MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Forester men’s basketball team closed out the annual Ness Bros. Hall of Fame Classic in style Saturday afternoon inside Platt Arena with a 76-64 victory over Spartanburg Methodist. With the win, Huntington pushes its win streak to four and improves to 5-1 on the year while the Pioneers remain in search of their first win at 0-4. The victory also marks the fifth time in the last six years HU has swept both games of its home classic.

The day held additional significance as halftime featured the recognition of the 2025 Hall of Fame induction class. Honorees included Bill Lightner for his meritorious service, Jenna Donaldson (’10) for women’s basketball, Greg Slee (’04) for baseball and Matea (Knispel) Rippe (’19) for women’s soccer.

On the court, Jackson Paul authored a performance to remember by recording a rare triple-double – just the third on record in program history. The senior guard filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, driving the Foresters’ energy and execution, especially after the break.

Trailing 36-33 at halftime, HU emerged with renewed urgency and outscored the Pioneers by 15 in second frame. The turning point came midway through the period when Cade Brenner scored in transition to give HU a 49-47 lead- one that would stand the rest of the way. Brenner was electric down the stretch, scoring 13 of his game-high 18 points in the final 20 minutes. His second-half burst included three threes and three steals to fuel both ends of play.

Kaden Johnson continued his strong weekend with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Miles Good added seven points and four assists. Matthew Spears chipped in eight points and a pair of steals, with Landon Biegel and Keylane Lasisi adding five each.

HU’s ability to convert pressure into points proved decisive, forcing 19 Spartanburg Methodist turnovers and turning them into 21 points. The Pioneers were led by Caleb Jenkins (14 points, 5 assists) and Musa Murithi and CJ Terrell (11 points each).

Huntington is idle for a week before hitting the road to face Cornerstone next Saturday at 3:00 p.m.