by Ravenna, Ohio – The Ravenna Ravens held off the visiting Norton Panthers, 45-40, in a Metro Conference contest Friday evening.
The Ravens got things going in the first quarter. Maykai O’Neal sank a pair of triples, as five different players scored on offense, helping Ravenna to a 16-5 lead after one.
The Raven lead was as high 18-5 at the start of the quarter. However, Norton slowly started to chip away at their deficit. Buddy Willig drained a triple, and Lucas Dobbins a layup to cut the Panthers’ deficit to 22-14 at the half.
The Panthers cut their deficit down to 24-22, thanks to a 13-5 run spanning the second and third quarters. Lucas Dobbins and Buddy Willig continued to knock down key shots. Buckets from Maykai O’Neal, Emmanuel Miller, and Pavel Henderson helped keep the Ravens in the lead.
Henderson a steal on the inbound, converting it into a layup. Andrew Lewis hit a triple for Norton to make the score 30-28 at the end of three.
Lucas Dobbins came up clutch once again, scoring six fourth quarter points, and the basket to give Norton the lead, 37-35. It was their first lead since the first quarter. Mason Ross responded with a triple to give Ravenna the lead back, 38-37.
Andrew Lewis hit a layup to give Norton the lead, 40-39, with :29.2 to play.
Ravenna responded in a huge way, as Mason Ross hit a floater in the paint to give Ravenna the lead, 41-40, with :9.4 left. Pavel Henderson came up with a huge play on defense, deflecting the inbound off a Norton player, giving the Ravens possession. Off the inbound, Henderson scored a clutch layup and drew a foul to increase the lead to 43-40. A technical foul on the Norton coach gave Ravenna an extra pair of chances at the line, and Mason Ross converted for the final points.
The Ravens (9-3, 5-2) host Streetsboro next Friday to continue Metro Conference play. Seniors Pavel Henderson and Mason Ross each had 11 points.
Norton (6-4, 5-2) hosts Streetsboro next Tuesday to continue Metro Conference play. Lucas Dobbins had 17 to lead all scorers, and freshman Buddy Willig had 10 for the Panthers.
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