MEN’S BASKETBALL

Great teams find a way to win and that’s exactly what the 14th-ranked HU men’s basketball team did Wednesday night against the Taylor Trojans. The Foresters had to overcome a six-point deficit with less than ten seconds remaining in regulation to send it to OT where they took control to bring home a 92-84 win.

There were several heroes but none bigger than Drew Goodline. After a breakaway dunk by Pete Combs that put TU up by six with eight seconds remaining in regulation, an upset seemed eminent. But someone neglected to tell Goodline. The 6-2 guard did the unimaginable, draining a pair of triples in the final 1.6 seconds to force an extra period.

After dribbling the length of the floor following Combs’ dunk, Goodline pulled up for a long three from the top of the key to cut the lead to three. The odds were still stacked against Alford and crew. With 1.6 seconds on the clock, Taylor just needed to inbound the ball, but it was Jackson Paul to the rescue.

One of the league’s peskiest defenders, Paul got thrown to the ground when a Trojan guard tried to shake free. The foul gave HU the ball back with 0.6 seconds remaining. Goodline went back into his bag of tricks, this time receiving the inbounds pass on the run for a corner three that found nothing but the bottom of the net to deadlock things at 77.

Other than a 79-79 tie early in the overtime, the Foresters dominated the final five minutes. Landen Jordan opened up the scoring in the extra period with a layup after which Lane Sparks reeled off HU’s next six points for an 85-81 difference with just under two minutes remaining. Jackson’s three on the next possession upped the lead to seven and then it was a 4-for-4 spectacle from the line, two by Goodline and two by Sparks, to ensure the victory.

While Goodline and Paul teamed up for the wild finish in regulation, Sparks offered consistency throughout the evening. The 6-3 scorer finished with a season-tying 32 points which included dropping in 20 first half points. Goodline added 16 points. Jordan also netted 16 points in addition to dominating the boards with just as many rebounds, five of which were of the offensive variety.

Maximus Gizzi posted 12 points and five assists. Paul also turned in double figures with ten points. The starters accounted for all but six of Huntington’s 92 points.

Regulation featured ten ties and eight lead changes with the two teams never straying too far in front of the other. Free throws were the crux for both teams with HU going 15-for-25 for 60.0 percent while their opposition went 16-for-26 for 61.5 percent.

Chaz Harvey tallied a team-best 21 points in addition to hauling in eight rebounds for the Trojans. Kaden Fuhrmann collected 13 points while Jackson Ullom finished with 11.

Tonight’s win marks the sixth straight against Taylor which includes an 82-68 decision when these two squads met the first time around this season. As long as HU takes care of business against Goshen on Saturday, they are assured the No. 3 seed in the Crossroads League Tournament. Huntington’s record currently stands at 21-6 overall, 11-6 in CL action.