Ten Best: Broad Ripple vs. Kokomo
Kokomo got off to a quick start in the Lebanon Holiday championship game. Trajan Deckard came off the Kokomo bench in the first quarter to score eight points in just 2:20 of action to lead Kokomo out to a 22-10…
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Continue ReadingKokomo got off to a quick start in the Lebanon Holiday championship game. Trajan Deckard came off the Kokomo bench in the first quarter to score eight points in just 2:20 of action to lead Kokomo out to a 22-10 advantage after one.
The second quarter was much of the same as Kokomo took a 37-18 lead to the half and only had one turnover and looked like they would cruise to the easy win over the 2A school.
Broad Ripple started to press in the second half early and went on a 21-3 run in the first six minutes of the quarter and forced eight third quarter turnovers. The fourth was much as the same as Broad Ripple continued to press and forced turnovers with nine more in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Wilburn hit a layup with just over two minutes left to give Broad Ripple a lead they would never relinquish. Broad Ripple outscored Kokomo 43-22 in the second half and forced 17 turnovers in the half to win the championship 61-59.
Leading scorers: Broad Ripple: Caleb Brown 22, Patrick Wilburn 14, Sam Colbert 10. Kokomo: Anthony Barnard 20, Ty Sparling 19, Trajan Deckard 10.
Leading rebounders: Broad Ripple: Patrick Wilburn 10, Caleb Brown 6. Kokomo: Anthony Barnard 5, Brevin Beard 5.
MVP: Caleb Brown (Broad Ripple)
Brown continued his impressive play tonight in this game scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds. He had all but seven of their points at the half and was the main reason that it wasn’t already a blowout. He went 14/18 from the line and he was solid on defense all night long. A MM type of guy who is versatile and can hold down the interior.
Best offensive performance: Anthony Barnard (Kokomo)
Before fouling out, Barnard was great on offense scoring 20 points in 25 minutes of playing. He made 8/12 from the field including 3/4 from deep. He’s a kid with a really good shot and he is a good ball handler. He was the glue for the team during the press before he fouled out in regulation. He put up points in a multitude of ways.
Best defensive performance: Sam Colbert (Broad Ripple)
Colbert was the spark for Broad Ripple. He had five steals and was the vocal leader of the defense in the second half. He was great on poking the ball out across the dribblers body and pulling his hand back to not get a foul called on himself. It was a great second half performance for Colbert.
Play of the Game: Patrick Wilburn hits the game winner
With 2:20 left in the game Caleb Brown got the ball on the low block and spun inside and saw a cutting Wilburn for the assist. This gave Broad Ripple their first lead of the game and was the eventual game winner.
Best guy off the bench: Matthew Henderson (Broad Ripple)
Henderson was really the only guy to come off the bench today for either team and contribute something. He had six points and contribute a few steals and a block off the bench. He was a guy that Broad Ripple needed.
Best under-the-radar performance: Demetrius Young (Broad Ripple)
Young had seven points, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals and played really solid. He did not make any mistakes with the ball and played his role really well. I was impressed seeing him make play after play in an all-around game.
Best passer: Keenan Wheeler (Kokomo)
Wheeler was the best passer on the court by far tonight. He has great court vision and a high IQ with the ball. Wheeler handed out six assists and passed the ball exceptionally well. The only knock was that he turned the ball over four times.
Best shooter: Ty Sparling (Kokomo)
Sparling hit 5/8 from deep and was on fire for the most part of the game. He hit three in the first half and added two more in the second half before fouling out. In the second half he hit two in a row at one point and looked really well.
Best aspect of the environment: Both schools’ fans were rowdy
It was a small crowd but they were rowdy and pumped for a winter break game. One guy got thrown out and the two schools were well represented. They did not agree with the officiating at all and they made it known.
Best takeaway: Broad Ripple came back from a 19 point deficit and was really impressive. It was a statement win over a 4A team for the small school who is looking to make noise in the tournament this year. Kokomo is actually a solid team but they really struggle with the press. If they work on that they may make some noise in the sectional because of their shooting ability.