YOUNGSTOWN Ingram spurs Mooney's comeback in 50-45 win

The three-year starter continued to develop his game with clutch plays that helped overturn Howland.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Cardinal Mooney junior Curtis Ingram has been the go-to guy for the Cardinals this year.
The three-year starter showed that he is capable of being an impact player on both ends of the floor, in Mooney's 50-45 victory over Howland on Tuesday.
Ingram (6-foot-1) keyed a fourth-quarter comeback by scoring seven of his game-high 21 points during a 10-2 run, that pulled the Cardinals even at 42-42 after trailing by eight points with 6:30 remaining in the game.
"I love his game," said Mooney coach Nick Bellino. "He still has to work on some of the polish of his game, but he knows what goes on out there on the court."
Versatile: Ingram played the point guard position most of the game, but also posts up well inside and is a tenacious rebounder on both ends of the court. He made eight shots, including two from 3-point land, and grabbed six rebounds.
While Ingram did his best to keep the Cardinals even with Howland, it was the play of senior Rashaad Williams and sophomore Jeff Hehr that finished off the Tigers.
With 1:27 left, Hehr seemed to be trapped by the Howland defense, but he hit an incredible turnaround baseline shot to give Mooney its first lead of the fourth quarter, 43-42.
Sealed victory: Then, Williams scored two baskets in the final 35 seconds and made a great steal on defense to help seal the victory.
"I thought our kids played flawless in the last few minutes," Bellino said. "We knew the last four to five possessions on offense and defense were important, and the team just hunkered down.
"We came up with some big plays and big opportunities and [Howland] missed some shots," he said. "It came down to that."
Howland had pulled away from an even game in which the team traded leads up until the final moments of the third quarter.
With the Tigers leading 36-32 at the start of the fourth quarter, Howland's Courtney Mazey and Jason Melindona each scored to build an eight-point lead.
Went cold: But then the Tigers (0-3) went cold, hitting just two of their last eight shots.
Tiger coach Ron McCleary, who returned to the bench for just this season after a four-year hiatus, was disappointed his team couldn't hold the lead.
"Late in the fourth quarter we had some good looks, but we just didn't knock [the shots] down," McCleary said. "Down the stretch, we didn't keep our poise.
"We're learning. We're getting better every game," McCleary said. "We just have to learn how to close the games out."
Mazey led Howland with 12 points and Scott Day scored 10.
Williams scored 11 points for Cardinal Mooney, while Hehr had eight points. Howland out-rebounded Mooney 20-18.