feel good about ourselves,” Griffith shared.
