Brian Hagberg
EDINBORO, Pa. – Three was the theme as Eisenhower and Saegertown met in a District 10 Class 2A quarterfinal.
It was the third time the teams met this season, and the teams combined to hit 22 3-pointers in the game. In the end, the Knights earned their third win over the Panthers, 71-65, to advance to the semifinals.
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Eisenhower’s Wyatt Lookenhouse saved his best for last, as he scored 15 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knights put the game away.
Saegertown’s Brady Greco got the 3-point party started, knocking down a pair in the opening minutes of the game to help the Panthers get out to an 8-4 lead. The Knights kept the score close throughout the frame, but a Colin Jones put back at the buzzer gave Saegertown a 16-13 edge after one.
Lookenhouse and Johnny Palmieri got hot in the second quarter. Palmieri hit back-to-back threes to give the Knights a 22-19 lead three minutes into the quarter.
“When I saw that they were running a zone I figured that it would probably be a three point shootout,” Palmieri said. “And we run it through three ourselves.”
See Palmieri’s full interview:
Lookenhouse hit his first with just under three minutes to play, then added two more in the next 90 seconds to extend the Knights’ lead to 31-26. Lookenhouse hit a 2-point field goal for good measure before the end of the half to make it 33-26.
“I got a couple to go in and I was on fire from there,” Lookenhouse said.
See Lookenhouse’s full interview:
Zach Yoder got in on the action in the third quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 38-34. He knocked down two more in the frame, while Palmieri hit his fifth of the game, to keep the Knights’ lead at four, 47-43, going into the fourth quarter.
Greco and Cody Huson hit back-to-back threes to start the fourth quarter and put Saegertown in front, 49-47. Lookenhouse and Palmieri answered with threes of their own to help the Knights retake the lead with 4:24 to play.
A Greco 3-pointer with 43 seconds left cut the lead to 67-63, but the Panthers got no closer as the Knights did just enough from the free throw line down the stretch to win and advance.
Greco had a team–high 20 points for Saegertown. Huson added 17 and Yoder finished with 14.
Palmieri was the only other Knight in double figures, finishing with 18 points all by way of 3-pointers. Kael Hunt added eight points in the win.
Saegertown connected on 10 total 3-pointers, four each from Greco and Yoder, puls two from Huson.
Lookenhouse and Palmieri each knocked down six from beyond the arch.
Eisenhower will face Mercer in the semifinals on Tuesday at a time and location to be announced.
Basketball playoff coverage is sponsored in part by Olewine Financial Group.
