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Akron, Ohio – The Archbishop Hoban Knights held off Lutheran West, 49-48, on Friday evening at Barry Gymnasium.
Jonas Nichols hit a jumper for the first points of the game with 5:46 left in the first quarter. After a steal, Sam Greer cleaned up a miss to give Hoban the lead, 4-0.
Lutheran West eventually took the lead, 10-8, before the Knights went on an 8-0 run thanks to triples from Logan Vowles and Andrew Griffith, and another layup from Sam Greer. As a result, the Knights would hold a 16-12 lead at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, six different players got on the stat sheet, and Logan Vowles canned a pair of triples. A 7-2 run at the end of the first half gave Hoban a 34-27 lead at halftime.
Hoban led by as much as eight, and never led by double digits at any point during the game. Lutheran West stayed close thanks to their own defensive efforts, and the Longhorns went on a 9-2 run of their own to close a 40-32 deficit to 42-41.
Jayson Levis hit a jumper early in the fourth quarter to give the Longhorns their first lead since the first quarter. The lead swung back and forth from there, as both teams traded buckets. Jayson Levis hit a pair of free throws with 1:57 to go to give Lutheran West the lead, 48-47. Jonas Nichols countered with a pair of free throws of his own with 1:12 left to give the Knights a 49-48 lead.
On the final possession, Nichols came up with a block to presumably ice the game. However, a carrying violation gave Lutheran West the ball with :00.8 left and another chance to win. However, their final shot fell short, and Hoban secured the win.
Archbishop Hoban finishes the regular season at 19-3. The Knights are seeded #5 in the Twinsburg District (Division I). They will host the winner between #29 Hudson and #23 Massillon Washington on Saturday, February 25th in a sectional final.
Lutheran West, now 18-3, travels to Cuyahoga Heights Saturday evening for their regular season finale. The CVC Metro champion Longhorns are the #1 seed in the North Ridgeville District (Division II). They will host the winner between #24 Firelands and #26 Medina Buckeye on Friday, February 24th in a sectional final. Junior guard Jayson Levis had 18 points (16 in the second half) followed by Junior Kombomba who had 11 (all in the first half).
Full highlights here:
