Ben Leischer scored a career-high 27 points Thursday to help the Newman Cardinals edge Athens 66-64 in overtime.
Newman was down 13 late in the first half, but battled back to within 4 at the start of the third quarter.
Newman Head Coach Dan Garrett said his players showed “tremendous heart,” calling the performance a great win for the team.
“I am so proud of the way our kids battled back to win this game, we could’ve easily quit but we didn’t.,” Garrett said. “With a young team, this type of win can only help us down the road with confidence that we can step up in big moments when the game is on the line.”
Two other Cardinals scored in the double digits: Ben Bates added 11 points, while Elliot Samuels added 10.
Newman travels to Hurley tonight for a non-conference game.
