MEN’S BASKETBALL

After a three-week hiatus, the HU men’s basketball team was back in business Thursday night to enjoy a 94-63 win over Spring Arbor (2-4, 0-2). Not only was it Huntington’s first conference W of the season, it also snapped a seven-game streak the Cougars held over the Foresters.

Today’s victory extends Huntington’s flawless record to 6-0.

Alford and crew wasted little time shaking off the dust from their break. HU erupted for 49 first-half points on the way to opening up a 17-point lead of 49-32 by the midway point. HU exploited nine Cougar miscues to the tune of 16 points. They also helped their cause by canning nearly 60 percent of their shots (16-for-27) which included draining eight threes. The cushion proved enough that SAU was never able to challenge the lead after intermission.

Huntington was even more productive in the second period. Not only did they add nine more long balls to their tally and force their visitors to cough up the ball 12 more times, Alford’s squad missed just ten shots in the last half of the game (16-for-26) to finish with an overall shooting percentage of 60.4 percent, their highest of the season. Knocking down 58.6 percent of their long balls (17-for-29) on the day was also a season-best percentage.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming out of quarantine,” said Coach Alford. “I was pleasantly surprised by our effort defensively and our unselfishness on offense.

“We capitalized on their 21 turnovers by scoring 34 points. Ben and Zach were special tonight – combining to go 9-for-12 from three.”

The Foresters jumped on the back of Zach Goodline through the first half. The 6-1 point scored 20 of his 22 points in the opening frame which included three triples. Ben Humrichous stepped up in the final 20 minutes by dropping in 19 points, 15 of which came from downtown, enroute to topping all scorers with 24 points.

The other three Huntington starters also posted double figures with Peyton West registering 15, Hank Pulver adding 12 and Caleb Middlesworth pitching in 11. West finished with a game-best seven assists and shared team rebounding honors with Pulver. The pair pulled down seven boards apiece.

Brandon Durnell, the league’s second leading scorer, tossed in 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Spring Arbor. Daniel Cluster and Nate Flannery collected 15 and 12 points respectively. The trio accounted for all but 13 of SAU’s points.

Overall, the HU general liked what he saw today. “Seventeen assists and 17 threes are what we’re looking for.

“It’s a great start to conference play,” said Alford. “I thought our posts did a great job on Durnell. He is one of the best players in our league and was a point of emphasis for us all week in practice.”

The Foresters are back at it on Saturday when they host Mount Vernon at 1:00 p.m.