It took big-time performances to complete a big -time comeback on Monday for North Hagerstown.
The Hubs used a pair of 30-point games by Brayden Cespedes and Ja Ron Nicholson to comeback from and 18-point halftime deficit to turn back Heritage Academy 95-87 in overtime. North scored 79 points over the 21 minutes of the second half.
Cespedes poured in 37 points – 34 in the second half – and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while Nicholson added 34 to allow Hagerstown to prevail in the challenge against a Washington County private school playing out of the Mason Dixon Christian Conference.
It was the first time North had two 30-point scorers – both underclassmen – in one game in school history. For Cespedes, it was the fourth time he surpassed 30 points this season, putting him two games short of the school record set by John Smothers in 1971-72. He also had four assists and six steals.
For Nicholson, he set a school single-game scoring record for a sophomore.
North (10-8, 3-3 in the Central Maryland Conference Potomac Division) trailed by as many as 21 points but battled back, partially by hitting 29 of 42 foul shots. Cespedes hit 11 0f 14 tries while Nicholson converted 9 of 12.
Heritage built a 34-16 halftime lead, but the Hubs outscored the Eagles by 11 in third quarter and seven in the fourth to tie the game in regulation. North won the battle in the extra period by a 17-9 count.
Heritage stayed in the game by scoring 10 three-point shots and 25 foul shots of its own. North shot 57.4 percent from two-point range, outscoring the Eagles by 54-32 in that part of the game.
Freshman Brock Lapole added eight points and eight rebound for the Hubs and Michael Bell scored seven points.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Shepherd ranked 10th in NCBWA poll
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Shepherd University is ranked 10th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Atlantic Region Poll for Feb. 16. The Rams took two out of three games against Holy Family last weekend.
Seton Hall received 10 of the 11 first-place votes to top the poll, moving up from second. Former No. 1 East Stroudsburg fell to a tie for No. 3.
Frostburg State is ranked No. 7 and Shippensburg No. 8 ahead of the Rams.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Shepherd’s Wehner named PSAC East Athlete of the Week
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Shepherd University junior Kara Wehner was been named PSAC East Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday.
Wehner averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists to lead the Rams to a 2-0 week. She added four steals. Wehner scored a career-high 29 points in Saturday’s win over Mansfield.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Shepherd’s Okigweh Named PSAC East top defensive player
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Shepherd University sophomore Favor Okigweh was selected as PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday for the second time this season.
Okigweh averaged 14.5 rebounds in a 2-0 week for the Rams with 22 of his 29 rebounds coming on the defensive end. He added three assists, three blocks, four steals, and 13.0 points per game as Shepherd ran its win streak to seven games.
