In the Tri-Eastern Conference, there is usually too much parity for one team to dominate the other for very long. The boys basketball matchup between Northeastern and Hagerstown has been an exception to the rule. When the Hagerstown Tigers hosted Northeastern on Thursday, Feb. 5, they were looking to end a string of futility. Between the regular season, county tournament and sectional meetings, the Knights had won the last 17 games between the two rivals.
The game was expected to be closely contested, but the Knights raced to a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, forcing the Tigers to play catch-up the rest of the night.
The Knights pushed their lead to 28-8 three minutes into the second quarter. The Knights could do no wrong, and the Tigers did little right. The Tigers made a run at the end of the second quarter to cut their deficit to 34-20 at halftime.
Hagerstown whittled away at the Knights’ lead in the third period. Kaden Hall scored on a tip-in at the buzzer to cut the Tiger deficit to 10 points at 47-37 entering the final period.
With 5:53 remaining, a Luke Durbin free throw pushed the Knights back to 51-39. The Tigers responded with a furious charge. A three-pointer from Jonny Howard, followed by a free throw from Hall and another three-pointer from Howard, cut the Knights’ lead to 51-48 with 3:12 remaining in the game.
The Knights pushed their lead back to 56-50 before Howard hit another three-pointer to trim the Tiger deficit back to three points, at 56-53, with 59 seconds to play. They never got closer. Isaac Schmitz and Howard both fouled out in the final minute of the game, and the Knights scored the last seven points of the game from the free throw line to take a 63-53 win.
Kaleb Moore led the Knights with 20 points, Jarrett Leitner and Brody Ross each scored 13 points, and Durbin added 11 points. Jaykob Troutwine led the Tigers with 16 points, and Howard and Schmitz each scored 13 points.
Northeastern head coach Brent Ross was pleased with the win. “I thought we played well tonight,” Ross said. ”Our schedule helped prepare us to come into an atmosphere like this and not be intimidated. Hats off to the crowds for both schools. It was really loud. Both teams had some adversity and both handled it pretty well. Hagerstown made a heck of a run. I told the kids to be sure to keep track of (Jonny) Howard. When he gets hot he can score in bunches.”
Hagerstown head coach Tyler Stotler said his team is learning. “We are a really good team,” Stotler said. “But we are still learning how important the first three minutes of each half is. Our immaturity showed. Northeastern brought the fight to us. Credit to our kids for fighting back. We had a chance to tie in the final minute of the game. The kids in the Northeastern program have a tradition of winning. We are building our tradition. We will be fine.”
Northeastern (7-9, 3-2 TEC) 20 14 13 16 63
Hagerstown (9-5, 3-2 TEC) 6 14 17 16 53
Northeastern (63)
Moore 21, Logan Seal 4, Leitner 13, Gavin Pratt 0, Luke Wiley 1, Marshall Phillips 0, Ross 13, Durbin 11
Hagerstown (53)
Graham Vinson 0, Troutwine 16, Schmitz 13, Lincoln Small 2, Hall 9, Ben Hokey 0, Howard 13, Elijiah French 0
JV results: Hagerstown 47 (Nick Hileman 16), Northeastern (Noah DuVall 12)
A version of this article appeared in the February 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.