MEN’S BASKETBALL

Fresh off cracking the NAIA Top 25 at No. 19, Huntington looked every bit the part Wednesday night inside Ruth Gunden Gymnasium, rolling to a 74-64 road win to complete the regular season sweep of Goshen.

From the opening tip, Coach Jauch’s crew set the tone defensively. The Foresters held the Maple Leafs to single digits through the first 12-and-a-half minutes and limited their hosts to just eight field goals in the first half. The relentless pressure translated into a commanding 39-20 halftime lead, with HU leading for all but 25 seconds of the opening 20 minutes.

What stood out most was Huntington’s dominance on the glass. The Foresters owned a 28-14 rebounding advantage at the break and finished the night with a commanding 51-31 edge, including 17 offensive boards that fueled 14 second-chance points. HU also knocked down seven triples and outscored Goshen 12-3 from deep in the first half to stretch the margin.

Kaden Johnson delivered a career-best performance on the boards in his return to his former home floor. The Goshen transfer pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds – 13 defensive and seven offensive – while adding 12 points, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a dominant all-around effort.

Jackson Paul paced the Foresters with 14 points and five assists, while Landon Biegel matched him with 14 off the bench, drilling three triples. Miles Good added 10 points and three assists, Cade Brenner knocked down three shots from beyond the arc for nine points, and Keylane Lasisi chipped in nine points and six boards.

Huntington shot 39.7 percent from the floor and connected on 17-of-24 free throws. The Foresters also assisted on 15 of their 25 made field goals and turned 14 Goshen turnovers into nine points.

The Maple Leafs (9-16, 2-13 CL) were led by Kenny May’s game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Kamren Williams added 13 points, Marcus Northern scored 11, and Juraj Minarovjech chipped in eight. Goshen made a late push, closing the game on a 10-1 run over the final two minutes to trim the deficit to ten, but the outcome was never in doubt as HU kept a healthy distance throughout the first 38 minutes.

With the win, Huntington improves to 19-6 overall and 10-5 in Crossroads League play. The Foresters return to the road Saturday to face Taylor at Odle Arena at 3:00 p.m. as part of the first-ever Crossroads League Jesus Won Day.