CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS—Cuyahoga Heights used a stingy defense to hold off visiting Trinity in a Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division showdown on Tuesday, 47-41.
Nate Biggers also scored a game-high 20 points to pace the Heights offense.
“We have a number of different people that can score in double digits,” said Heights coach Michael Tartara. “We have seen that throughout the year.”
Trinity jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and held on to take a 14-11 advantage into the second quarter. Heights responded with a 5-0 run of its own and battled back to a 20-20 tie at the break.
The visiting Trojans kept up the pressure for most of the third quarter but Max Bollin hit a half-court shot to beat the buzzer that gave Heights a 31-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
“That half-court shot by Bollin was huge,” Tartara said. “It just gave us energy.”
Heights used that momentum to reel off eight straight points in the fourth quarter and then held off the Trojans the rest of the way.
Braylan McClardy contributed to the win with nine points, Bollin finished with seven, and David Collins and Emmanuel Loizos both scored four. Eli Walton pitched in with three points.
Biggers also helped Heights control the glass on both ends of the court.
“Rebounds are key,” Biggers said. “We know we can win the game when we get defensive stops.”
JayQuan Stubbs led the Trojans with 11 points and Braylayn Irby added eight.
With the win, Cuyahoga Heights improved to 10-4 overall and 3-3 in the Metro Division. Heights hosts Cardinal in a CVC crossover game on Friday.
Trinity fell to 7-7, 3-3 and will host Berkshire on Friday.