MEN’S BASKETBALL

The HU men’s basketball team bounced back from yesterday’s loss by dominating Grace Christian 122-86 on day two of the Terry Polston Hoops for Hope Classic Saturday afternoon at Grace’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

The last time a Forester squad put up over 120 points dates back to 2008 when Huntington topped Ohio State Mansfield 121-61.

Alford’s crew made it look easy by putting up eight points right out of the gate which included a pair of triples by Caleb Middlesworth for an 8-0 lead that would never be challenged. It was the first two of 13 long balls that HU would drain in the opening half on the way to piling up 71 points to GCU’s 34 by the halfway point.

Lane Sparks accounted for nearly half of his team’s scoring from deep in the first period by going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. He missed just two shots in his first 14 minutes of play to head into intermission with 22 points already to his name. The freshman sensation finished with 25 points to go along with four steals, three rebounds and two assists by game’s end and for his efforts was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Another rookie in Landen Jordan added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals while Mitchell Wilson tossed in 15 points and handed out five dimes. The trio all came off the bench to account for nearly 50.0 percent of Huntington’s scoring on the day.

Middlesworth and Ben Humrichous each pitched in 13 points in HU’s monster win.

On the day, Huntington knocked down a season-best 19 threes at a clip of 43.2 percent. While 57 points came from downtown, another 58 points were had in the paint with a measly five coming from midrange. Alford’s crew turned the ball over just nine times while forcing the Tigers into 23 miscues with a price tag of 38 points.

Eli Carlson posted 16 points to lead the Tigers while Parker Neu and Zak Yorke added 14 and 11 points respectively.

The Foresters (5-1) have the week off before jumping into league play. First up is a home game with Taylor on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.