Newark Catholic boys basketball beats Utica, clicking into place
UTICA — The Newark Catholic boys basketball team still is struggling to hold onto fourth-quarter leads, but the Green Wave are beginning to stack games in the win column.
NC lost a nine-point edge Friday at Utica, but the Green Wave were only down for the blink of an eye. Clutch 3-pointers from seniors Cole Canter and Brandon Buchanan sent NC to a 70-66 victory in Licking County League-Cardinal Division play in front of a large crowd as Utica honored its Hall of Fame inductees.
"That really hypes us up and makes us really want to win more, especially on the road, upset them in front of the big crowd," said senior Ashton Cox, whose 12 points matched junior Kyle Langenbrunner to give the Green Wave four double-figure scorers. "It feels great."
NC (7-8, 3-7) was unable to close out games at Johnstown and Northridge earlier this month. The Green Wave, however, went on a fourth-quarter tear at Cardington on Tuesday, and Friday's victory gave them a fourth consecutive win.
Utica used an 11-0 run to grab a 56-54 lead with 3:31 left. Tristan Gorius, however, scored on a putback six seconds later, and Utica never led again.
"I always tell the guys, 'You are only as strong as your weakest link.' There are going to be games where (Canter) is not on or (Buchanan) is not on, and guys have to step up," said NC coach Nate Adams, whose team is in the middle of a run of eight road games in nine.
"We had role players play extremely well," Adams added. "That is what we are going to need at the end of this stretch. We have to keep fighting, keep battling."
Empty possessions haunted Utica (11-6, 4-6) the entire second half and after being unable to answer Gorius' basket, Canter buried a 3 from the left wing. Utica cut the deficit to 59-58 before Buchanan hit a 3 from the right corner with 1:30 left.
"There were probably three times I felt like we were ready to seize the lead and take control, especially in the fourth quarter," Utica coach Brian Radabaugh said. His team missed four consecutive 3s with an opportunity to tie the game late in the third quarter.
"Cole hit a big shot," Radabaugh added. "Credit to them, they just kept making big shots."
Beau Dunlap's 3 pulled Utica within 64-63 with 37 seconds left. NC, however, ran an in-bounds play to get Canter a layup, and junior Joe Stanley stole an errant pass at the other end preventing Utica an opportunity at a tying 3.
NC led 36-34 at halftime, and Cox helped push that lead to eight with a 3 and a putback. NC led 48-43 after three quarters and 54-45 early in the fourth before Utica's 11-0 run.
"We had a rough game at Granville, and we sat everyone down and said it comes down to practice," Adams said. "You get out what you put in. If we are not having great practices, we are not going to do it in games. Our guys took that to heart. You have to practice so hard the game's easy."
Junior Trenton Collins scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter as Utica began to attack the basket and beat a path to the foul line, making all eight of its foul shots during its rally. Sophomore Roman Gamble added 13 points and Dunlap 11.
Among Utica's honorees before Friday's game was the 2008 boys basketball team, which finished 19-3 and won the Mid-Buckeye Conference title before falling in the Division II district semifinals. This season's team has led a resurgence and fell just short of win No. 11.
"We have done a good job of putting people into the seats this year, and our community's been awesome," Radabaugh said. "The atmosphere was great. It's disappointing we didn't get a win, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
Buchanan hit five 3s and totaled 19 points for NC. Canter scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and Gorius added nine.
NC earned a split of the season series with Utica. After visiting Zanesville on Tuesday, the Green Wave will have a second crack at Cardinal foes Heath, Johnstown and Northridge.
"We are just playing more as a team now," Cox said. "When we played these teams earlier in the season, we shut down when we got down. We are starting to fight more in the end."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Catholic boys basketball beats Utica, clicking into place
