Cagers Comeback at Lawrence
February 6, 2026
The Cagers (10-6) traveled to face the Lions of Lawrence School on the east side of Cleveland. It was Senior Night and emotions ran high for the Lions as they roared out of the gate. The hostile atmosphere played a part in the Cagers not getting off to a good start. Turnovers and lack of execution were the culprits in the first quarter as the ice cold Cagers could only muster up six points, all by junior forward Luke Kinser. The only thing keeping the game close was the defensive end where the more athletic Cagers held Lawrence to just nine points.
The second quarter did not start well for the Cagers. An opening possession turnover led to a Lion’s bucket and that revved up the crowd. “That gym is so loud. There is no place for noise to go except into your ear. They were making plays and that place was rockin,” said Head Coach Doug Hamsher. Another turnover led to another bucket. And if it wasn’t loud enough already, the Lions would bury a 3 to put them up by 18-8. A timeout was called to calm the Cagers down. After the timeout, the Cagers seemed to steady the ship and get a little something going as Peyton Casto and Brody Shultz joined Kinser with buckets in the frame. The Cagers found themselves in a hole at 23-15 at the half.
Whatever was said in the locker room seemed to work as the second half started. Kinser continued his torrid pace by driving to the hoop for a score. Logan Winans would pump fake and drive left baseline and bank in a 2-pointer. QJ Anderson would find pay dirt. Soon the once raucous crowd grew quieter. Shultz would connect from deep and just like that, the Cagers had a lead they would not relinquish. “We started to push the ball up the court and play Cager basketball. It was a matter of choice, and we chose to step up our play in that third quarter,” said Hamsher. Quintin Steiner would run the floor and finish twice for four points. Kinser, however, dominated the quarter, scoring ten points to pace the Cagers. The 6-3 junior ran the floor and finished the rim with authority. It was an impressive performance as the Cagers erased the halftime deficit and took a 38-34 lead.
The game was still in the balance until the ball was put into play to start the fourth period. The Cagers would continue their stellar play at the defensive end. They forced turnover after turnover that led to fast break points, Kinser being the recipient of many of those points. “We stepped it up defensively and that was the difference,” said Hamsher. Offensively the Cagers settled in and started to execute. A few passes around the horn found Casto wide open on the right side. He set his feet and let it fly….BOOM! A few possessions later Jacob Briker and Breven Bullard teamed up to perfectly execute a pick and roll. By that time the Cagers were on the tail end of a 17-4 run resulting in a commanding double-digit lead. The 55-38 win was the Cagers 7th win in their last 10 games. For the game Kinser led all scorers with 28. Casto had 8. Shultz had 7 followed by Steiner with 6. Bricker, Winans, and Anderson all chipped in a bucket to round out the scoring column.
