by Parma Heights, OH- After taking a first round bye, Alliance took down Holy Name 61-51 to advance to the district semi-finals.
While playing the 6th toughest schedule in Division II, the Aviators still made a habit of jumping out to early leads. Tonight was no different as they quickly went up 10-4. Half of those points came from K’Vaughn Davis as he opened the scoring from downtown. However, Davis was forced to leave the game for a few minutes after flying into the back wall after attempting to block a shot. Alliance peaked in the first with a 16-7 lead with a few minutes left in the frame. However, the Green Wave cut the deficit to three as Aaron Riley drilled back-to-back triples. HN had a chance to tie the game heading into the second, but Max Bollin missed a heavily contested triple as time expired, preserving the Aviators’ 16-13 lead.
The scoring dried up in the second quarter as Holy Name and Alliance combined for 17 points. Drew Styers contributed 5 points for the Green Wave, taking his tally up to 7 heading into the break. Joe Lewis continued to clean the glass with efficiency as he banked another field goal in. Finally, Bollin got his day going offensively with a triple. J.R. Jackson knocked down two field goals along with two foul shots to give him 6 points in the quarter and 10 points in the first half. Davis checked back into the contest after his awkward fall and earned a trip to the free throw line. He would split these shots, giving him 6 points total heading into the half. Through 16 minutes, the honors were even at 23.
A lot of basketball games are decided by how each team plays after the halftime break. This game followed that notion as the Aviators never trailed for more than a few seconds. A big reason why they held their advantage was Jaden Proctor. While posting 5 points in the first half, Proctor came alive this frame with two clutch corner triples. After the game he told me,
“Me, J.R, and D’Vaughn stayed in the gym extra last night and got shots up. We left around 6:40 and practice ended around 5:30. It paid off tonight as we got the W”
Jackson’s extra work was also on display as he converted from outside the arc this frame along with adding a field goal. Adam Humenik drilled HN’s only triple of the third while Lewis added 4 more points inside the paint. Aiden Butler’s defense was on display for HN as he picked an Aviator pocket and drove to the other end to cash it in for 2 points for the second time this game. Heading into the final frame, Alliance led 39-35.
While Holy Name stayed in the game for most of the fourth, the Aviators were able to pull away at the end. The Green Wave would score 16 points this frame, 13 of which came from Styers. Lewis added his final 2 career points and Bollin knocked down a free throw. Davis doubled his points tally this quarter, giving him 12 on the night. The biggest difference maker in the final frame was Sam Gress who posted 6 of his 10 points in crunch time. Alliance led by 10 with a few minutes to play, but HN battled until the end. However, the Aviators held on and clinched the 61-51 victory.
Holy Name ends their season with a 15-9 overall record. They will lose 5 seniors including Adam Humenik, Joe Lewis, Andrew Cole, Collin Hall Johnson, and Jeffrey Jemison. Brody Boyert and Riley look to have increased roles next season along with Butler. The future remains bright for Coach Patton and the Green Wave.
As for Alliance, taking a bye paid dividends. The Aviators’ Head Coach Chet Harper told me after the game,
“We needed the time off. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. Holy Name is a very good team and very well coached. We had some guys who were beat up a bit and I thought that, if we took the time off, that we’d be able to get a bit healthier.”
Alliance’s underdog story continues Thursday night in Akron as they take on VASJ in a district semi-final.
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Drew Styers: 22 Points
#10 Joe Lewis: 10 Points
#12 Aiden Butler: 4 Points
Alliance Key Players
#0 Jaden Proctor: 17 Points
#1 J.R. Jackson: 18 Points
#2 D’Vaughn Davis: 12 Points
Player of the Game: Jaden Proctor
