Lancaster faced off against Clarence in an important league game last night. The winner would have the edge for the fourth spot in the Sectional tournament. The game did not start how the Legends wanted. Lancaster was held scoreless for the opening 4 minutes of the game. Lancaster struggled with Clarence's size as they were unable to get decent shots or any rebounds. Offensively Clarence used their size to get easy baskets underneath. Needing more size Coach Otto turned to Junior Matt Mazur, who changed the game as soon as he stepped on the court. Mazur protected the rim, getting 2 blocks within the first minute he was in. Lancaster used that momentum to go on a small run to close out the 1st quarter with a 13-12 lead.
In the 2nd quarter the Legends buckled down on defense by forcing a few turnovers and keeping Clarence off the boards. Lancaster was able to hold Clarence to just 8 points in the quarter. However, Lancaster was not able to pull away. They struggled to hit shots and had a few miscues of their own. Even though they weren't able to take full advantage of the great defense, they did extend their lead to 26-20 at halftime.
The second half was an exciting one to watch. Both teams made adjustments and Lancaster came out looking to put away Clarence. The 3rd quarter was a defensive battle, with both teams unable to score. Behind the loud and excited Lancaster student section the Legends used that energy to go on a small run to get their lead to 9. After a Clarence timeout and some more adjustments, Clarence went back to using their size to get some easy baskets down low. Clarence was able to chip away at the lead and pulled within 3 at the end of the quarter, 32-29.
The 4th quarter was a back and forth slugfest. Every time Clarence hit a shot to close the gap, Lancaster responded. Every time Lancaster made a few baskets to extend their lead, Clarence responded. With under a minute to remain Clarence hit a shot to cut Lancaster's lead to 3 points and the game turned to foul shots. Foul shooting has been one of Lancaster's weak points all season, but they were able to get clutch free throws from Noah Kimble, Channing Francis, Matt Mazur and Joe Harrington this game. Clarence had one more chance to tie the game with 10 seconds left but their final shot fell just short, and the Legends pulled out a 48-45 victory. The win puts Lancaster in the driver's seat for the fourth seed and a home playoff game. Lancaster has 3 league games left, with the next being Senior Night this Thursday against Hamburg.
Last night Franics led the scoring with 18 points and had 7 rebounds. Joe H. added 11 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Mazur had a monster game with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks. Kimble scored 5 points and also added 3 assists and 7 rebounds. Jack Harrington had 4 points, while Ryan Corcoran had 2 points, each also had 5 rebounds. Come out and support the Legends this Thursday as they look to extend their winning streak to 4 games.
Photos courtesy of Casey Harrington
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