MEN’S BASKETBALL

The #RV Huntington men’s basketball team built an 18-point first-half lead behind a scorching perimeter barrage, but a second-half surge propelled No. 25 Morningside past the Foresters, 94–82, Saturday afternoon at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center to conclude the GPAC/Crossroads League Challenge.

Fresh off an 83–68 victory over top-ranked Grace on Friday, Morningside (3–0) remains undefeated on the season, while the setback was the first of the campaign for Huntington (2–1).

Huntington erupted from beyond the arc in a dominant opening period, knocking down 14 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes alone. Jay Reynolds and Miles Good each connected on four first-half triples, while Taden Metzger provided a major spark off the bench by draining three consecutive long-range shots in less than 90 seconds. Metzger’s third triple pushed the Foresters’ advantage to its largest margin of the game at 18 points, 48–30, with 3:14 remaining in the half. HU shot 51.9% (14-of-27) from distance before intermission to carry a 51–37 lead into the locker room.

Morningside made key adjustments in the second half, leaning heavily on its interior attack to mount a comeback. The Mustangs shot 82.1% (23-of-28) from the field after the break, outscoring the Foresters 57–31 in the second stanza and building a 66–16 advantage in points in the paint for the game. Morningside reclaimed the lead at 73–72 on a Brayden Dinkla layup with 8:39 remaining and pulled away down the stretch.

Huntington finished with 17 three-pointers on the day (17-of-44, 38.6%) and shot 78.6% (11-of-14) from the free-throw line. Four Foresters scored in double figures, led by Good’s team-high 20 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Cade Brenner added 15 points and five assists, while freshman Keaton Lawson scored 13 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Reynolds added 12 points off the bench, and Metzger finished with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.

Morningside was led by Fitzy Grant, who posted game highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Kaden Van Regenmorter scored 23 points, 19 in the second half, while Trey Bryte posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Tyson Odvody and Dinkla each added 10 points for the Mustangs.

UP NEXT
Huntington returns home to Platt Arena on Friday to host Indiana Tech at 6:00 p.m. in the opening game of the Ness Bros. Hall of Fame Classic.