MEN’S BASKETBALL

The (RV) Huntington men’s basketball team saw its six-game winning streak over (RV) Taylor come to an end Saturday afternoon as the Trojans pulled away for a 75–61 Crossroads League victory inside Platt Arena.

The loss drops HU to 12–5 overall and 3–4 in league play, while Taylor improves to 14–3 and 6–1 in CL action, extending its win streak to ten and moving into a tie for second place in the standings.

The afternoon tilted toward Taylor early. Kaden Johnson opened the scoring for HU, but it proved to be the Foresters’ only lead as the Trojans rattled off the next ten points and never relinquished control. Huntington fought back behind a pair of late Cade Brenner triples that sliced the deficit to one at 28–27, but Taylor closed the half strong to take a 42–33 advantage into the locker room.

Taylor’s defense took over after the break, limiting Huntington to just 28 second-half points and stretching the margin to as many as 24 with five minutes to play. The Foresters showed grit down the stretch, closing the game on a 12–2 run, but the hole was too deep to overcome.

Huntington shot 44.9 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from three, but an uncharacteristic 16 turnovers, six more than their season average, proved costly against a Taylor team that turned those miscues into momentum.

Johnson led the Foresters with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting night. Jackson Paul added 10 points, while Miles Good and Brenner chipped in nine apiece, with Brenner knocking down three triples. HU was outrebounded just 32–30 but struggled to find rhythm against Taylor’s pressure defense, finishing with 10 assists on 22 made field goals.

Taylor was powered by a big night from Pete Combs, who poured in 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting while adding five rebounds. The Trojans also got 11 points from Anor Wogar, who buried three triples off the bench, and nine from Anthony McGhee, who went 7-of-8 at the foul line. Taylor shot 48.2 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from deep.

The Foresters will look to bounce back Wednesday when they travel to Fort Wayne to face Saint Francis with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.