The Recap: Lawrence Central jumps out to an early 12-2 lead on the back of Nijel Pack's hot shooting, and it all goes downhill from there. Lawrence North's Tony Perkins, 6'4" senior guard, and DJ Hughes, 6'6" junior forward, combined for 28 points in the first half, and LN leads by as much as 20 points in the second half before winning, 83-73.
Six Takes:
The Recap: A strong third quarter for Pike makes the difference in this game for a 66-58 win.
Four Takes:
This week wasn't as easy week one. This week provided another reported triple double, as Evansville Bosse's 6'10" senior forward totaled Kiyron Powell 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in a win over Terre Haute South. Malik Stanley, 5'11" junior point guard, helped Coach Garrett Winegar snag his first two wins as a varsity coach, averaging 29.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 4 spg in wins over Tech (39 points) and Fort Wayne Bishop Luers. Cardinal Ritter's senior forward Damon Ogletree like turned in the best single performance in the Indianapolis area with 30 points and 22 rebounds in a win over Metropolitan.
The Player of the Week presented by the Metro Indy Basketball for the week of December 2-December 8 is Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian's Caleb Furst. In a 103-59 win over Fort Wayne North, the 6'10" junior center finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, going 9-10 from the FT line. In their win 74-48 win over New Haven Furst added 23 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks, going 7-7 from the FT line.
Competing this year at the 2A level, due to the IHSAA's success factor, Furst has Blackhawk Christian off to a good start as they vie to be the first team in the class era to win back to back championships in multiple classes. (Two teams have reach the state finals in back to back years in multiple classes, Harding and Bowman Academy, but both went 1-1 in those games.)
Other considerations aside from the above
Others nominated
Sophomores and Freshmen
The Orleans Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-2 lead early in the 1st, but that would be the only time they led in the game. Both Orleans and Barr-Reeve struggled from the field in this game. In the end it was the talented Sophomore Hagen Knepp of the Vikings who put the game and win on his shoulders. This was not a high scoring affair with Barr-Reeve coming out on top 44-31
Game takeaways
The Recap: Behind a strong start by DeAndre Davis, getting off to a 10-3 early lead, Lawrence Central controlled the game throughout. Carmel struggled from the field all night, and LC had plenty of second chance opportunities, winning 67-41.
Five Takes:
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The Recaps: Lafayette Central Catholic gain control early, as Carson Barrett, 6'5" senior point forward, was finding open cutters most of the early portion of the game. As McCutcheon started to shut down off ball options, they started climbing back into it causing issues with their athleticism. LCC gained back part of their lead late, but three late turnovers kept the door open for McCutcheon, which was able to force OT and win 64-58.
Game two was West Lafayette physicality and offense centered around Yanni Karlaftis, 6'4" senior center who is committed to Purdue for football vs. Covington's shooting and constant penetration&kick. Didn't stay for second half action, but the first half was back and forth. West Lafayette prevailed 57-56.
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Already committed to Butler, Jayden Taylor has the look of a player wanting to take Perry Meridian to places they haven't been in quite awhile. Even against Pike last night, it's the closest they have been to beating them since Bill Zych left Perry Meridian to coach Pike, and since Zych left for Pike, Perry Meridian has one sectional win--the first year after he left in 2010. Perry Meridian hasn't won a sectional since that season.
A program that has Cleveland Cavalier rookie, Dylan Windler, as a recent alum, Taylor might still be their most talented player this century. Big shoes to fill, especially how much Windler matured physically after high school, but Taylor will do well to get the Falcons deeper into March the next two seasons.
While his offense has improved, his best asset is probably defensively. His combination of lateral quickness and strength at 6'4" pretty much means he can guard 1-5 at the high school level, and he works on that end of the floor. He is excellent at anticipating a pass without gambling, and he's quick to recover if he doesn't make the play. Finishing off possessions, Taylor will likely continue to lead them in rebounding as well.
His shot mechanics look more fluid than in the summer, and reportedly, much more fluid than when he was a freshman. That can be expected of most players, but the way he attacks the basket, an improved jump shot only enhances that ability. He's a such physical player on offense, finishing through contact, not getting knocked off path heading to the basket.
What can improve is his playmaking. He draws a lot of attention, and just that one or two times he finds the next pass will make it tougher for teams to collapse toward him. However, his motor might prompt him to take one more dribble, and it's natural he would feel compelled to finish.
The Recaps: Lafayette Jeff pulled away late right before half to stretch the 7-9 lead to 15 over Benton Central. Jeff's traps started to take its toll on the Bison in the second half, and as the game sped up so did Benton Central's turnover rate. Jeff won 81-48.
Lafayette Harrison jumped out to an early 22-8 lead on Twin Lakes, and while Twin Lakes hung around, a Jordan Walters, 6'7" senior forward, 3ptr at the buzzer stretched the lead back to 12 at the half. Twin Lakes cut that down to five to start the second half, but after that point, Walters took. Turnovers plagued both teams in the first half, but Harrison tightened it up on their end to get control of the game back, leading at one point by 22, winning 54-39.
Five Takeaways:
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Opening week and while several players and teams are settling in, there are always those who come out of the gate firing. It started with Nick Anderson's 35 point display vs. Andrean, as Lake Central defeated the defending 2A state champ. Saw that first hand, and he followed it up with a 31 point performance, going 25/27 from the FT line on the week.
Carson Barrett, 6'5" wing from Lafayette Central Catholic, lived up to my 'label' of a triple-double machine (27 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists), and Tristan Ross broke Pendleton Heights' school record for 27 rebounds in a game (18 points). Butler commit, Jayden Taylor, 6'5" guard from Perry Meridian, launched his junior year with a 39 point, 9 rebound game in a loss to rival Southport, following it up with 20 points and 6 steals in a win over Roncalli.
All that said, the Player of the Week (POTW) presented by Metro Indy Basketball is Hamilton Heights' Gus Etchison. The 6'0" junior point guard got off to a stellar start with 41 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 steals in Hamilton Heights' 71-69 OT win over Lebanon. Even though 41 is not his career high, Etchison has taken his shot making to a higher level, which makes his athleticism and ability to finish at the rim even more imposing for defenders.
Other considerations aside from the above (alphabetical):
Other nominations:
Thank you to the coaches and fans who submitted entries
The Recap: Brownsburg's defense clamps down in the second quarter through the middle of the third quarter to stretch their lead to 13 points. Turnovers allows North Central to creep back into, but Brownsburg hits five of their last six free throws (12-14 overall) to seal the game.