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Macedonia, Ohio – In a defensive showdown reminiscent of old school basketball, Nordonia held off Stow-Munroe Falls, 38-36 in a Suburban League National Division conference matchup Friday night.
The first quarter was a defensive battle, which set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Stow used an 8-3 run at the end of the first quarter to lead, 12-6.
Reece Raymond-Smith and Nate Boozer each knocked down a three, and Titus Baskerville had a basket to end the quarter.
Stow worked the zone defense to great results in the first half, forcing ten Nordonia turnovers. They increased their lead to as much as 25-15 before a Nordonia layup made the score 25-17 going into the half.
Nordonia stepped it up on defense in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs, 13-2, to take a 28-27 lead.
The Knights increased their lead to five before Stow came back and tied it up.
Senior forward Vince McFarland came up with a huge rebound and putback to give the Knights the lead, 35-33, with 2:47 left. He had eight points on the evening.
A few plays later, junior guard Liam Gopalakrishna had a huge layup to pad Nordonia’s lead to 37-33. AJ Costello countered with a layup of his own on the inside to cut the deficit to 37-35.
Stow came up with a huge stop on defense, forcing a Nordonia turnover to give themselves a chance to tie or win.
Costello, who came up with a key rebound on the Bulldogs’ last possession, was fouled on a layup attempt.
He went to the line with :15.4 left and a chance to tie the game. But he could only muster a split of free throws.
Nordonia split a pair of their own, and got a huge stop on defense to prevent Stow from getting a final attempt.
Nordonia (6-4, 3-2 Suburban National) takes on Brecksville next Tuesday night to continue Suburban League action. They were led by junior Gabe Martin’s nine points. Liam Gopalakrishna had seven to aid the winning effort.
Stow (5-5, 1-3 Suburban National) hosts Twinsburg next Tuesday night to continue Suburban League action. The Bulldogs were led by AJ Costello’s 11 points, followed by Titus Baskerville’s seven.
Check out extended highlights below:
What a great game . Defensive battle . Fun game to watch . Thanks Kee on Sports for doing such a great job covering HS sports