Week 12 News and Notes

Week 12 was a busy one. Lots of games were being made up because of previous postponements. I started out Tuesday in Hanover checking out Sectional and ORVC rivals, South Ripley @ Southwestern. On Thursday I got over to Henryville to see an underrated and sneaky good team in 1A South take on a Borden group with a really good sophomore. Friday I took a drive west over to Paoli to check out the undefeated Rams take on their conference rivals from about 10 minutes away, the defending 1A state champs, Orleans Bulldogs. Throw in plenty of streaming and it was a fun and full week of high school basketball. By the time next week’s write up comes out we’ll know the sectional draws and I’ll probably try and put out some kind of preview, but the season is moving along towards the tournament quickly. Let’s start by taking a look back @ Week 12.

South Ripley @ Southwestern- These 2 sectional and ORVC rivals have played some crazy games over the last few years. 3 years ago there was a back and forth OT W for SR. Two years ago the Rebels blew them away in Hanover. Last season the Raiders hit a last second free throw to defeat the Rebels after a SW three that tied the game with less than 5 seconds left. With basically the conference title on the line I expected to see a close back and forth game. That didn’t exactly happen. The game was manageable for SW in the 1st quarter only trailing 16-12 but in the 2nd quarter SR put up 28 pts. The Raiders jumped out in the 2nd quarter and set the tone for the rest of the game. After giving up some offensive rebounds that the Rebels were not able to capitalize on, Jr. Raider Drew Volz got hot and stayed hot with 19 first half pts. including a last second banked in three as time expired. Soph. Eli Gilpin made his fair share from inside and outside the arc as well putting up 22 pts for the game. When Gilpin gets going he’s hard to stop for a soph. Once the 6’3 soph. guard becomes a consistently good scorer every game, he will be one of southeastern Indiana’s premier players by the time he graduates. The Rebels have a good future of their own with freshman Quinton Lewis keeping SW in the game shooting it from deep. The youngest Lewis brother ended up with a team-high 19 pts. His senior brother, Braxton Lewis just returned from an injury tonight that has been kept him out for most of the season. You could tell he was not 1oo% shooting or handling the ball just yet. Volz, Gilpin, and the Raiders just continued to shoot it well and pour it on in the 2nd half. Jr. Dylan Jesse got some shots to fall for SR finishing with 11 pts. The 4th quarter things got pretty sloppy defensively on both ends. With SR holding a 20 pt. lead it felt like SW was just playing to figure some things out in case there’s a sectional rematch in a few weeks. If the Rebels can take anything away it’s outscoring SR in the 4th quarter by 3. Sr. Brady Cook had a hard fought 18 pt. game and Sr. Caleb Goode put up 12 pts. Raider Jr. Drew Volz put in a game-high 28 pts. South Ripley isn’t going anywhere anytime soon either as only 2 of their 85 points came from a senior. The Raiders put up big offensive numbers on the Rebels home floor for basically the conference crown and took the 85-68 W. I can’t imagine things being so one-sided here in few weeks when the two are likely to meet up again on the same floor in Sectional 45.

Borden @ Henryville- This was a rare Thursday night game that was originally supposed to be played a week or 2 ago but weather postponed it. The Hornets and Braves are Sectional 63 opponents and along with West Washington, sectional favorites. In the beginning it looked like it was going to be the Wyatt Jones show. The sophomore for Borden came out hot in the 1st quarter and couldn’t miss. Jones put up 11 or 12 points in the 1st but the game was still close. As the game went along Borden struggled to find a 2nd scorer. Meanwhile the Hornets got some balanced scoring throughout. Their junior Justin Cobbs was a big time difference maker as a 6’4/6’5 athletic inside threat. The Hornets leading scorer on the year, Jr. Manon Gant eventually got himself going and finished up with 13 pts. The Braves seemed to have plenty of opportunities to get back into this game. Borden’s 6’6 big Colson Compton just couldn’t get anything to fall and had a frustrating evening. Henryville’s freshman JP Siltz had to go to the bench early in this one with a busted mouth but came back in to give the Hornets 7 pts, 4 rbs, and 3 assists. Sophomore Wyatt Owens had one of his better games of the season for Henryville on the night getting into the lane and ending up with 13 pts and 5 boards. Jones slowed down in the 2nd half thanks to the Hornets keying in on him and finished with 18 pts on the night. This game though belonged to Cobbs. Not widely known outside of small town Henryville in southern Indiana, Cobbs is a good size kid that showed he could score down low and from the outside. Originally a Jeffersonville kid, Cobbs has flourished @ Henryville and can really be a difference maker at the 1A level. Tonight he put up 17 pts and 13 boards to lead the Hornets to a 56-47 win. The combo of Cobbs, Siltz, Owens, and the Gant brothers is a tough combo at the 1A level and they’re all underclassmen. The future looks bright for the Hornets.

