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CLEVELAND, Ohio– With the game tied at 62 with under 10 seconds left, Lutheran East senior point guard Cody Head knew what he was doing if the ball was in his hands.
He ended up icing the game away at the free throw after getting fouled driving to the hole.
@codyhead15 sends St. Ignatius home with two game winning free throws, they win 66-64 @LEFalconsHoops @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/ama9mxPNQs
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) January 21, 2023
That gave the Falcons a much-needed win, 66-64 against the Wildcats Friday night.
“I knew if I got that ball, I knew what I had to do when I got it,” Cody Head said. “I knew if I got the ball I was taking that shot, that’s all I knew.”
Head finished the game tied with Jesse McCulloch with 21 points apiece, giving their team a confidence boost heading into the final month of regular season play.
“This win is amazing. We haven’t really had many big wins but this one will bring a lot of momentum, we shouldn’t lose the rest of the season,” Head explained.
The Wildcats gave the Falcons troubles throughout the first half with their pressure defense. Switching from a full-court press to zone for most of the first half had the Falcons on their heels, forcing mid-range jump shots they’re not normally used to shooting when with a clear lane.
That and rebounding were the biggest differences in the first half, especially with the way many of the reserves played for the Wildcats. Players like Sam Springer, Mike Lamirand and Jack Zapolnik were key parts of the second quarter where they were able to open up the game a little bit.
With the game tied at 19 apiece, the Wildcats ended the first half on a 15-6 run. A run started with the way they were able to take care of the ball.
Then the Falcons made adjustments at halftime, starting with beating out the zone defense. Lutheran East head coach Sam Liggins told the team to get the ball in the middle of the zone and work from there, Head explained.
That seemed to get his team more open looks heading into the fourth quarter.
“The first has was about feeling out the team,” Head said. “We were just feeling them out, taking shots we shouldn’t have taken…we just had to know to swing the ball to Jesse and get the ball in the middle and then whatever he sees is whatever he gets.”
The Falcons took their first lead of the game with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter after McCulloch hit a turnaround jump shot inside the paint.
@JesseMcCulloch4 gives Lutheran East the lead—54-53–5:40 left in the 4th Q. @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/v92spJj9yd
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) January 21, 2023
From there, both teams were able to trade away baskets. Then, with the game tied at 64 apiece with under 30 seconds left, Ace Bucker got fouled in the backcourt, where he was sent to the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity.
He missed, creating an opportunity for the Falcons to end the game, and they did in the hands of Cody Head.
“It was really just a big team effort,” McCulloch said after the win. “We knew we had mistakes at the beginning of the season and it’s the second half of the season, we’re not trying to lose any more games so we just had to come in with a big boost of energy.”
