by Warrensville Heights, OH- Holy Name edges past Gilmour Academy 63-60 behind a second half resurgence led by 17 second half points by Drew Styers.
The first quarter started off all in favor of Gilmour. Holy Name kept it slightly close behind a field goal from Max Bollin and a free throw by Styers. However, the Lancers outmatched this by going on a 14-3 run. This was fueled by Jimmy Lawless and Nick Iliano both knocking down triples. Adding onto this, David Pfundstein dominated the paint as he added 4 from the field and 2 from the line. However, the Green Wave cut into this lead as Bollin, Adam Humenik, and Andrew Cole all scored from the field as well. This 8-0 run saw Gilmour’s 14-3 lead cut to 14-11 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw Gilmour regain their footing more as they went on a tear, especially from downtown as Lawless drilled four 3’s in this quarter. Pfundstein’s scoring domination in the paint slowed as he recorded 2 points, but he made his presence felt through rebounds. Ky Jackson also added his only points via the money ball to add 3 more points to the Lancers’ tally. Holy Name made sure this advantage never exceeded 8 as it was 32-25 when Holy Name’s coach Ryan Patton called for time. This gave Holy Name the spark for a 5-2 run to cut the Lancers’ lead to 35-30 at the half. It was also in this quarter that Aidan Butler converted his second career HN bucket, an ‘and one’ that he converted.
Holy Name finally turned things around in the third quarter and took their first leads of the game. Drew Styers opened the quarter with 6 points. In addition, Andrew Cole drilled his first career three pointer. The Lancers were able to keep their advantage for most of the quarter however as Pfundstein scored his final 9 points to take his tally up to 17 on the night. Iliano and Lucas Renfro also aided the cause that saw Gilmour lead 49-47 heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter was as nail biting as can be down the stretch. Styers led the Green Wave and posted 11 points in the fourth quarter, equaling the Lancers’ tally in this quarter. Cole also scored a bucket of his own. With the score 60-58 in favor of Gilmour, Humenik got open in the left corner on the home side and connected on a crucial 3 to make it 61-60 Holy Name. The Green Wave had a chance to ice the game, but a missed dunk from Bollin gave the Lancers new life. However, Gilmour couldn’t connect and turned the ball back to the Green and White. The Lancers had to foul which sent Cole to the line. Luck would be on Gilmour’s side as Cole missed both of these attempts. Upon their next posession, Holy Name was bailed by the bobble and got the ball turned back over to them. Butler then found Styers front court. He iced the game and sealed the 63-60 statement win.
Holy Name goes above .500 for the first time since their 84-61 victory over Riverside—who the Lancers play against Tuesday–on December 2. Gilmour now drops to 4-2 with their only other loss coming against Berea Mid-Park in overtime. In addition to the prior mentioned Riverside matchup, Gilmour takes on Euclid and Elyria Catholic before the 2023 calendar comes to a close. The Green Wave have 2 members of the Crown Conference to close out the year in Lake Catholic and Padua.
Gilmour Academy Key Players
#0 Jimmy Lawless: 17 Points
#21 Lucas Renfro: 8 Points
#24 David Pfundstein: 17 Points
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Drew Styers: 24 Points
#12 Adam Humenik: 15 Points including Game-Winning 3
#23 Andrew Cole: 9 Points
Player of the Game: Drew Styers + Adam Humenik
