MEN’S BASKETBALL

The 3rd-seeded Forester men’s basketball team picked off 2nd-seeded Bethel, 75-65, Friday night at the Weikamp Athletic Center in semifinal action of the Crossroads League Tournament. The win sends Alford and crew to the tourney finals Monday night at top-seeded Grace.

While tonight’s matchup could also be considered the rubber match of the regular season split, more importantly it increases the Foresters’ chance of being a national tournament host site. HU will find out March 6 is they are one of the final four teams to be named a first and second round host.

It was only the beginning of the game that was up for grabs with one of Landen Jordan’s signature dunks giving his team a permanent lead of 7-5 just two-and-a-half minutes in. Throughout the first half, Huntington grew their lead to as many as nine on several occasions with the last a 38-29 separation on a Kaden Johnson transition layup with just over two minutes left in the frame.

It seemed likely the Foresters would head into intermission with a nice cushion but instead BU pieced together a 10-2 run to close out the period which included Beau Jacquay’s heave at the buzzer from the top of the key at the other end of the floor that banked in. It sent BU fans into hysterics and made for a one-point difference of 40-39.

But it didn’t fluster the guests who came out of the locker room to score the first six points of the second half to up the lead to 46-39. The disparity remained single digits until a pair of freebies by Jackson Paul with four minutes remaining gave Huntington a 67-57 lead. Another Jordan dunk 90 seconds later put the exclamation point on the night as HU went into cruise control mode the rest of the contest.

Both teams shot over 40 percent from deep but free throws were the bane of existence for the two squads. HU went 14-for-26 for 53.8 percent while their counterparts went 11-for-22 for 50.0 percent.

Maximus Gizzi was the key cog to Huntington’s win. In addition to directing traffic offensively, the hard-nosed point guard also led the charge defensively making sure nothing came easy for the Pilot guards. He finished the night with 19 points on an efficient 8-for-10 shooting performance and handed out four dimes.

Lane Sparks poured in 20 points while Landen Jordan enjoyed a double double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. Kaden Johnson came off the bench to toss in 11 points.

Austin Cripe topped Bethel with 15 points off the bench. Preston Phillips added 13 points and eight rebounds. Jameir Jefferson collected 11 points and matched Phillips with eight boards.

During Alford’s five-year tenure, this marks the second time the Foresters have made it to the finals of the Crossroads League Tournament. HU’s record stands at 24-6.