Knights overcome Huskies height to gain big win at Steve Smith Hoops Classic

The Northwestern Huskies players will probably be seeing West Holmes star guard Brady Arnold in their sleep for the next few weeks.The West Liberty-bound guard blistered the Huskies for 36 points in their Steve Smith WQKT Holiday Hoops Classic matchup Saturday, Dec. 21. That led West Holmes (6-1) to a 63-56 victory over Northwestern (5-3).Yet when it came time for the Knights to go on a late-game run to put the Huskies away, it wasn’t just Arnold, but the efforts of many, that made it happen.“This was definitely a team effort, especially knowing that we had to keep their bigs off the boards,” said West Holmes coach Keith Troyer. “I know they got their share of offensive rebounds, but I thought our bigs battled inside all night. I can’t fault the effort. It was another great effort on back-to-back weekends for our kids. We got some great minutes from Luke Ogi and Trevor Kiner tonight in the paint. I can’t ask for anything more from them.”All night the two teams went at it, neither able to pull away. It was a constant back-and-forth battle that featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties.With West Holmes nursing a 53-52 lead to begin the fourth quarter, Josh Neer scored inside off an Arnold assist.Northwestern guard Matt Kohler then scored inside off a put-back to give Northwestern a 56-55 lead.Chance Cline responded by hitting as monster three to give the Knights the lead. Trevor Smith then responded in kind, to give the Huskies their final lead of the game at 59-58.Ogi then muscled his way into the paint and scored on a put-back, Scotty Troyer hit a nice driving layup and Cline made a steal and plunked home the ensuing two free throws for a 64-59 West Holmes advantage.Then Arnold took over, completely.He drove inside for a bucket, and after Kohler made a pair of free throws, Arnold made a textbook steal and layup for a 68-61 lead. He then split a pair of free throws, and after Malachi Nolletti hit a long two point shot, Arnold scored on a pair of free throws. Freshman Derek Koch then hit 3-of-4 free throws before Arnold hit a layup on a full court inbounds play to seal the deal.Scoring aside, what may have been the most beautiful part of the evening was the way the Knights ran time off the clock with precision passing and court awareness.Leading by six, West Holmes had two long time-killing possessions that drained nearly one minute off the clock when Northwestern was trying to foul to stop the clock.“We had Brady, Josh, Chance and Nate (Hall) out there, and those guys can all handle the ball,” said Troyer. “We did a great job of taking care of the ball, knowing that they had to come and foul us.”For the Knights, it was another close win, something that this particular group has gotten very good at.“It’s one of those thing where these kids just don’t give up,” said Troyer. “I thought tonight we had a big challenge, because of their size advantage. This is the first time we have played zone all year, and it is the first time we have played against a zone, so there were a couple of things we had to overcome tonight.”Troyer had high praise for his star, noting that Arnold “had a marvelous game.” But in the same breath, he was pleased to be able to note that many players came through when it was needed most.“We had some other kids step up and hit some shots tonight,” said Troyer. “In the end, we really took care of the ball and hit some free throws, and that is good to see with an inexperienced team like this.”Arnold, West Holmes’ all-time leading scorer, added plenty to his running total, ending the game with 36 points and earning Player of the Game honors. Neer tacked on 13 to go with his team-high eight rebounds, while Ogi popped in eight and Troyer and Cline both added seven apiece.For Northwestern, the Huskies were paced by Kohler with a 20-point night, who played extremely well all night and was a constant thorn for West Holmes. Nolletti added 15, Collin Kayse pitched in with nine, Koch added eight, as did Brandon Covert, while Trevor Smith scored six.Troyer said that the Knights still have tons of work to do, and they won’t rest on their early achievements, but to get off on the right foot, with an inexperienced squad, means a great deal in terms of confidence.“There is still a lot to improve on, but this group will continue to work hard and work at getting better each night out,” said Troyer.