As Greenon took the floor to begin their final season in the Central Buckeye Conference, they battled a team that will become much more familiar to them starting next season.
The Knights, under first year coach Kevin Smith, hosted a Southeastern team from the Ohio Heritage Conference that will welcome the Knights starting in the fall. If Friday night was any indication, the boys’ basketball battles in the new league will be solid, as the Trojans used a solid fourth quarter to escape with a 61-51 win over the Knights.
The game was tight early, as both teams came out ready to play. Greenon answered every Trojans’ basket until Andrew Lyons, who led everyone in scoring with 26 points, put together consecutive baskets at the rim, giving Southeastern a 10-6 advantage.
The Trojans pushed their lead to five on a three from Trevor King, but the Knights battled back on a pair of scores from Keegan Flanegin to close the Knights deficit to 13-12 with 1:41 left in the opening quarter.
Greenon could not muster any offense for the rest of the first period, as the Trojans stretched their slim lead to 16-12 after one quarter behind three points from Colton Spears.
With 4:34 left in the first half, the Knights used a big three pointer from Trevor Anderson to keep the game close at 22-19, but the Trojans used a run to stretch the lead before the half.
Consecutive scores from Lyons and a big three from Spears sent the Knights down 29-19 before Flanegin ended the Knights’ drought with a score to end the 7-0 run.
Trailing by ten at the half, the Knights used a strong third period to put pressure on the Trojans.
Still trailing 36-26 with 4:49 left in the third period, Riley Williams started a 8-2 run for Greenon with a midrange jumper, and when Jake Richards buried a three with 2:27 left in the period, the Knights only trailed 38-34.
Southeastern broke the run with a 5-0 run of their own before Flanegin finished the quarter with two more scores, and the Knights were within five heading to the fourth.
For more of the fourth quarter, the Knights kept the deficit in single digits, but could not overcome the Trojans. One of the key plays in the game came at the 5:17 mark of the fourth period when trailing by four, the Knights watched as Lyons grabbed a rebound off of a Trojans missed free throw and score, taking a 45-41 lead out to seven.
They would stretch their lead out to 11 with just over three minutes remaining and held on for the win.
Flanegin led Greenon with 18, Richards added ten and Logan Coppock scored eight.
Greenon returns to action Friday night at Indian Lake.
Greenon Girls Basketball- Freshman Reagan Ware scored 29 points, including eight three-point shots, but it wasn’t enough as the Knights lost to Cedarville 72-46 last week.
Cedarville jumped in front early and fast 25-10 after the opening period and never looked back.
Freshman Sierra Potter added nine points for the Knights.
Greenon returns to action next Wednesday at Ben Logan for a 7:30 game.
Knights Fall Short In Opener
- Written by Super User