Rematch With Defiance Belongs to Men's Basketball

(Defiance, Ohio)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team was in a battle once again facing a team desparate to make a push towards the WHAC tournament, but the Cougars would make the plays down the stretch to secure a 70-66 road victory.

After Defiance scored the opening points of the game, Zane Kemp gave Cleary the lead when he connected from behind the arc.  Kemp would two more baskets, and a Nick Ellis three pointer made it a 10-3 game, forcing a Yellow Jacket timeout.  Cleary would get a defensive stop, setting up a Zane Kemp and-one to extend Cleary's lead further.  Two more free throws by Zane Kemp gave the Cougars a ten point lead with 13:45 to play in the opening half.  Defiance would start to chip away at the Cougar lead, and with three minutes left in the half, the lead had shrunk to four points.  The Yellow Jacket run would continue, and with 1:14 to play, the hosts took the lead for the first time since the score was 2-0.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would get fouled and made the resutling free throws to give Cleary back the lead, which the Cougars would hold heading into the half, with the score 35-33.

After the Yellow Jackets tied the game, Cleary would score the next eight points to open up a 43-35 lead.  Defiance would not go away, and were able to cut into that lead once again, getting back within four points.  Nick Ellis, Zane Kemp, and a dunk by Tim Kewley would extend the Cleary advantage to nine points with just under eleven minutes to play in the game.  The Yellow Jackets would score the next ten points to take the lead at 51-50.  Chaz Cobbs Jr. would draw a foul, make a pair of free throws, setting up a dramatic final seven minutes and change.  With the score tied at 54-54, Brian Everhart would score a layup, then drained a corner three to give Cleary a five point lead.  Defiance stormed back once again to get within one with 2:30 to play, but Derrick Miller connected on a three to give Cleary a 64-60 lead.  Defiance would answer with another three on their offensive end.  Cleary responded in a big way, when Nick Ellis got the ball at the high post, spun towards the basket, and slammed the ball home to give Cleary a three point lead once again.  Defiance would score again, with less than a minute to go, and Cleary would break their press, worked the ball around offensively, where it found a wide open Brian Everhart in the corner.  His shot would be off the mark, but Zane Kemp was there to put it in on the offensive rebound, giving Cleary a three point lead.  After a turnover by the Yellow Jackets, Bennie Crenshaw Jr. would get fouled, making both of the resulting free throws, and giving Cleary a 70-66 victory.

Zane Kemp had a game high 21 points with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  Nick Ellis would add 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 blocks.  

The win improves Cleary's record to 12-14 overall, 11-10 in the WHAC, guaranteeing the Cougars will finish with no worse than a .500 record in league play with one game to play.  The Cougars will conclude their regular season with senior day on Saturday, February 21, when they host the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils at Gannon Gymnasium.  The game will have major WHAC tournament playoff implications, as the two teams are currently in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference.  Cleary will honor this year's seniors pre-game, and will tip-off at approximately 3:00 PM.