CHARDON, OH— In a high-octane, fast-paced game, the Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Lions outlasted the University School Preppers 70-60 to improve to 7-2 on the year. With the loss, the Preppers drop to 7-3. Despite a lot of fouls whistled by the officials for both sides, much of this game was played on the fast break and came down to which press defense forced more turnovers, which was the Lions in the end.
The two sides traded a single free throw early, with both utilizing the offensive glass to earn the foul. After the Preppers made their free throe to tie it at 1, they were the first to break out the full court press, but it didn’t fluster the Lions. They easily broke the press and found Luke Keep for three for the first field goal of the game. The next possession saw NDCL move to the press, force and turnover, and it led to Keep hitting another triple for a quick 7-1 advantage with around five and a half minutes left.
Those threes sparked a 10-0 run for NDCL, which culminated in Connor Hernan and Ryan Lipowski getting a bucket each to push the lead to 11-1. Alec Congdon, one of the captains of University School, ended the drought with a bucket off a great dime from Tylar Robinson. The score was later moved to 13-6, and this is where the tempo really started to pick up. In a matter of only about a minute, Hernan and Joshua Belcher each made two shots for their team on the fast break. The scoreboard read 17-10 with 1:54 to go in the first. The rim running ability of NDCL was starting to prove to be too much, as the lead got pushed out to nine, eventually 10 off a technical free throw made by the Lions. After some more buckets being traded, the Lions took the advantage after one, 22-14.
Belcher started off the second quarter with a strong drive to the hoop. It was immediately answered as NDCL uses tremendous passing to find Sam Hays open for two. The next possession that Lion press forced another turnover, and transition offense was on display for Angelo Tamburrino. Both teams traded three’s and then the Lions went on another run. They took their 29-19 lead to 17 by the five minute mark, but the Preppers weren’t going to be quieted easily. They went on a 10-0 run of their own, sparked by a big three from Robinson, cutting the lead to 12. That shot got the Prepper fans back into the contest, and it sparked the University School defense to start forcing more turnovers. The run was capped off by Mario Gasper hitting an NBA-ranged three to cut the lead to seven.
The following possession saw NDCL end their cold spell, courtesy of Hernan. The teams traded buckets to end the half, and while the Preppers chipped away, NDCL still led 40-34 at the break.
The fast pace took a backseat to start the second half, as both teams were looking to re-establish come sort of rhythm. With the score at 42-35, Cole Croce hit a three to cut the lead down to four, the smallest it had been since the 10-0 run the Lions went on early in the first. Hernan quickly ended that as he accepts a homerun pass off the inbound to put the lead back at six, and a few possessions later, he rocks the rim with a dunk to make the score 48-41. University School started to lose its rhythm, seeing the turnovers and mistakes that plagued them in the first piling up again. The Lions went on another huge run, eventually seeing their lead blossom to 13 at the third quarter’s end, 58-45.
NDCL slowed the pace down in the fourth to force the Preppers to play some defense since there is no shot clock, and as soon as they bit up to defend, the Lions took advantage. Good passing, hard nosed defense, and controlling the tempo led NDCL through the final frame, and led them to a 70-60 win.
Hernan led the way for the Lions, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds to go along with his electrifying dunk. The only other double-digit scorer for NDCL was that of Keep who had 14. Three players hit double figures for the Preppers. Robinson had 17, Belcher had 13, and Congdon was closely behind with 12.
Both teams have finished their 2024 schedules and will resume when the calendar crosses into 2025. Both will have winnable games, as the NDCL Lions will face off against the winless Holy Name Green Wave on Friday, Jan 3. The Preppers of University School are back on the same date to play the Ottawa-Glandorf Titans.
Comments