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Mathews holds off Grand Valley
By Jim Flick
VIENNA
In a game that was a fierce battle until the final moments, the Mathews High boys basketball team defeated Grand Valley 68-64 on Tuesday night.
With 2:30 remaining, Mathews (7-4, 4-1 Northeastern Athletic Conference) took a 60-58 lead on Aaron Suchenak’s field goal.
Grand Valley (6-2, 3-1) then narrowed the lead to one, 63-62, on Kevin Cedar’s basket.
Two free throws by Suchenak and one by Zach Youngs gave Mathews a 66-62 lead but Mitchell Lake’s field goal narrowed Grand Valley’s deficit to two with 12 seconds remaining.
Cole O’Dell sealed the deal for Mathews by hitting two free throws, putting Mathews in front 68-64 with less than 10 seconds remaining.
“We had great ball movement,” said Mathews coach Jason Lee. “We took care of the ball and didn’t turn it over.”
Youngs led Mathews with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Suchenak added 13 points and O’Dell contributed 12 points. Andy Morgan and Brandon Cetor each scored nine points for the Mustangs.
Henson was the game’s leading scorer, netting 24 points, including four 3-point shots.
Mitchell Lake scored 16 points for the visiting Mustangs, while Stanley Sirrine nailed two 3-pointers for six points.
Mathews took a 7-point lead in the third quarter, 51-44, after Youngs connected on a 3-pointer. But Henson’s 3-pointer pulled Grand Valley to within three points, 52-49, entering the fourth.
Grand Valley briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, 56-55, when Lake sank a field goal.
A 3-pointer by Youngs put Mathews back on top, but Lake’s field goal tied the score for Grand Valley until Mathews pulled away in the final minutes.
“The key to this was everybody came out and did exactly what they were supposed to,” Lee said. “It’s nice to have someone who’s willing to give up the ball, and that’s what everybody on your team did. We were sharing the ball pretty well tonight.”
“We had a beautiful game from our inside post players, and at the end with him our foul shots.”
Mathews’ players sank 18 of 29 foul shots, including six of eight shows in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
“We missed shots,” said Grand Valley coach Luke Strohm. “Mathews played a very good game, they played hard, they shot the ball well.
“Offensively, we didn’t attack. We settled for 3-pointers and long-range jumpers when we need to work the ball around and attack the hole.”
“We weren’t able to get out and pressure the ball up and down the court the way we usually do,” Strohm said.