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Cleveland Heights, OHIO– Lutheran East guard Jalen Knott recognized a play St. Ignatius was calling out of bounds all game and knew it was time to make a play.
His number was called.
With his team leading by one point with eight seconds left, Knott was able to steal the inbounds pass, leading to a layup that ultimately powered the Falcons past the Wildcats, 63-60 Tuesday night.
“The whole game I was kind of feeling it out, they were running the same play the whole game,” Knott said. “My coach had told me just to make a play on the ball. It was hard to get a rebound all game and I tried to gamble and it paid off.”
FINAL: Lutheran East 63, St. Ignatius 60. @JalenKnott04 with the steal and layup to power @LEFalconsHoops past the Wildcats. @sports_kee pic.twitter.com/kNgOFkNQgy
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) December 30, 2020
“From the timeout, I told them to do your best to try and not let them get the ball in and see how well they get open and you might get a steal,” Lutheran East head coach Sam Liggins said. “It happened and it was a blessing for us because I did not want them to get an attempt up.”
The senior guard finished with seven points for Lutheran East, none bigger than the layup with time winding down. Collin Albert led the team scoring 15 points, followed up with Jared Lary and Jalin Billingsley’s 14 and 12 points respectively.
Playing with a limited amount of players due to the novel coronavirus, Liggins was pleased with how his players were able to respond he said as it was the first game played in the last 11 days. Not only that, it was the first time in school history they were able to defeat the Wildcats, something he emphasized with his team following the win.
“We only played six guys, we’re down bodies due to Covid hurting our team,” Liggins said. “It’s hard to keep those guys mentally engaged for that long in a high-caliber game like that but those guys did it and found a way to get a win and that’s what senior-led teams do.”
Lutheran East was able to maintain a lead most of the night, including holding a 34-27 lead at halftime.
Jay Billingsley adds a basket for Lutheran East as time expires, giving the Falcons a 34-27 lead at halftime. pic.twitter.com/KO4XcWywFv
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) December 30, 2020
St. Ignatius hung around throughout the third quarter, keeping the game within five points to start the second half behind stellar play from guard Jon Effertz..The Falcons were able to answer nearly all baskets from the Wildcats, including ending the quarter on an emphatic note following a dunk from junior guard Jordan Cannon.
Jordan Cannon fires up the @LEFalconsHoops crowd with a monster dunk, the Falcons lead St. Ignatius 45-40 with 21 seconds left in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/e5elsFIAxK
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) December 30, 2020
A Henry Raynor three-point play to start the fourth quarter got the Wildcats within two but failed to get any closer until the final seconds of the quarter. The senior forward poured in nine points in the fourth quarter alone, proving to be too much for the Falcons due to his size and athleticism inside the paint.
A Billingsley layup put the Falcons up 53-47 with under six minutes in the fourth but there were Effertz and Raynor to inch the Wildcats closer with the quarter coming to an end.
Trailing 61-58 with under forty seconds remaining, Effertz was able to sneak his way in for a layup, getting the Wildcats within one– the closest St. Ignatius got to taking a lead in the second half.
That’s when Wildcat head coach Cam Joyce called two timeouts prior to an inbound play with eight seconds left. It was a gamble, but Knott was able to deliver in the most critical time, delivering the team’s first win against St. Ignatius in school history.
For the Wildcats, Effertz ended the night with a game-high 22 points. Raynor added 17 points along with AJ Fletcher’s six on a night where nine different players scored for Joyce’s team.
In the end, Knott and his senior-laden team believed Tuesday night’s 63-60 win was something to take notice of. It gives him and the Falcons all the confidence to play with anybody in the state.
“First time beating St. Ignatius in program history, I felt like it was a big game for me,” Knott said. “I feel like we’re the best team in the state and I feel like we proved it here tonight.”
