Behind a game-high 23 points from Kypton Norris and a chaotic final possession, the Hilliard Bradley Jaguars stunned the previously undefeated Newark Wildcats, 43-41, in a tightly contested nonconference matchup Saturday night at Newark High School’s Jimmy Allen Gymnasium.
The atmosphere was set early as Sean Paul’s “Temperature” echoed through the gym before tip-off, but the opening moments belonged to defensive pressure and early mistakes. Newark won the opening tip, only to commit a backcourt violation on its first possession.
Despite the miscue, the Wildcats settled in behind senior Jake Quackenbush, who knocked down his lone three-pointer from the top of the key for the game’s first points. Newark controlled much of the opening quarter, building a 9-4 lead in a low-scoring period that prompted Hilliard Bradley to rotate four players off the bench.
The Wildcats carried a 21-17 advantage into halftime after a physical first half that featured limited clean looks and just two team fouls apiece. Tybron Brooks paced Newark with his quick first step and ability to attack off screens, while Quackenbush added a fading baseline jumper just before the break.
Momentum flipped early in the third quarter. Hilliard Bradley opened the half with back-to-back three-pointers from Jayden Reed Davis and Anderson Felix, trimming the deficit to one. Slower defensive rotations by Newark allowed the Jaguars to string together a 7-0 run, giving the Jaguars their first lead of the night at 27-25 and forcing a Wildcats time-out.
Newark responded late, reclaiming control in the fourth quarter behind Brooks and Ty Gilbert. A Gilbert three and a Brooks transition layup pushed the Wildcats ahead 40-35, but the Jaguars answered once again. Norris found Ben Mirgon for a corner three before burying one of his own to tie the game at 41 with under a minute remaining.
The Wildcats’ final possession ended abruptly with a five-second inbound violation, giving the Jaguars one last chance with 38.7 seconds left on the game clock. The crowd went quiet in shock, but the game continued, with a Jaguars timeout.
Hilliard Bradley inbounded the ball, eventually finding the rock in Norris’s hands as he missed an initial layup. He secured the offensive rebound and put it back up for a successful field goal as time expired.
“I thought our kids played hard enough to win, but we made some mental mistakes late,” Newark head coach Jeff Quackenbush said. “Games like this get you ready for the playoffs.”
Jake Quackenbush finished with a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds for Newark, while Brooks added 16. Norris led all scorers and added six rebounds as the Jaguars shot 17-of-43 from the field.
Noah Lebowitz writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.