'A special kid': Hayden Nigro scores 37 on senior night in Louisville win over Northwest (2024)

LOUISVILLE — Tom Siegfried's final words in Louisville's video tribute for senior Hayden Nigro started the basketball rolling.

"We just want him to have the best possible senior night he could have," the Leopards head coach said.

Nigro's senior night couldn't have went any better. He scored 37 points to power Louisville to a 102-70 win over Northwest in the final regular-season game for both teams.

There was a festive atmosphere inside a packed Leopards gym as the school honored its senior cheerleaders and basketball players. The amount of senior cheerleaders could have comprised a basketball starting lineup.

Nigro is the lone senior basketball player. His family escorted him to center court before warmups. That was expected.

What was not expected was the video tribute for him the school played before tipoff. Several teammates and coaches spoke about Nigro in the five-minute video. That's when emotions really caught up to him.

"I was trying to hold it in as much as I could," Nigro said. "It definitely got me to tears. I've been having fun with these guys as long as I can remember. The friendships I have built with these guys and the coaches will never be forgotten."

The players spoke about their best memories with Nigro on and off the court. Varsity assistant Nick Schilling said it was a pleasure and honor coaching him and that he will be a great friend, husband and father in the future. Siegfried said he viewed him as a second son.

Siegfried saw the finished video for the first time Thursday.

"Honestly it was hard to watch it and not have the tears," Siegfried said. "He's a special kid. He's just a great young man who in today's world cares so much about his teammates.

"It meant a lot to recognize him in that way."

Nigro's 37 points pushed him closer to the Louisville all-time scoring record of 1,409 points held by former teammate Will Aljancic. He will enter the Leopards tournament opener against Akron North with 1,353 points.

Eight first-quarter points put Nigro on a fast track to a successful senior night. He saved his best for last. He exploded for 17 points in the fourth quarter alone.

"I realized I was going to get some shots, but I was just trying to be a good teammate and see if everybody could score tonight," Nigro said. "I knew it was senior night, but it was still a game we had to focus on and see if we could win."

Nigro produced back-to-back 30-point games at the end of the regular season. He scored 31 in Louisville's win over defending Division III state champion Lutheran East at Memorial Field House last week.

"Hayden Is doing exactly what Will (Aljancic) did last year," Siegfried said. "He's just bringing it. He's our go-to guy. When we need a bucket, he finds a way. The amount of ways he finds to score is insane."

Brayden Gross aided Nigro with another double-double, 21 points and 11 rebounds. Beau Siegfried hit four 3s and finished with 16 points. Avery Andrecjik added three 3s and 13 points off the bench.

The Leopards (20-2) pulled away in the second half after they built a 45-37 halftime lead. They outscored Northwest 29-17 in the third quarter and 28-16 in the fourth.

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"It sounds wild when you have 45 points at halftime and we're like 'We have to push it harder,'" Tom Siegfried said. "I didn't think we really played great in the first half. They were doing a lot of things where we weren't getting help-side.

"We really wanted to just play good, solid defense and get out in transition. I thought we did a good job of that."

Chase Badger scored 14 points to lead Northwest (14-8). Caleb Hyrne and Tristan Pennington finished with 13 apiece. Ian Ziegler scored 11 points. Tyler Pappas added 10.

It's off to the postseason for both teams. For Nigro, it's one more high school tournament run on a team that has an unlimited ceiling.

"I feel great about us," Nirgo said. "I know the guys we have on this team. I know how far we can go and everyone's mindset in the tournament."

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