Men's Basketball Hangs On For 66-65 Win at Siena Heights

(Adrian, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team built a seventeen point first half lead, saw that lead disappear, and made the plays down the stretch to earn their fourth straight WHAC victory, as they defeated the Siena Heights Saints 66-65 Saturday afternoon.

A free throw by Jacob Mueller and a three by Zane Kemp opened the scoring and gave Cleary an early 4-0 lead.  Siena Heights would come back to tie the game, and the team's played back and forth basketball untill it was tied 13-13.  The Saints would take a 15-13 lead, but Cleary retook the lead on a Chaz Cobbs Jr. three pointer.  One possession later, Cobbs would make another three, to give Cleary a four point advantage.  With 8:00 to play in the half, and with the Cougars leading 23-21, Derrick Miller made a jumper to start a Cleary run that would ultimately give the Cougars a double-digit halftime lead.  Brian Everhart would make back to back threes, including one that was a four-point play, and with 5:00 to play, Cleary led by eleven points.  Jacob Mueller made it a 35-21 lead when he made a three, and Nick Ellis hit a three with 1:58 to play to give the Cougars their largest lead of the half at 38-21.  Siena Heights scored three points late, but two more Brian Everhart free throws would send the Cougars into the half with a 42-26 lead.

Some back and forth action to start the second half led to a Bennie Crenshaw Jr. three pointer with 17:45 left in the game, giving Cleary a 47-30 lead.  From that point on, Cleary would go cold from the floor, and Siena Heights would go on a run, taking a 56-55 lead with 6:33 to play.  The Saints' lead grew to as many as five points, when they led 60-55 with 4:39 left in the game.  Cleary would use the final media timeout to regroup, and Zane Kemp would start a last ditch effort for the Cougars, by making one of two free throws.  A Cleary defensive stop would set up a Jacob Mueller layup, making it a two point game.  Siena Heights would get fouled, converting both free throws on their offensive end, and retook a four point lead.  Another Jacob Mueller basket cut the lead to two points, and after a defensive stop that drew a foul, Isaiah Bailey would make both free throws with 1:40 left, tying the game at 62-62.  The Saints would score again on an and-one play, taking a 65-62 lead with 1:10 to play.  Cleary drew another foul, sending Isaiah Bailey to the line, where he made both of his pair of free throws.  Cleary would get a defensive stop, used a timeout, and drew up their final play.  The play would see Nick Ellis open for three, but his shot was off the mark.  Jacob Mueller would grab the offensive rebound, send it back to Ellis, where he was fouled.  Nick Ellis would make both free throws, giving Cleary a 66-65 lead with 0:17 left in the game.  Siena Heights would use a timeout to draw up their final offensive possession, and Cleary made defensive subs.  The substitutions would work, as Tim Kewley locked down the Saints player, causing a turnover, and sealing the victory for the Cougars without allowing a go-ahead shot attempt.

Zane Kemp led Cleary with 11 points to go with 4 rebounds.  Jacob Mueller would add 10 points and 4 rebounds.  Isaiah Bailey and Brian Everhart each chipped in 9 points off the bench, and Tim Kewley had 3 more blocks to his WHAC leading total.

The win, which was Cleary's fourth straight - a program record- now gives the Cougars a 10-13 record overall, and they are now 9-9 in the WHAC. It is the first time in program history that the Cougars have earned at least 10 wins, and the 9 wins is two more than last season's previous WHAC total of 7.  The team will return to Gannon Gymnasium next Wednesday, February 11, when they host the Racers of UNOH.  The game is schedueld to begin at 7:30 PM.  

*Picture Courtesy of Deanna Marie Photography*