Senior Tah-Jae Hill scored 37 points, senior Jason Story hit a clutch three-pointer with 51 seconds left to give the Cadets a four-point lead, and Najier Daniels hauled in two defensive rebounds in the final 30 seconds to secure Hilton’s 59-55 win over Penfield in boys basketball.
The Hilton offense was on fire in the first quarter as they built up a 14-point lead. Hill hit four field goals, a trey, and a pair of free throws while Story added two three-pointers and a lay-up, and Daniels hit a reverse lay-up.
Penfield clawed their way back by outscoring the Cadets 17-9 in the second quarter.
The end of the third quarter and start of the fourth featured eight lead changes and the Patriots leading by as many as five points, but a put-back by junior Ryan Kurtz started the Cadets comeback.
Sophomore Preston Prince closed the Penfield lead to one point with a trey, and Hill put the Cadets ahead for good, knocking down two free throws with 5:22 remaining.
Two more three-pointers from Hill put the Cadets ahead by three, but Penfield cut that back to one before Story’s trey with 51 seconds left sealed the win thanks to Daniels’ two rebounds.
“I was shooting well the whole game, Preston (Prince) saw me open, confident and bang it went in; it was awesome,” Story said about his late three-pointer. “We fight back and we’re going to bounce back now.
“It’s the right time to get hot. Three more games and sectional seeding coming up; it’s awesome right now – we’re striving for sectionals.”
“When he wants to go get it, it’s something special to watch,” Hilton head coach Troy Prince commented about Daniels’ two late rebounds.
In addition to his 37 points, Niagara University-bound Hill added two rebounds, two steals, and one assist, while Story had 14 points. Daniels finished with a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks, senior Peter Reyes added three boards, while Prince and Kurtz each added three points for the 10-7 Cadets.
