Newport Rallies in Strong Second Half to Beat Lebanon 64-55 in Ohio-Kentucky Showdown
CINCINNATI, OH — Game 3 of the 4th Annual Holiday Hardwood Classic featured an interstate matchup, with Newport of Kentucky defeating Lebanon of Ohio 64-55 behind a strong second half in which they outscored the Warriors 36-23.
After an evenly-matched opening four minutes, Newport went on a 7-0 scoring run with 3:21 left in the first quarter that included five points by Davae Andrews-Glover to give the Wildcats a six-point lead at 13-7. Lebanon, however, erased the gap with a 9-2 run of its own to close the quarter thanks to two three-pointers by sophomore Jashawn Coffey. The frame ended with Lebanon clinging to a 16-15 advantage.
The second quarter saw the Warriors build on their lead via an 8-2 scoring run that came midway through the frame. The Wildcats were able to close the deficit to four as the half ended with a three-point basket by Amontae Lowe as each team traded blows, but Luke Faler’s eight points in the second quarter provided a comfortable cushion for Lebanon. The teams entered the locker rooms with the Warriors leading 32-28.
Newport opened the third quarter on fire, outscoring Lebanon 14-3 in the first six minutes. Trailing 44-38, the Warriors’ Jashawn Coffey rallied the Lebanon offense during a timeout, telling his teammates, “Hey, we gotta play defense. Come on.” Coffey then scored five points in part of a 6-0 scoring run to tie the game at 44, but a layup by the Wildcats’ Amontae Lowe with little time remaining gave Newport the lead at 46-44 entering the final frame.
The teams exchanged blows to begin the fourth frame, but Newport caught fire late, and, with 2:28 to go, a Keegan Farrell jumper put the Wildcats ahead 54-49. The basket was part of an 11-3 scoring run assembled by the Wildcats that lasted inside the last minute of the game. Newport pulled away in the closing minutes to put the capper on a 64-55 interstate victory.
Lebanon struggled shooting from beyond the arc in the second half, while Newport improved in its shooting late in the game. Coffey and Faler posted 22 and 20 points for the Warriors, respectively.
There won’t be much time for Newport (5-2, 0-0 District 36) to celebrate its win at its first-ever Holiday Hardwood Classic; the Wildcats will be playing in the Swauger Holiday Classic from December 28-30 at Bellevue High School. On the other side, Lebanon (2-5, 2-3 ECC) will be back at home Monday, December 29, taking on Wilmington.
