Boys basketball: Jacob Snyderburn buries clutch free throws to preserve Buckeye win

SMITHVILLE — Desperately trying not to blow a double-digit second-half lead against West Holmes at the Battle at the Berkey, Buckeye's boys basketball team needed someone to step up after senior leading scorer Caden Hudak badly rolled his left ankle with 2:28 to play. The least experienced player on the floor saved the Bucks on Sunday night, as freshman Jacob Snyderburn made 4-of-4 free throws in one-and-one situations over the final 28.9 seconds to save a 59-53 non-league victory inside Smithville's iconic 1969-era fieldhouse. The guard was playing in just his third career game but starred in the fourth quarter for the Bucks (4-11), scoring eight points on a driving layup and 6-of-6 free throws. His biggest freebies made the score 55-50, one possession after his older twin brother by one minute, Derek, contested an inside shot by 6-foot-5 Knights center Mason Wolfe that failed to connect. "I was surprised (the coaches) were keeping me in," said Jacob Snyderburn, who not long ago was starting for the freshman team. "I was like, 'Alright, Coach kept me in. I've got to do my job to close this game out.' I did that from the free throw line and on the defensive end. "I just had confidence in myself. I've worked on my free throws in practice and take them seriously so we could close out at the end." The Snyderburns, freshman Turner Dolata, junior Casey Murray and senior Joey Lenarth effectively finished the game for Buckeye, which had led 38-25 early in the third period but saw West Holmes (2-17) cut the lead to two points on multiple occasions. Hudak's injury occurred under the Knights basket with the score 51-47. Bucks coach Tom Harrington has slowly given his talented freshmen more playing time recently. His faith has paid dividends, as Buckeye has won three of its last four games while averaging a stellar 66.3 points in those victories. "Those guys, they all play on pretty high-level AAU teams, so they've played tough competition before," said Harrington, whose team beat old Mohican Area Conference rival West Holmes for the first time since Jan. 31, 1997 (75-53). "It's a great experience for them, especially to come out on the right end of it." Dolata scored 12 of his team-high 13 points in the first half, which ended with Hyre launching a buzzer-beater from the volleyball line that deadened off the back of the rim before falling in for a 33-23 lead. Lenarth added 11 points, Luke Knittel posted seven and Hudak compiled seven points, seven rebounds and two assists. West Holmes (2-16), which has been very competitive under interim coach Tennille Cline, was led by 18 points and six points from Wolfe, a record-smashing quarterback who was a Ohio Mr. Football finalist. Wing Zander Schultz (12 points) made two big 3-pointers in the third quarter, while power forward Nate Fair posted nine points. Buckeye appeared poised for a comfortable victory early on, taking a 20-13 lead after playing with confidence offensively. The Bucks' couldn't keep the momentum, however, missed a bunch of driving shots and struggled to contain Wolfe when the Knights made their push in the third quarter. Nursing a 44-40 lead heading into the fourth, the Bucks got driving layups from Lenarth, Knittel and Jacob Snyderburn before attempting to chew clock out of a spread set called "victory." The results were sketchy, but Jacob Snyderburn and Murray made 8-of-8 free throws. Slowly but surely, Buckeye is heading in the right direction. "We're getting better," Harrington said. "I've been telling everybody that I've talked to that for how tough of a year it's been, the morale of our group is outstanding. We have really high-character kids, and they're continuing to work and fight. We're starting to see some of the fruits of our labor, and I'm happy for them." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Buckeye 59, West Holmes 53 Battle at the Berkey at Smithville BUCKEYE &emsp;&emsp;20 13 11 15 — 59 WEST HOLMES &emsp;&emsp;13 10 17 13 — 53 Buckeye — Casey Murray 1-2-4, Joey Lenarth 5-0-11, Luke Knittel 3-1-7, Caden Hudak 2-2-7, Carter Burgess 0-0-0, Austin Hyre 2-0-6, Turner Dolata 3-5-13, Derek Snyderburn 1-1-3, Jacob Snyderburn 1-6-8. TOTALS: 18-17-59. West Holmes — Zander Schultz 3-4-12, Nate Fair 4-1-9, Mason Wolfe 8-1-17, Zevin Proper 2-0-5, Collier Cline 2-1-6, Sam Sprang 1-0-2, Blake Wagers 1-0-2. TOTALS: 21-7-53. 3-point goals — Hyre 2, Dolata 2, Hudak, Lenarth, Schultz 2, Proper, Cline. Rebounds — Buckeye 23 (Hudak 7), West Holmes 22 (Wolfe, Schultz 6). Assists — Buckeye 8 (Hudak, Hyre, Dolata 2), West Holmes 10 (Cline, Proper 3). Records — Buckeye (4-11), West Holmes (2-17).