MEN’S BASKETBALL

It was sweet revenge for the 19th-ranked Huntington men’s basketball team in the friendly confines of Platt Arena Saturday afternoon where they handed the #RV Saint Francis Cougars a 91-69 loss. The win avenges an 89-65 loss to USF back on December 4.

The Foresters took care of business early to lead from opening tip to the final buzzer which included holding a double-digit advantage starting with three minutes left in the first half on a rim run by Romain Bruwier that put HU up 40-30. The disparity at half was 48-34 with five different Foresters scoring at least six points for a well-balanced attack.

Landen Jordan and Lane Sparks stepped up in the final 20 minutes, combining for 25 of their team’s 43 second half points. The hosts led by as many as 24 at 70-46 with 12 minutes to go. It came on the heels of a 15-4 run spurred by a rare four-point play by Sparks.

In addition to an efficient offense that saw Alford’s crew knock down 52.7 percent of their shots, the Foresters also got the job done defensively by limiting their guests to 36.8 percent shooting. The Cougars entered the contest averaging 83 points a game and shooting just shy of 50.0 percent from the field.

Jordan led the game in scoring and rebounding with 21 and eight respectively. Sparks finished with 18 points. Drew Goodline posted 13 points, three assists and eight boards to share game-high rebounding honors with Jordan. Kaden Johnson came off the bench to net 11 points which included going a perfect five-for-five from the field.

USF was led by Luke Almodovar’s 19 points. Other double digit scorers for the Cougs included D’Amare Hood and Branden Northern with 11 and ten points respectively.

With six regular season games remaining, the Foresters (17-5, 7-5) are currently fourth in the CL standings. Next up is a trip to Mount Vernon on Wednesday.