Lutheran East stuns St. Vincent- St. Mary, 76-73: Player Standouts
It took overtime Friday night to determine a winner between two of the best teams in Division II. Before we got there, St. Vincent-St. Mary had a two-point lead in the fourth quarter with Lutheran East getting one last shot…
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Continue ReadingIt took overtime Friday night to determine a winner between two of the best teams in Division II. Before we got there, St. Vincent-St. Mary had a two-point lead in the fourth quarter with Lutheran East getting one last shot at tying the game. That’s when junior guard Collin Albert made it happen, as he made his way down the baseline and snuck in a game-tying laying that would force overtime.
From there, Lutheran East took advantage as St. Vincent-St. Mary was unable to close out the game. Holding a three-point lead with 16 seconds left, St. Vincent-St. Mary’s standout junior Malaki Branham was unable to connect on his three-point shot, leaving a celebration at half court as the Falcons stunned the Fighting Irish in a potential Division II regional championship preview.
Jalen Knott (2021) | 5-11 PG | Lutheran East
stats: 20 points, 9 rebounds
No player stole the spotlight more in the second half of the game than junior Jalen Knott, especially in the third quarter The quicksilver point guard went lights out, sinking all five of his three-point attempts to erupt for 15 points in the third quarter alone. In fact, Knott scored 15 of the team’s 19 points in the third quarter. He finished the game with 20 points, second on the team to Collin Albert. It wasn’t just his scoring ability that was on full display Friday night.
With just under one minute left in overtime, Sirr Hughes missed a layup on a fast break chance, but Knott was there to secure the rebound. From there, he found the cutting Albert where he ended up finishing a contested floater to put the Falcons up by two. He was all over the place for his team late in the game and even took three charges on the defensive side of the ball, helping Lutheran East snap a two-game losing streak.
Sencire Harris (2022) | 6-3 G | St. Vincent-St. Mary
stats: 22 points
There’s a reason why Sencire Harris is one of the best sophomores in Ohio. He led his team in scoring with 22 points during the loss but was a force all night on and off the ball. In the first half, the Fighting Irish were able to gain early leads due to the full-court pressure from Sencire Harris, Malaki Branham and Isaiah Ingol. He was able to get a handful of steals that lead to transition baskets for him and his teammates throughout the game.
Another aspect of his game that stood out was the ability to find the open man. Harris always appears to be looking up and finding ways to get his teammates involved. He’s a very selfless player and wants everyone around him to succeed as well. He’ll be one of the premier guards to look out for in a couple of weeks when it’s tournament time.
Collin Albert (2021) | 5-10 PG | Lutheran East
stats: 24 points
While teammate Jalen Knott stole the show in the third quarter, it was junior guard Collin Albert that shined brightest when his team needed him to in the fourth quarter. In fact, Albert scored a game-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, knocking down two 3-pointers all while making the game-tying layup that forced overtime. When the game was on the line, Albert’s a very confident player and he’s willing to do the little things to see his team shine bright in the end.
With just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Fighting Irish held a nine-point lead and that’s when Albert made plays for himself and his teammates down the stretch. He ended up scoring 18 points in the second half to pull off the upset Friday night. Albert has a quick first step to his game and that’s something that was able to translate to points inside the paint for the rising junior.