KEUKA PARK, NY— Clutch free throws by Emmanouil Manolopoulos and Tyson Clark in the closing seconds kept the Houghton Highlanders playoff chances alive, as the pulled out another thrilling victory at the hands of the Keuka Wolves on Friday night, 76-73.
 
After leading by eight at the half, the Highlanders capitalized on a 12-0 run in the second to pull away from the Wolves, eventually leading by as many as 17 points with 9:45 left to play.
 
But Keuka slowly began to close the gap.  After Houghton's leading scorer and rebounder, Lou Bellamy, fouled out with just under eight minutes to play, the Wolves set out on the comeback trail., eventually taking the lead with 2:51 left on the clock. 
 
The two teams traded buckets, and leads, before Manolopoulos went to the line with 31 seconds remaining, where he sank both ends. 
 
After the Wolves could not convert on the other end, Clark matched the feat, hitting both of his free throws to put Houghton up by three.
 
A missed Keuka three-pointer, and a clutch rebound by Jake Verschoyle, sealed the Highlanders second win of the week.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 76 | Keuka – 73
Records: Houghton: 6-14 (3-7 Empire 8) | Keuka: 7-12 (4-6 Empire 8)
Venue: JMW Recreation and Athletics Center, Keuka College | Attendance: 149

NOTABLE STATS
>> Clark finished with a game-high 22 points, the fifth time this year the freshman guard has surpassed the 20-point mark in a game.
 
>> Zach Sisson scored a career-best 15 points, draining four threes, while Bellamy pulled in 12 points and seven rebounds and Jake Verschoyle added 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
 
>> Hudson Idzi chipped in six rebounds and a career-best seven assists.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"To finish that game, in one of the most hostile environments in the Empire 8, where no other conference team had won, [and] we had three freshmen out there. Three freshmen that are fighters and closers.

"Tyson [Clark], Manos [Manolopoulos], and Ioannis [Gilanis] have matured so much. Each did big things in key moments. Manos hit free throws to take the lead. Tyson hit a huge three and clutch free throws to give us a three-point lead. Ioannis was a +10 during his 19 minutes, which shows all the little things he does.
 
"If you ever head into a wrestling ring, it's tag-team, and you need a partner, call Hudson Idzi. Then, tag him and stay out of the ring. What a fighter! He's our glue. With Lou in foul trouble, he did so much tonight." - Head Coach Jeremy Bialek

UP NEXT
The Highlanders head to Elmira tomorrow, where they will take on the Elmira Soaring Eagles at 4:00 p.m.