Despite early turnovers St. Vincent-St. Mary holds on to win "Akron Holy War" over Hoban 58-51

St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Dru Joyce talks to his team during a timeout. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

AKRON, Ohio - The James A. Rhodes Arena was buzzing with excitement during the yearly "Akron Holy War" matchup between St. Vincent-St. Mary and Akron Archbishop Hoban High Schools.

The Irish managed to overcome an early turnover problem to secure a narrow 58-51 victory. "Early on, it was not throwing the ball away," said Joyce. 

Hoban started strong, jumping out to a 5-2 lead with 7:02 left in the period. However, after they got comfortable and capitalized on their own mistakes and St. V's turnovers, they kept the game close, ending the first quarter tied at 15-15. 

DeCarlo Prince and Caleb Hill (who finished with 11 points on the night) maintained the action for the Irish in the second quarter, working through a Hoban zone to get to the basket. Hoban kept pushing on offense, with John Johnson scoring and giving them an 18-16 lead with 4:29 remaining in the half. 

DeCarlo Prince (13) attempts a shot over John Johnson as Leigh Cotton (34) looks on. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

"We knew coming into the game there was going to be a lot of emotions," said Prince. Emotions may have influenced the game since both teams combined for 17 turnovers in the first half. 

Prince would get a dunk, putting St. Vincent-St. Mary ahead 24-22 at 1:50, as they found their rhythm. Then, with just 50 seconds remaining, Cotton nailed a crucial 3-pointer, helping them secure a 30-24 lead by halftime. 

The opening of the third quarter was key for the Irish as Leigh Cotton would bring some energy who finished with 16 points for the game, and they would go on an 8-0 run with six of the points scored by Cotton and would see Hoban's Johnson come out of the game for undisclosed injury, but would soon return.

Arri Caporaletti looks for an opening as DeCarlo Prince defends. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

Hoban would stay in the game despite the surge by the Irish with all-around scoring from the Caporaletti brothers, Johnson, and Owen Hamilton. 

St. Vincent-St. Mary would still hold on to the lead heading into the last period, 43-38. 

The Irish bench really stepped up, outscoring Hoban 7-3 in bench points, thanks to junior Justin Robinson, who scored all seven of those points late in the game. "That depth is going to be significant when it comes time," said Joyce. 

Justin Robinson drives past Brady Lucey enroute to a score late in the game. Robinson finished with 7 points for the game, coming off the bench. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

Despite Hoban's big three that scored in double figures (Nico Caporaletti 13, Arri Caporaletti 11, and John Johnson 14), and tying the game up at 43-43 with just under six minutes to go. 

"Just maintaining our lead, I know we gave it up, but we had a talk after that, that nobody was go play harder than us," elaborated Prince. after they fell 44-43 after a couple of free throws from Arri Caporaletti with just under five minutes to play. 

That talk would be enough to get the win in the annual rivalry.

St. Vincent-St. Mary moves to 9-7 on the season with a matchup with Ursuline next, and Hoban drops to 7-5 as they go on the road to face John F. Kennedy Catholic. 

DeCarlo Prince scored his 1000th point in the win.