MEN’S BASKETBALL

Playing in the friendly confines of Platt Arena, the HU men’s basketball team upended #18 Grace 74-69 in league action Saturday afternoon to improve to 11-13 overall, 3-9 in CL play. The loss avenges a two-point loss to the Lancers earlier this season.

The Foresters led by as many as 19 points in the second half on a day where they only trailed twice. The Lancers’ last lead came at the 12:57 mark of the first half when Matt Jennings cashed in on an HU turnover to give his team an 8-7 advantage. While the next two minutes saw a pair of deadlocks, the Foresters took charge after a 12-12 tie by piecing together a 12-1 run to jet in front 24-13 with eight minutes remaining in the frame.

Andrew Yoder spearheaded the spurt by rattling off the final seven points which included two freebies, a put back and a step-back three from the top of the key. It was smooth sailing for HU the rest of the half as they limited their visitors to just nine points while continuing to roll offensively for a commanding 40-22 lead heading into the locker room.

Huntington laid claim to their double-digit advantage throughout the first 13 minutes of the second period but a pesky Lancer squad, who entered the day averaging over 81 points per game, finally cut their deficit to nine at 59-50 by the 6:44 mark to keep things interesting.

Caleb Middlesworth answered by muscling his way down low on the next possession to bump the lead back to 11. Three more times the visitors trimmed it to single digits, but each time, Platt and company responded with a big bucket to extend the lead back to at least ten. Finally, with 1:47 remaining, Haden Deaton buried one from deep to cut into the lead at 68-61 to which HU didn’t have an immediate answer.

After trading trips to the free throw line, another Grace three with :14 ticks remaining made for a four-point disparity at 70-66 but the Foresters didn’t crack. Konner Platt canned two free tosses after which Hank Pulver did the same to stave off the Lancers.

Huntington did not give up a three in the opening period. The Lancers (15-9, 7-5) went 0-for-14 beyond the arc in the first half before finishing with six for the game to HU’s nine. The Foresters limited their visitors to an overall shooting percentage of 33.8, well below their season average of 49.1 percent.

Platt paced HU with 23 points. Middlesworth finished with 18 points. Yoder came off the bench to add 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Pulver posted ten points, six rebounds and three steals while Peyton West enjoyed a game-leading 11 rebounds and four assists.

For Grace, Deaton topped the game with 27 points. Jennings collected 19 points and Myles Johnson tossed in 12.

The Foresters will look to continue their winning ways on Tuesday when they take on Goshen at 7:00 p.m.