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Parma Heights, OH- After a slow start, Holy Name got things rolling to take down city rivals Valley Forge one final time in the GLC 70-43.
History almost repeated itself as the Green Wave jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before the Patriots called a timeout. Following the break, Valley Forge got things going as Tyler Chong led the charge. HN had no answer for his ability to find good looks inside the paint. VF led for a moment, but Holy Name quickly changed that. Aaron Riley entered the game as the 6th man and quickly knocked down two 3’s. As the first quarter ended, the Green Wave led 17-14.
Holy Name’s defense started to click in the second quarter. Chong was kept off the scoresheet this frame and the Patriots had only 9 points this quarter. Cam Wadsworth, Eddie McTear, and Nick Mankins all had field goals. Mankins also had a triple fall to give him 7 points at the half. Drew Styers heated up for the Green Wave this quarter as he had 11 of their 19 points. Riley added another 5 points to take his first half tally up to 11. Adam Humenik rounded out the scoring with a triple. With that, the Green and White took their 36-23 advantage into halftime.
Valley Forge came out of the break and did an excellent job pressuring Holy Name. McTear added his final 2 points of the game, but his impact came from rebounds. He made sure to shield the ball as he came down with it as the Green Wave would try to swipe the ball away from him. Chong added his final 7 points of the game to take his tally up to 17. Mankins added 5 points and Terry Robinson rounded out the Patriots’ scoring with a field goal. The offense dried up for HN as they posted only 9 points in the third, 8 points lower than their next lowest tally in a quarter. Riley added his third 3 of the game. Styers made 3 field goals to take his tally into the 20’s. Heading into the fourth quarter, all was still to play for as the Green Wave led by 6.
Holy Name saved their best basketball for last as everything Coach Patton planned for was shown on the court. However, the Patriots had a chance to get back within 1 score of the Green Wave. Mankins launched a triple that just barely missed. After this point, it was all Holy Name. In this quarter, they outscored Valley Forge 25-4. The only points from the field for the Patriots came from Adam Flora’s lone 3 of the game. Riley added his final two 3’s of the game as he reached his career high of 20 points. Humenik reached double figures after posting 7 points in the final frame. Bollin also entered double figures as he added 6. In the end, HN enjoyed one final conference victory over Valley Forge 70-43.
This win takes Holy Name’s record to 11-7 heading into the tournament draw this Sunday. I spoke to Coach Patton, Styers, and Riley after the game about it and they all echoed that the team doesn’t care who they play. Their focus is on the next game and playing the best basketball they can. The GLC is still up for grabs as Lakewood took care of business against Normandy 57-47 tonight. The Green Wave sit at 9-0 in conference play while the Rangers are 9-2. Their final conference game is at Holy Name next Friday. February was never going to be easy for the Green Wave, but it’s so far so good at 6000 Queens Highway.
Valley Forge Key Players
#4 Nick Mankins: 13 Points
#5 Eddie McTear: 4 Points + Many Rebounds
#12 Tyler Chong: 17 Points
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Drew Styers: 25 Points
#12 Adam Humenik: 10 Points
#24 Aaron Riley: Career-High 20 Points
Player of the Game: Aaron Riley
