Chaminade pulled within 79-77 on a 3-pointer with about 15 seconds left, but McKay responded with a foul shot to put the ‘Cats up by three. After McKay’s second shot rimmed out, the Eagles worked the ball down to Milton Gage in the left corner with about a second left. Gage’s potential game-tying 3-pointer bounced off the side of the rim.
McKay and the Wildcats’ other guards consistently broke through when CJ tried to press, and they passed the ball with ease against man-to-man and zone defenses. Most importantly, Springfield shot fairly well from the field and always answered when CJ hit big baskets.
The Eagles also pulled within two points midway through the fourth quarter, but Wallace and Lazarus Toliver hit 3-pointers over the next 30 seconds to give Springfield a 72-64 lead.
McKay led Springfield with 35 points, many of which came at crucial moments. Late in the second quarter, McKay scored eight points in a one-minute span which gave Springfield a 38-33 lead. The Wildcats led for the rest of the game.
The game went back-and-forth in the first quarter. Joseph Greene scored a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Eagles a 22-18 lead, but Springfield went on a 12-8 run over the next four minutes to tie it. CJ made a foul shot to take the lead, but McKay led Springfield on an 8-2 run over the next minute. The Wildcats led 42-36 at halftime.
Wallace finished with 18 points for the Wildcats, while Danny Davis added 13 and Dominique Parks scored 10. Christian Montague led CJ with 32.
Springfield (2-1, 0-1 GWOC National East) plays on the road Tuesday against Fairborn before returning home next Friday for Northmont.
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