by Mentor, OH- Lake Catholic improves to 3-2 on the year with a 74-69 victory over Holy Name behind 20 points from Cross Nimmo and 21 points from Peyton Budrys Rini.
The first quarter started off with the Cougars going on a 10-4 run. Ace Peterlin and Aiden Webb both knocked down 3’s while Frankie Trinetti and Rini added field goals. Holy Name kept things close as Brody Boyert sunk a triple. Drew Styers, Max Bollin, and Adam Humenik all contributed with points from the field. DJ Sears held things down inside the paint along with Trinetti and Nimmo as they allowed few to no second chance opportunities. This ensured Lake Catholic went into the second quarter up 15-12.
The Cougars would score 15 points again in the second quarter, but their stingy defense only allowed 10 points this frame. Humenik added Holy Name’s only 3 of the second quarter while Joe Lewis and Styers added the last of the Green Wave’s 7 points from the field. The other 3 came from the free throw line as Bollin, Boyert, and Humenik each scored 1 point from the line. This led to Holy Name shooting 3/5 from the line in the second quarter. Lake Catholic found success from beyond the arc as Webb and Andrew Pellecchia both converted triples. Nimmo and Budrys Rini both continued to dominate inside the paint en route to a 30-22 lead going into the half for the Cougars.
The offensive floodgates opened for both teams in the third quarter as Holy Name and Lake Catholic would combine for 50 total points in the third. This was partially due to the fact that it was raining 3’s. For the Green Wave, Humenik and Bollin each drained two, and Styers converted on 1 triple. For the Cougars, Nimmo posted two 3’s and Rini the other. Combined, Holy Name and Lake Catholic scored 8 threes. While the Green Wave would outscore the Cougars 28-24 in the quarter, the story was Nimmo’s ability to dominate inside the arc. 8 of his 14 points in the third came from inside the arc, specifically the paint. All was still to play for heading into the final frame with Lake Catholic up 54-50.
The fourth quarter came as advertised as a back-and-forth affair. A few minutes into the fourth, Holy Name found themselves down 60-58. However, déjà vu would hit for the Green and White as Humenik scored a 3 to give Holy Name a 61-60 advantage. Flashing back to the Gilmour contest, Humenik was able to give Holy Name the lead 61-60 over the Lancers with a 3. Adding to this, the shot he made at Warrensville Heights against Gilmour was in the same exact spot as it was against Lake Catholic. With 90 seconds to go, Holy Name was up 64-62 and had an inbound opportunity in the front court. Boyert would attempt to fall on the ball as it escaped from him, but it shot up into the hands of Peterlin. This led to him finding Webb down court as he converted on a layup to tie the game. However, Bollin committed a foul on the play which gave Webb a chance to give the Cougars back the lead. With ice in his veins, Webb did just that. A few seconds later, Bollin would receive a technical foul after he fouled attempting to pick a pass. Lake Catholic wouldn’t look back from their newfound lead and sealed the deal 74-69 over Holy Name.
Lake Catholic entered the contest 19/32 (59%) from the line. However, they went 17/21 (81%) against Holy Name. This takes their season total to 36/53 (67.9%), improving their average by 8.9%. The Cougars will take on the undefeated Fairview Warriors and the Perry Pirates to close out the 2023 portion of their season. Holy Name has a date with archrivals Padua to close out the 2023 portion of their schedule. Both schools will be in the same conference next year which means the Green Wave will have another shot to win at Lake Catholic for the first time since February 6, 2009.
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Drew Styers: 27 Points
#4 Max Bollin: 13 Points
#12 Adam Humenik: 19 Points
Lake Catholic Key Players
#4 Ace Peterlin: 13 Points
#5 Cross Nimmo: 20 Points
#21 Peyton Budrys Rini: 21 Points
Player of the Game: Cross Nimmo