Orleans @ Paoli- I decided to take a little drive on State Road 56 to Paoli to check out the undefeated Rams take on their Orange County rivals, the Orleans Bulldogs. Early on it looked like Friday the 13th was a bad sign for the Rams falling into an early 7-0 hole. Bulldog Sr. Alex Dewitt got some things going inside the first few minutes. Dewitt is a returning starter and alot of games, leading scorer, for the defending 1A state champs. Paoli quickly cam back to take a 11-10 lead after 1 thanks in large part to their full court press and Jr. Ian Sullivan who gave them a big 1st quarter spark. The thing that makes the Rams so difficult is on a given night it could be 1 of 7 or 8 guys that lead the team in scoring and the offense can come at any time. Bulldog senior Nate Brown, another returning starter from their championship team went out early thanks to a cut above the eye that needed taken care of. The Rams increased their pressure and lead while Brown was out, 27-17. That was the halftime score it and felt like the Rams had control of the game. I wasn’t sure Orleans had enough offense to make a run and make it a game in the 2nd half. In the 3rd quarter both teams were grinding through possessions and defense was the name of 8 minutes. Paoli only managed to score 5 pts. in the 3rd as the lead was cut to 32-27 going into the 4th. The big shots and offense started to come around in the 4th. Whenever Orleans would hit a big shot and make a run, someone from Paoli would answer. A big three from the Bulldogs cut it to 2 pts, but was quickly answered by a Ram three. Sr. Kirk Hughes who scored 11 pts in the game is one of the better shooters in all of southern Indiana and gives the Rams a serious perimeter threat. Nate Brown  for Orleans really put the Dogs on his back in the last 4 or 5 minutes of the game and nearly carried to them a victory. He continued to beat by defenders and get to the line where he looked automatic. There was a crazy play with about 3 minutes left to go where Bulldog 6’6 Sr. Mason Freed blocked a shot and looked like an easy 2 for the Rams and then a runout led to an And 1 from Orleans that got them to within 1 point. I’m not sure on the total but Freed had multiple blocks and affected alot of Ram shots down low. It came down to the last few possessions where Orleans had a shot to tie it thanks to some Paoli missed free throws (the Rams were 5/13 from the line on the night). A miss from Dewitt down 3, who looked like he may have been hit on the arm , went off the rim with 3 or 4 seconds left. The Rams ended up hitting 1/2 free throws to make the final score, 45-41. Jr. Ram Dakota Apple led with a game- high 14 pts and 7 steals. Brown put in 11 pts for the Dogs but it was the 19 TO’s that really did Orleans in.

New Albany @ Providence- Got some eyes on this game when the Bulldogs traveled the 5 miles up the road to Providence in Clarksville. The Pioneers and Coach Ryan Miller like to keep the scoring low and the defense tight. Early on in this one the pace was definitely belonged to the Bulldogs. Although Providence was scoring and keeping up with NA early, it was 14-11 halfway through the 1st quarter. Providence doesn’t give up much more than 40 ppg while New Albany averages 70+ ppg so something had to give. Early three’s from Soph. Noah Washington, Fr. Karson Stoudemire, and Sr. TJ Washington led to a 21-16 Bulldog lead after 1. New Albany put on the press in the 2nd quarter that created some Providence turnovers and easy baskets for NA. Washington continued his hot shooting in the 2nd giving him 13 pts early on in the quarter. The Bulldogs were really good tonight on the offensive glass getting numerous 2nd chance points. With the lead just under 10 for New Albany a technical foul was called on a Providence player that immediately took the Dogs lead to 12 after some Noah Washington free throws. It stayed at 12 for a 43-31 Bulldogs lead at half. Like I’d said earlier, Providence usually only gives up 43 pts for an entire game, so the pace was not ideal for the Pioneers. New Albany came out hot in the 2nd half with a zone defense and creating turnovers and all of a sudden the Bulldogs lead was up to 23. At the end of the third the Bulldogs built a big time, 66-39 lead. At halftime Coach Jones must have put a big emphasis on turning defense into offense because that was how NA got most of their points. Stoudemire had a nice quarter for NA scoring 6 pts. The result was well in hand for the entire 4th quarter as many of New Albany’s subs got in the game and got plenty of PT. It’s not often Providence gives up 80 pts but credit to the Dogs for setting the tone early on their way to a 80-59 W. Pioneers Jr. Elijah Fuller Tucker finished with 17 pts and Soph. Noah Washington had a game-high 27 pts for NA.

