The Hocking College Men’s Basketball Team (3-9) achieved its biggest win in the program’s history by beating the 8th-ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division-III, Lorain County Community College (8-3), 85-77 on Sunday, Dec. 9 at Hocking College.
Led by a freshman backcourt, Hocking College won its first conference game of the season. Hocking College freshman, Azende Johnson, scored a game high of 24 points and freshman Tyler Jones added 22 points to lead five Hawks in double figures. The Hawks outshot the Commodores 50% to 38.5% from the field.
Hocking College sophomore, Dalane Brown, dominated the frontcourt with a strong double-double, shooting 7-of-8 from the field for 15 points and grabbing a game-high of 16 rebounds, leading the Hawks to a 38-30 rebound advantage.
The Hawks entered halftime leading 39-36. In the second half, the Hawks' lead stretched to 16 with 13:05 to play; however, Lorain sophomore, Justin Newman, sparked a late second-half comeback scoring 14 of his team's 21 points, bringing Lorain County back within three with 2:13 remaining. Hocking College weathered the storm by hitting free throws down the stretch, which resulted in the program's biggest win in school history.
Wyatt Carder is a junior majoring in sports administration at Ohio University. He is currently completing an internship with the Hocking College athletic department.
