JEFFERSON TWP — Knoch boys basketball coach Ron McNabb doesn't believe in moral victories.

But he was happy with how his team played against Hampton in a 65-54 loss to the Talbots at home Friday night.

“I like our guys because they are resilient,” McNabb said. “They battled. I really like the way our guys competed and got after it.”

It didn't start out well for Knoch, which fell behind 9-0 in the first three minutes of the game.

While Knoch (8-6, 5-3) never did hold a lead, the Knights made things interesting.

And stressful on Hampton coach Joe Lafko, who bellowed at his players during multiple timeouts.

Aiden Albert, who is now the point guard for Knoch after the season-ending injury suffered by Austin Hannes, had no trouble penetrating against the Talbot defense.

“I give Albert a lot of credit,” Lafko said. “He was able to drive to the basket and get some good looks. They rebounded well and made some shots inside.

“We're going to go look at some film,” Lafko said. “and see if we can fix some things.”

Hampton (13-1, 7-1) led 38-23 at halftime and appeared poised to run away from Knoch in the second half.

The Knights, though, stormed back behind a balanced scoring attack and cut the lead to 42-38 with a little less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Troy Hixson's 3-point attempt rimmed out or it could have been just a one-point game.

“We were down 15 at halftime,” McNabb said. “We were either going to crumble, or get after it, and we cut it to four and it could have been one. That would have changed the whole complexion of the game.”

But Hampton went on another run to regain an 11-point lead.

Matt Zanella led four Knoch players in double-digits with 13 points. Albert and Hixson each added 11 points and PJ Gourley came off the bench to score 10.

Albert has made a smooth transition to point guard and has impressed McNabb.

“He's been running our two-guard all year and he gets thrown into the point guard role,” McNabb said. “It just tells you what type of kid and competitor Aiden is. I guarantee he's going to get better. The thing I like most about him is he leaved everything he has out on the court. When the game's over, you know he gave everything he had.”

Joey Lafko led Hampton with 23 points.

“Joey played another great game,” Coach Lafko said of his son. “He rebounded, he made good passes to open guys and took the leadership of the team. All those things are things he's done well for us.”

Meanwhile, McNabb is hoping his team will continue to rally around their fallen teammate.

Hannes had surgery Friday morning to repair his dislocated knee and is lost for the season.

McNabb said Hannes called him before the game as he was recovering to wish the team good luck.

“I think they realize they have to (rally around each other),” McNabb said. “Not only is Austin a great player, he's a great teammate. One thing I'm blessed with is these kids are close with each other.

“We're coming together with all this youth,” McNabb added. “I think we're getting there.”

HAMPTON 65

Pat Murray 1-6 0-2 2 Joey Lafko 9-16 3-4 23, Jack Kramer 1-2 0-0 2, Ben Huber 1-5 0-0 3, Antonio Ianadi 2-5 4-5 9, Jack Morrison 2-9 3-4 7, Matt Donnelly 0-1 0-0 0, David Huber 4-11 5-7 14, Kyle Reese 2-5 1-2 5. Totals: 22-60 16-24 65.

KNOCH 54

Aiden Albert 3-10 5-6 11, Troy Hixson 5-7 0-0 11, Matt Zanella 6-11 1-4 13, Mac Christy 2-2 2-4 6, Jackson McKee 0-6 0-0 0, PJ Gourley 3-4 4-4 10, Josh Knochel 0-1 0-0 0, Devin Campbell 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 20-42 12-18 54.

Hampton 18 20 14 13 — 65

Knoch12 11 18 13 — 54

3-point goals: Hampton 5 (Lafko 2, B. Huber, Ianadi, D. Huber); Knoch 2 (Hixson, Campbell)

Tuesday: Knoch at Highlands