Other News and Notes from Around the State in Week 12

• Pike got a big OT W over Mt. Vernon, 84-81. Red Devil Jr. Jahari Miller with 28 pts and 7 assists. Pike Jr. Isaiah Hill with a 17 pt. 10 rebound double double. Marauder Sr. Luke Ertel with 26 pts, 11 assists, and 8 rbs.
• FW Snider defeated FW Blackhawk. 72-62. Sr. Xavier Wilson with 3o pts for the Panthers.
• SB St. Joe’s gets a W v. Penn, 67-58. Kingsman soph Caleb Coolman with 28 pts, 7 rbs, and 3 assists. Huskie Jr. Elijah King with 17 pts. On Friday SB St. Joe’s got another 78- 68 W over Mishawaka Marian. Sr. Nick Shrewsberry with 37 pts for the Huskies.
• Madison got a W v. North Harrison. Fr. Braysen Russell with 25 pts, 5 steals, 3 rbs, and 3 assists for the Cubs.
• SB Riley defeated SB Adams, 87-67. Riley Sr. Tyrese Jones had a team-high 23 pts and Jr. Da’kori Parker put in 22 pts.
• Frankton beat Wabash, 60-48. Jr. Trey Bennett put up 21 pts and 5 rbs in the W.
• Silver Creek picked up another W v. Jennings County. Sr. Kasen Daeger led the Dragons in scoring with 19 pts. On Friday, SC picked up another W v. Scottsburg, 88-54. Daeger had 20 pts and Sr. Dane Caldwell with 19 pts for the Dragons.
• Scottsburg defeated Bedford NL, 65-52. The Warriors were led in scoring by Jr. Jarin Luttrell with 22 pts. On Friday Warrior Sr. Garrett Boling put in 19 pts in a loss to Silver Creek.
• Plainfield got the 63-53 W over Warren Central. Quaker Sr. Noah Smith with 27 pts.
• HSE beat Muncie Central, 85-51. Royals Sr. Luke Weemer led the team in scoring with 18 pts while Sr. teammate Landon Osswald put up 16 pts.
• Southwestern defeated Rising Sun, 76-44. Rebel seniors, Caleb Goode and Braxton Lewis both with 17 pts each.
• Sheridan got a 1 pt. W over Carroll, 58-57. Blackhawk Sr. Trey Page with 18 pts, 3 rbs, and 3 assists.
• Columbia City beat Leo, 70-35. Sr. Owen Marshall with 16 pts and 5 assists.
• Hamilton SE pulled the upset over Carmel 67-61 in OT. Royal Soph. Varschon Clark 27 pts, 5 rbs, and 5 assists.
• Henryville defeated Borden, 56-47. Jr. Justin Cobbs put up 17 pts and 13 rbs for the Hornets. Soph. Wyatt Jones scored 18 pts for the Braves.
• New Albay got a 80-59 W over Providence. Soph. Noah Washington put in 27 pts for the Bulldogs.
• Lawrence North beat Ben Davis, 73-60. Wildcat Sr. Cam Webster with a game- high 20 pts. and 6 assists.
• Bremen got a 61-54 W over Jimtown. Jr. Chase Devine with 31 pts. for the Lions.
• Park Tudor got a good W v. Liberty Christian, 60-57. Panther Sr. Keylan Smith and soph. Brody Bluiett put in 20 pts.
• Shawe Memorial defeated Switzerland County, 48-46. Hilltopper Sr. Loren Striver scored 27 pts. Pacers Jr. Corbin Craig with 17 pts.
• Jeffersonville beat Bedford NL, 75-42. Red Devil soph. Fred Stone with 17 pts.
• South Ripley got a 61-42 W over South Dearborn. Raider Jr. Drew Volz put in a game-high 19 pts.
• Charlestown defeated Floyd Central, 64-58. Sr. Anthony Fresh with a game-high 30 pts for the Pirates.
• Bosse got the 85-47 W over Purdue Englewood. Sr. Dorion Bowen with a game-high 28 pts.
• Sr. Colton Lindsay of Eastern Greentown put up 44 pts in a W v. North Miami.
• Mater Dei got an upset W over Bosse, 58-56. Soph. Cole Breeden with a game-high 29 pts for the Wildcats.
• Edmonson Co. (Kentucky) defeated Borden, 60-59. Soph. Wyatt Jones put up 17 pts, 6 rbs, and 2 assists for the Braves.
• Top ranked Fishers beat Penn 74-54. Sr. Kai McGrew led the Tigers with 18 pts. Soph. Caleb Coolman with a game-high 26 pts, 4 assists, and 3 rbs. for the Kingsmen.
• Greensburg got a 75-46 W over Madison. Jr. Sr. Jonah Hellmich with 19 pts for the Pirates. Gabe Fife with a game-high 23 pts for the Cubs.
• Homestead got the 63-31 W over FW Concordia. Jr. Jake Coolman with 20 pts for the Spartans.
• FW South got a big W v. FW Wayne, 79-69. Jr. Corte Wallace scored 25 pts for the Archers.
• Andrean defeated Hobart, 64-56. Soph. Cole Gilvydis put up 19 pts and 6 rbs in the W for the 59ers.
• Crown Point got the 78-51 W over Valpo. Soph. MJ Wilson had 33 pts, 6 rbs, 3 assists, and 3 steals for the Bulldogs.
• Hammond Morton beat Calumet, 65-40. Sr. De’sear Broadnax had 24 pts, 4 rbs, and 3 steals for the Governors. Warrior Sr. Johnnie Hudson had 26 pts, 12 rbs, and 2 blocks.

