PATASKALA ― On senior night, Licking Heights big man Nate Lovinsky nearly brought down the house, flushing a fast break pass off the backboard from sophomore Tip Davis for his third dunk of the game.
Then a couple of lesser-known teammates threatened to outdo him.
Omar Obas, a popular practice player who was honored along with the six other seniors, scored in the closing seconds wearing the number 12 of injured classmate Kha’z Simon.
And Reggie Mack hit his second 3 of the game at the buzzer, as the Hornets celebrated a sixth consecutive LCL-Buckeye Division title with a 69-52 win against Licking Valley.
Of coach Shaun Fountain’s 12 players to hit the court, 11 cracked the scorebook.
“We played everyone,” he said, “and all of those guys deserved to play. Sometimes, it’s about more than wins and losses. It’s about creating memories for these guys. You have Reggie off the football team, and Omar shows up every day to practice when he doesn’t have to and really helps us. Not every kid would do that, and it just shows his character.”
The Hornets (16-4, 14-1) made 10 3-pointers against Valley’s zone defense, and Davis netted three of those in the first half. Senior point guard Ta’vyon Wright sandwiched a pair around one by classmate Yannick Trion as Heights bolted ahead 9-0 and led 20-6 after the first, when Davis made two more.
“We want people to come out in a zone, because we have multiple guys who can shoot it,” said Wright, who had three assists. “I love being unselfish and am even more so now since I’m playing through a lingering hip injury. It’s like my game went back to my younger days.”
Added the 6-6 Lovinsky, who had 13 points: “Our shooters really put in the work, and it shows up, especially at home.”
The Panthers (6-11, 4-10), who have dropped 11 of 12 after a 5-0 start, played the Hornets pretty even the rest of the way despite not having point guard Brody Rodgers, who was out with an ankle injury.
Six-foot-four, 285-pound sophomore Carson Adkins muscled in two shots, and Easton Flowers hit a 3 during an 11-0 run that trimmed Heights’ lead to 35-25 late in the half. But Isaiah Ferguson made back-to-back 3s off assists by Trion and Davis as the lead went back to 41-25 at the break.
Zane Hancock scored 9 of his 23 points during a third-quarter splurge that kept Valley in it at 45-34. However, senior Sean Chandler assisted Mohamed Diallo on a layup and Ty’Vair Pollard had a breakaway off a steal, one of 14 Panther turnovers forced by the Hornets, 10 of which came in the first half.
Lovinsky, who also dunked off a rebound following a Wright steal and off Ferguson’s fast-break pass, trailed behind after Ferguson’s steal and outlet to Davis for the eventual throwdown. An overtime loss three days prior to rival Watkins Memorial, ending a 10-game winning streak, was quickly forgotten.
“We kind of needed that, because the last couple of weeks, we’ve been on our high horse, thinking no one can beat us,” Lovinsky said. “It fixed our mindset as we head toward the tournament. It’s regionals or bust.”
He’s started on four LCL title teams.
“It means a lot, keeping this LCL tradition going,” he said. “Ever since my freshman year, coming in and watching those guys before me. We have a lot of potential, with the freshmen and sophomores coming up. We want to keep this going for generations to come.”
Wright, who transferred to Heights as a junior from Gahanna, said Lovinsky is part of the reason he made that move.
“We were friends, even back in eighth grade,” he said. “It’s been truly great, coming from where I did and really finding myself here, knowing that they would help me use my talent.”
Adkins added 13 points, including a 3-pointer and five rebounds for Valley, which made 17 of 41 from the floor (41%) and 14 of 21 at the line (67%). The Panthers out-rebounded the Hornets 24-15, but couldn’t overcome their 28-of-49 shooting (57%).
Davis scored 11 points and Chandler 10 for Heights, while Trion tacked on 8 and Ferguson had three assists.
Fountain noted that the Hornets have had to overcome three major injuries. The 6-8 Simon is likely out for the season after hurting his knee, and they lost starter Robert Talbert early on, while 6-5 sophomore Jim Braima is back but not yet 100%. However, the talent pool runs deep.
“Our freshman team went 18-0 this season, and we’ve put the work in every year,” Fountain said. “It hasn’t been just me. We have a coaching staff who quietly gets the job done. These seniors leave a four-year legacy, and hopefully, these sophomores will have continued it in two years as seniors.”
After breaking through and winning a district championship last year, Heights wants to keep that run going in Division II. While defending state champ Westerville North continues to dominate, the Hornets and New Albany have been battling for the second seed.
“We’ve had to overcome some things, but when this team is at full capacity and playing hard, we can still go far,” Wright said.
Fountain welcomes the opportunity to face more zone defenses.
“This time of year, it’s getting those reps, getting those shots up and finding consistency in our shooting,” he said. “We still have Mount Vernon, and we picked up [defending Division I state champion] Reynoldsburg on Feb. 24.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Heights boys celebrate seniors, sixth straight LCL title on same night
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
