BOYS BASKETBALL Late basket gives Hubbard 1st win
Joe Sivulich hit a go-ahead basket with 30 seconds remaining.
By SAL MARINO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HUBBARD -- The Hubbard High boys basketball team gained its first win of the season, 68-65, over Howland.
Joe Sivulich hit the go-ahead basket with 30 seconds remaining to give Hubbard the lead, 66-65, and deliver the win.
Before that, he also had the goal that gave the Eagles a 64-63 lead with 1:26 left.
Sivulich's game-winner was capped off by two foul shots by Anthony Smith with six seconds left to ensure the victory.
Smith, the All-Ohio football player, led the Eagles with 22 points.
"We tend to go peaks and valleys tonight. And I told the kids to get a good look, be smart and watch your fouls. It was a good effort from the whole team," said Hubbard coach Scott Grover.
Howland opened an 8-4 lead behind a 3-point shot from Brandon Kubicina.
Hubbard tied the score 10-10 at 4:08 of the first period, thanks to two 3-point goals by Matt Smith.
The Eagles led 21-18 at the end of the first period, while at the half Hubbard held a 35-28 lead.
Howland out-scored Hubbard in the third period, 23-12.
"We made some changes on the half-court, and our kids played good basketball to come back in the third quarter," said Howland coach Ron McCleary. "But our biggest adjustment was to penetrate with the ball against Hubbard.
"However, at the end of the game, we made some errors that we shouldn't have."
During the third period, with Hubbard leading 46-40, Scott Day of Howland ran off eight unanswered points to give Howland a 48-46 lead. And the Tigers closed out the third quarter with a 51-47 lead.
In the fourth period, Day again made a basket to give Howland a 53-47 lead before Hubbard ran off six straight points to tie the score at 53-53 with 6:30 left.
The two teams went back and forth until 3:30, when Jason Melidonna broke a 59-59 tie to give the Tigers a 61-59 edge.
With Howland leading 63-62, Sivulich hit his goal that gave Hubbard a 64-63 lead at 1:26.
Melidonna came back with another goal to give Howland a 65-64 lead at 1:03, leading to Sivulich's game-clinching goal and Anthony Smith's free throws.