5 Stars of Week 12

Mack Welker- Homestead. 34 pts in a W v. FW Wayne

Gavin Keller- Hauser. 34 pts in a W v. Rising Sun. 22 pts in a W v. Jac-Cen-Del. 21 pts in a W v. Crothersville.

Jake Grissom- Guerin Catholic. 37 pts, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in a W v. New Pal.

Ta’Shaun Beatty- Monroe Central. 16 pts and 13 rbs in a W v. South Adams. 29 pts and 21 rbs in a W v. Wapahani.

Kasen Daeger- Silver Creek. 20 pts. and 4 assists in a W v. Jennings County. 20 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assists, and 2 steals in a W v. Scottsburg. 28 pts in a W v. Evansville Memorial.

Team of the Week- Hamilton Southeastern Royals. 94-66 W v. Indy Met. 85-51 W v. Muncie Central. 67-61 W v. Carmel.

Upset(s) of the Week- Michigan City over Gary 21st Century, 62-60. HSE over Carmel, 67-61. Mater Dei defeated Evansville Bosse, 58-56.

Top Freshman from Around the State in Week 12

Kaleb Anderson-Mitchell- Elkhart. 33 pts (7 three pointers) v. SB Riley.

Romyiez Calvin- Evansville Harrison. 27 pts and 16 rbs in a W v. Owensboro (KY). 9 pts v. Evansville Reitz.

Braysen Russell- Madison. 25 pts, 5 steals, 3 rbs, and 3 assists in a W v. N. Harrison. 13 pts v. Greensburg

Quinton Lewis- Southwestern. 19 pts v. South Ripley. 10 pts in a W v. Rising Sun.

Micah Mohler- Austin. 18 pts, 7 rbs, 3 steals, and 4 steals v. Charlestown. 20 pts 5 rbs, 7 assists and 4 steals in a W v. Switzerland County.

Grayson Dease- Evansville Reitz. 18 pts in a W v. Evans. Harrison.

Naji Meaux- East Chicago Central. 18 pts, 5 rbs, 2 assists and 2 steals in a W v. Lake Central.

Ethan Hampton- Evansville Bosse. 14 pts in a W v. Evans. North. 12 pts, 7 rbs, and 2 blocks in a W v. Purdue Englewood.

Jaxon Owens- Scottsburg. 13 pts in a W v. BNL.

Aiden Terry- Evansville Harrison. 13 pts and 7 rbs in a W v. Owensboro (KY)

Will Tonagel- Oak Hill. 12 pts, 5 rbs, and 5 assists in a W v. Blackford.

Karson Stoudemire- 11 pts in a W v. Providence.

Mekhi Gillis- East Chicago Central. 11 pts, 5 assists and 2 steals in a W v. Lake Central.

Ashton Brobston- Frankton. 9 pts, 5 assists, and 4 rbs. in a W v. Ole Miss.

JP Siltz- Henryville. 7 pts, 4 rbs, 3 assists in a W v. Borden.

Mikell Burton- Penn. 6 pts v. SB St. Joe’s.

Games to see in Week 13

Tuesday- Scottsburg @ Trinity Lutheran

Thursday- Oak Hill @ Marion

Friday- Southwestern (Hanover) @ Austin/ Pike @ Lawrence North

Saturday- Southwestern (Hanover) @ Scottsburg/ FW South @ FW Blackhawk