High school boys basketball: Nordonia rallies from big deficit to stun Highland in overtime

MACEDONIA — With so many teams cancelling games due to the latest COVID-19 surge, the fact Nordonia and Highland got to play basketball Tuesday was step forward in itself.

Those who made the trip to Hugh Griffith Gymnasium were treated to one of the most exciting games of the season thus far.

Behind by as many as 13 in the first half, the Knights rallied to force overtime against the Hornets and then pulled out a 75-72 victory.

Nordonia coach Dominique Sanders was all smiles after the win, saying it was a big step forward in the Knights' (3-4) development.

"It's a step-by-step process that goes on every day," Sanders said. "We have guys that have a lot of talent, but they just don't have much varsity experience. Today was a good win for us."

One of those player is Knights junior shooting guard Landon Naylor. Naylor was a driving force in Nordonia's comeback, finishing with a career-high 21 points, six of which came in overtime.

"I kind of went for it in the third quarter," Naylor said. "It seemed like they were playing a bit lazy on defense."

Highland coach Adam Cestaro said his team's crispness seemed to wane as the game went on.

"You never want to give up a lead like that," Cestaro said. "We did a lot of things right in the first half. We turned the ball over too much to win it. They pressured us and we didn't handle it very well."

Early on, it seemed like every bounce — and shot — was going the Hornets' way.

All five Highland starters made at least one 3-pointer in the game. That shooting ability, combined with some aggressive screens, led the the Hornets to take a 31-18 lead.

"They were probably the most physical team we've played," Sanders said. "They're an offensive team and very well coached. They ran everything off the dribble drive, be it the drive and go or the drive and kick. We tried to play zone to stop them, but it didn't work very well."

Nordonia was able to claw back a bit, thanks to point guard Liam Gopalakrishna, who finished with 16 points. But Highland still led 35-27 at the half.

Nordonia didn't make a serious dent in the lead until the middle of the third quarter, when Naylor started driving with abandon.

Naylor keyed a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 43-41.

"You can see the game is slowing down for him," Sanders said. "When he gets going, he can do a lot around the basket."

"He got downhill on us much too easily," Cestaro said.

To stem the flow, Highland went back to its primary option: Senior forward Aaron Fillips.

Driving into the teeth of Nordonia's defense, Filips keyed an 8-0 run to the end the third quarter, giving the Hornets a 51-43 lead. Fillips finished with 21 points.

"He's a heck of a player and he wants the ball in his hands in pressure situations," Cestaro said. "He's the quarterback on our football team, so he's used to big moments."

The Knights picked up their intensity in the fourth quarter and the Hornets were hit with foul trouble. Guard Adam Coss (nine points) fouled out with 5:14 left in the game.

Once Coss was off the floor, Nordonia went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 57-56 with 2:45 left.

Naylor made a spectacular play on each end of the floor to give the Knights their first lead. First, the 5-foot-10 Naylor made a huge block of Fillips at the bucket.

"I thought he was going to pass it, but cut inside," Naylor said. "I just jumped as high as I could."

Naylor collected the ball, sprinted the length of the court and made a contested layup to make it 58-57 Knights with just over a minute left.

The two teams traded the lead in the final minute, before Highland point guard Griffin Albright fouled out while fighting for a rebound with Norodnia's Vince McFarland. Albright finished with 12 points.

With 4.5 seconds left, McFarland split two free throws, tying the game at 61-61 at the end of regulation.

With two starters out due to fouls, Highland got a boost from reserve guard Kevin Heichel, who scored all six of his points in overtime.

But Naylor and forward Gabe Ingram gave Nordonia its first real lead of the night, taking it out to 74-69 with about 30 seconds left.

A 3-pointer from Heischel cut the lead to 74-72 with 10 seconds left, but Highland got no closer.

Gopalakrishna split two free throws with 3.3 seconds left, but Highland's long 3-point attempt was off the mark, giving Nordonia the win.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nordonia rallies from big deficit to stun Highland in overtime