MANSFIELD — The Mid-Buckeye Conference jinx is over.
Antonio Lindsay knocked down eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points as St. Peter’s knocked off Loudonville 73-59 Friday night at the Franciscan Activity Center.
The win snapped an ugly 38-game MBC losing streak for the Spartans (3-17, 1-8). St. Peter’s last conference victory came on Feb. 14, 2020, in a 53-31 win over Mansfield Christian.
“It means a lot to get this win,” Lindsay said. “We’ve been through a lot, but we have stuck together like a family and come together.”
The game was tied 9-9 when Lindsay nailed the second of his eight treys with 2:25 remaining in the first quarter, sparking a 9-2 run to close the period. St. Peter’s led 18-11 after the first stanza.
The lead ballooned to 24-11 when Lindsay connected on two more triples early in the second frame.
“He can light it up like that when he is focused,” St. Peter’s coach Lance Hood said. “When he’s focused like that, he’s tough to deal with.”
Lindsay’s seventh trey of the first half gave the Spartans a 37-24 margin with 1:15 showing in the half. St. Peter’s grew the gap to 39-24 at intermission.
“I have continued to talk to the guys about playing like a team,” Hood said. “We have played better on the road than at home because we play as a team on the road.
“Tonight we played as a team.”
Three consecutive buckets by Elijah Evage, the only senior on St. Peter’s roster, gave the Spartans a 45-26 bulge midway through the third quarter. The Redbirds (6-15, 2-8) closed the period on a 15-6 run and trailed 51-41 heading to the final eight minutes.
“We knew Loudonville would make a run. They beat us by 31 at their place earlier this year,” Hood said. “We were able to withstand their run.”
Loudonville’s Dilan Wade scored the final five points of the third quarter and the first five points of the fourth as the Redbirds trimmed the St. Peter’s advantage to 51-46. Back-to-back 3s by Lindsay and Nasaan Wiggins pushed the spread back to 57-46 with 6:07 remaining.
The Redbirds refused to go quietly, however, as Judah Layton hit a pair of 3-pointers and converted a conventional three-point play to cut it to 61-55 with 4:01 showing.
But that’s as close as Loudonville would get. Evage scored on another offensive rebound and putback with 3:02 left to push the lead to 63-55.
“Elijah is the heart and soul of our team,” Hood said. “He goes and gets those garbage points. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the dirty work for us.”
Evage and Dimoni Lentes backed Lindsay with 12 points apiece. Sidiki Sissoko added 10 for the Spartans.
Wade paced the Redbirds with 27 points. Layton added 24.
