Buchanan’s Big Fourth Quarter Leads To Clayton Comeback Win Over Lutheran South

For some reason Monday night, senior guard Clayton Buchanan missed two-thirds of the shots he took in the first three quarters of his team’s non-conference boys basketball game against Lutheran South at the Stuber Gymnasium.

Buchanan averages 20.1 points a game this season and consistently has been one of the best shooters in the area in nearly every game he’s played this season.

But on Monday, the 6-foot-1 lefty missed 10 shots in the first three quarters and even airballed three times on long 3-point shots.

In the fourth quarter, though, Buchanan got hot quickly and stayed that way throughout, connecting on all six shots he took for 14 of his game-high 20 points, that led the Greyhounds to a 70-65 win over the visiting Lancers.

Lutheran South, which tried its best to smother Buchanan, did a terrific job of forcing him to take tough shots. Through that effort, the team overcame a 29-26 halftime deficit to grab a 49-48 lead at the end of three quarters.

Four Lancer players scored in double-figures Monday night, including senior Nadum Meneh, who had a team-high 16 points, and sophomore Parker VanNest, who had 15, to lead Lutheran South.

Teammates Jim Hudson (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Thomas Schultz (10 points) were South’s other double-digit scorers on another balanced night on the statsheet for the Lancers.

The key stretch in the game came at the start of the fourth quarter, when Buchanan pulled off a one-man 7-0 run on two feathery mid-range jumpers and a deep 3-pointer that gave a previously struggling Clayton team a 55-49 lead.

Later on, the Greyhounds put together a seemingly game-clinching 11-4 run, which began and ended with even more Buchanan brilliance. A last-ditch 9-1 run by the Lancers followed. It was capped by a sprawling lay-up from Meneh, which made the score 67-64 with 1:18 left in the game.

That was as close as the Lancers got. The Greyhounds added a couple of clutch free throws down the stretch and eventually ran out the clock for their third win of the season.

South fell to 1-4 on the season.

Clayton, which has a 3-4 record this season, has two road games scheduled this week.

On Wednesday, the Greyhounds will travel to Ladue to take on in a non-conference contest. Then on Friday, Clayton will be in Creve Coeur to face No. 10-ranked for another non-conference matchup.

The Greyhounds' next home game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 24 against Westminster Christian Academy.