by CLEVELAND, Ohio– This game is brought to you by https://keeonsports.com/sponsors/
Trailing by as many as 20 points Tuesday night, St. Edward never panicked.
That proved to be the case in the closing seconds as well.
With the Eagles down one with 0.8 seconds left, Jair Knight had the chance to win the game at the free-throw line after getting fouled fighting for a second-chance shot with time expiring.
He connected on both, securing a 52-51 win over Lutheran East as the team trailed for most of the entire game.
“Huge kudos to Jair for knocking down the two free throws with basically no time left on the clock,” coach Eric Flannery said. “Those are the types of games I think we want win or lose.”
@SEHS_BASKETBALL escapes with a 52-51 win after Jair Knight knocked down 2 FTs with 0.8 seconds left. @sports_kee pic.twitter.com/hPuu8RbqDf
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) February 10, 2021
Here’s the look at the foul setting up the game-winning FTs for @SEHS_BASKETBALL. pic.twitter.com/7Ycgpbdv52
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) February 10, 2021
With Lutheran East knocking down 7-of-9 3-pointers throughout the first half, they held a 37-24 advantage heading into halftime. Efficient shooting from the Falcons had their lead in double-digits for most of the first half, including holding a 20-point lead early in the second quarter.
“Everything that we wanted them to do they did and they did it well so you give them a lot of credit,” Flannery said about the way Lutheran East was able to start the game off. “For us to just be down 13 at halftime was a credit to our guys to hanging around.”
The third quarter was when senior guard Michael Bova took over for the Eagles.
He scored 11 points in the third quarter alone, helping set up the Eagles for a comeback. They got within three a couple of times in the third quarter and eventually outscored the Falcons 17-9 to head into the fourth quarter trailing by five.
Michael Bova connects on a 3 to get the Eagles within three with 3:31 left in the 3rd Q.
St. Eds has started the second half on a 14-4 run. pic.twitter.com/NMU3tnDjZp— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) February 10, 2021
“I told our guys that our job is to simply win the third quarter,” Flannery said. “If we win the third quarter, we’re going to win this game.”
“It was all about just taking one play at a time and chopping at the lead,” Bova added.
Lutheran East couldn’t get anything going on offense throughout the fourth quarter, something that carried over to start the third quarter as well.
In fact, the Falcons made just three field goals in the entire second half. They were even held without a field goal for the fourth quarter, scoring just four points all from free throws.
That is a credit to how far Flannery’s team has come on the defensive side of the ball.
“That says a lot about how far we’ve come,” Flannery explained. “We’ve gotten better over the last couple of games. I thought tonight we won the game because of our defense, especially in the second half.”
Sirr Hughes led the way for the Falcons in the first half by scoring 11 points, finishing the game with 12 points. Georgetown commit Jalin Billingsley had 10 points, four in the second half behind three players each scoring seven during the loss.
Mason Lerch, Zolton Nagy and Bova headlined a second half dominated on the defensive side of the ball, while making scoring plays that Lutheran East basically had no answer for.
The Eagles trailed by one possession for most of the final three minutes of the game, knowing free throws would either win or lose the game.
That worked out well for Knight and his team as free throws won them the game.
Bova finished the game with 29 points along with Nagy’s eight points to pace the Eagle offense.
It wasn’t the best shooting night for St. Edward but the win is fueled by team belief; something Bova and his teammates continue to take to heart.
“I think throughout the whole season we’ve had a lot to prove,” Bova said. “A lot of people thought this team wasn’t going to be as good as we are and I just think it’s about proving everybody wrong and doing what we do best.”
