Kiante Enis
Tyler Smith
HAGERSTOWN, Ind. – Northeastern Boys Basketball Coach Brent Ross was able to smile on Tuesday night as the Class 2A No. 4 Knights survived their opening contest of the of the sectional at Hagerstown.
“I think it’s a great win for us,” Ross said of the 73-52 victory over Winchester that allowed the Knights (20-4) to advance to Friday’s second semifinal against Union County (15-8).
“They tried to make the game ugly,” Ross added. “They tried some different defenses to try to stop us or slow us down.”
“I give (Winchester Head) Coach (Matt) Fine all the credit in the world,” Ross continued. “He did everything he possibly could, I think, to win this basketball game, and he kept them in it.”
After falling behind early in the first quarter, Northeastern eventually led 16-10 by the end of the period. By halftime, the Knights were up 31-17.
“Give Northeastern a lot of credit,” Fine said. “They were the better team.”
“I didn’t think we guarded the way we needed to, but they hit a lot of shots,” Fine added. “Their length caused us a lot of problems.”
Despite trailing the rest of the way, the Falcons (14-9) were able to stay within striking distance.
“Every time we needed a big basket, our defense is what stepped up,” Ross said. “We’d get a steal and a lay-up, and that’s probably what helped us pull this game out rather than being (in) a half-court offense.”
Nate Reynolds
Elias Gates
Tyler Smith led the Knights with 23 points, while Nate Reynolds added 20.
Robert Smith tossed in 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but Northeastern was getting contributions from all of its players as the starters continued to pick up fouls.
“Anybody I put in the game, I feel does a great job,” Ross said. “Everybody is capable because they’ve done it all year. DaShawn Hampton hit a couple of big shots for us.”
Hampton finished with eight points, which included a pair of 3-pointers.
Winchester had two players in double figures led by Kiante Enis with 14. Elias Gates tossed in a dozen, while Austin Lawrence drilled a couple of treys as the Falcons closed the gap in the third frame.
Box Score
NORTHEASTERN (20-4) – Tyler Smith 7 5-7 23, Bailey Stewart 3 0-0 6, Robert Smith 7 0-0 14, Nate Reynolds 8 0-0 20, DaShawn Hampton 3 0-0 8, Harrison Rice 1 0-0 2, Kaleb Mikesell 0 0-0 0, Austin Clay 0 0-0 0, Gabe Beatty 0 0-0 0, Jalen Hillard 0 0-0 0, Quinton West 0 0-0 0, Alex Reynolds 0 0-0 0. Team – 29 7-10 73.
WINCHESTER (14-9) – Kiante Enis 4 5-9 14, Michael Georgi 2 2-5 7, Austin Lawrence 3 0-0 8, Elias Gates 4 2-3 12, Arick Miller 2 2-3 6, Cullen Hall 2 0-0 5, Trestan Enis 0 0-0 0, Jordan Key 0 0-0 0, Aaron Wallace 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Jordan-Miller 0 0-0 0, Lukas Mills 0 0-0 0. Team – 17 11-20 52.
Northeastern 16 31 51 73
Winchester 10 17 33 52
3-pointers – Northeastern 10 (T.Smith 4, N.Reynolds 4, Hampton 2), Winchester 6 (Lawrence 2, K.Enis 1, Georgi 1, Hall 1, Gates 1). Rebounds – Northeastern 34 (R.Smith 13), Winchester 20 (K.Enis 6). Turnovers – Northeastern 10, Winchester 11. Fouls – Northeastern 17, Winchester 10.