Hudson boys basketball shoots way to first win in Erie

In his battle of David vs. Goliath, the weapon of choice was the three-ball.

Facing a size differential of four inches per man, the Hudson boys basketball team shot past the giants of Grand River Academy 71-60 in the consolation game of the 7th Annual Marsha Marsh Roundball Classic. In the process the squad picked up its first win of the year (1-2).

The win followed a 54-51 loss to host Erie McDowell in the first round.

Going against an Eagles starting five that included; 7-2 senior Mathok Majok (eight points, 14 rebounds), 6-9 senior Matet Dheiu (15 points, 5 boards), 6-6 senior Ricky Okeyo and 6-7 sophomore Khalid Ousmane (22 points, 11 rebounds) coming off the bench, the Explorers needed to find their shooting touch from outside.

They smashed the previous Hudson mark for three pointers in one game with 15 made triples.

“Obviously they were huge …big across the board. We knew we would have to make shots after we watched Grand River play Benedictine. Those big kids inside were a difference maker whether it was blocking shots or adjusting shots,” Hudson coach Tommy Stockard said. “Our game plan, when the big kid was in the game, was to penetrate, kick and we’ve got to make shots. When he’s out of the game we wanted to get more down hill and get some buckets; which we did a decent job of, when he was out.”

“The X-factor is we got to get looks. We had a lot of turnovers yesterday (17; in a 54-51 loss to McDowell in the opening round). It got to the point that we thought we are better off getting shots off. We tried to come out and just fire it up. Try to be aggressive early. Once we made some shots, got some rhythm and for the most part the guys made shots all game.” Stockard added.

The Explorers fell behind early for the third time this year; they trailed Fitch (8-2 and then 14-4) early and then McDowell (8-2 and 13-4). This time the Eagles jumped out to a quick 11-3 start before the offense began to click.

Junior Tino Yli-Junilla hit back to back threes just 32 seconds apart and added a third trey minutes later to get things started. Michael Steel joined the shooting barrage with a triple.

Seconds later Luke Brennan hit his second three of the period and Hudson had its first lead at 20-18. Fritz Trautmann then hit a short jumper and Yli-Junilla got three points on a driving hoop and harm play.

The Explorers were on top 25-18 after one having outscored Grand River (1-4) 22-7 over the last 4:02 of the frame. Hudson was 5-8 from distance in that time period.

The Blue and White squad were not done. Hudson went 5-13 on threes in the second quarter led by junior Reece Chokan. Coming into the game without a varsity point in limited action to date, the 5-10 guard got the hot hand and didn’t cool down. Chokan hit three three-pointers in the second quarter and added two more in the third for a 15-point evening in his coming out party.

“Reece Chokan had a huge night. He came off the bench and hit five threes for us. In the second quarter he had three threes. He gave us a huge spark,” Stockard praised. “That’s what we have been looking for; someone had to step up and help us out. Tonight it was him; he had a great game, even defensively he took a charge for us.”

With Chokan leading the way from outside the arc, Yli-Junilla hit four threes for a career high 28 points, Brennan also had four bombs and 12 points while Steel added two deep balls and had ten points for the victors.

The Explorers led 46-31 at halftime and expanded the margin to 64-42 after three. The lead reached as many as 24 points in the third quarter.

The locals cooled off in the fourth quarter after making 15-41 triples going into the final frame. Grand River began chipping away at the big deficit but Hudson held off the late charge to win its first of the year.

“It (the win) is really important going into a league game now (traveling to Wadsworth; Dec. 13). It feels good getting a win under our belt. We’ve got two tough games coming up in Wadsworth and (at) Brecksville (Dec. 16). It’s good to get a win here,” Yli-Junilla related. “We have been struggling shooting the ball …tonight was a confidence builder.”

The Explorers nearly pulled out their first win of the season the previous night against eventual Tournament champion and host McDowell.

Hudson looked to be done early in the second half. The host Trojans, who led 13-8 after one and 32-19 at intermission began to pull away early in the second half. McDowell ran off seven unanswered points thanks to seven straight offensive rebounds to take an 18-point lead (39-21) with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Brennan started the comeback with a three. Yli-Junilla scored on back to back breakaway lay-ins thanks to steals and assists from Nolan Yanak and Hunter Chokan. Yli-Junilla, who had a game high 25 points for the night, added an and-one on the first layup. The gap was down to 39-29.

The Trojans scored twice on put-backs but Yanak drove down the lane for a pair of buckets to answer. In the final seconds, on a beautifully executed inbounds play, the in-bounder Trautmann got the ball back and drained a long range three to close the gap to 43-38 after three.

Early in the fourth Yanak did it again splitting defenders for a lay-in. Steel came on strong to score twice in the paint and then with 4:18 left Yli-Junilla tied the score at 46-46 with another fast-break score. The 6-4 guard converted one of two at the line with 3:55 to play for Hudson’s first lead 47-46. With a strong zone defensive effort the Explorers had clawed back with a 26-7 run over a span of just under eight minutes.

The lead changed hands three times over the next two and a half minutes. The hosts had a lead of 52-50 and the ball when Yli-Junilla stole the ball and drove down the key. He was met at the basket and on a close call that could have gone in favor of the visitors was blocked trying to tie things up. Hudson had a couple chances late but couldn’t make a three to force overtime; falling 54-51.

“We kept chipping away at the lead,” Stockard said. “We spent the whole third quarter and fourth quarter scrapping and fighting to get back in the game. I love it; I love their heart. They don’t quit.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Three point shooting leads Hudson boys basketball to first win