Lourdes ended a five-game losing streak over the past three seasons to Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday evening as the Gray Wolves defeated the Racers 62-50 at Tam-o-Shanter.
 
"This was a good win and one that was desperately needed," head coach Andre Smith said afterwards.  "We had a much better effort tonight.  Our seniors played well and showed a great deal of leadership on the court."
 
The three seniors accounted for 52 of the Gray Wolves' 62 points, led by E.J. Blackwell (Rochester, Pa./Rochester H.S.), who scored a game-high 24 points.  Blackwell played all 40 minutes and made 10 free throws, while connecting on 7-of-14 shots from the floor.  Zach Steinmetz (Toledo, Ohio/Saint John's H.S.) also went the distance, tallying 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Julian Johnson (Columbus, Ohio/Horizon H.S.) added 10 points, four assists, and three steals.
 
Trailing 23-22 with 5:28 to play in the first half, the Gray Wolves closed the stanza on a 9-0 run, with Blackwell accounting for seven of the points.  Lourdes shot 52.4% from the field while holding Northwestern Ohio to just a 29.6% (8-for-27) clip.
 
The Racers cut the Lourdes lead to two, 31-29, following a pair of triples to start the second half, but Lourdes would not led the visitors get any closer the rest of the way.  A 12-1 run, in which Lourdes allowed the Gray Wolves to build a 57-42 lead with two minutes to play.  Northwestern Ohio managed just one field goal over the game's final 9:07, a layup with just nine seconds remaining.
 
Lourdes outscored Northwestern Ohio 24-12 in the paint and made 23-of-27 free throws (85.2%) while the Racers made just 10-of-14 (71.4%) on the night.
 
Jorge Concepcion III led Northwestern Ohio (7-10, 4-4 WHAC) with 18 points, the only Racer to tally double figures on the night.
 
Lourdes (8-8, 3-6) will look for its second straight win on Saturday evening, as the Gray Wolves head to Adrian, Mich.  Tip-off against Siena Heights is set for 7:30 p.m. at the SHU Fieldhouse.