Ten Best: HOF Classic
We were at the morning session of the Hall of Fame Classic which had four of the most talent laden teams in Indiana battling it out. Logansport and Lawrence North were set to do battle in the first game of…
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Continue ReadingWe were at the morning session of the Hall of Fame Classic which had four of the most talent laden teams in Indiana battling it out.
Logansport and Lawrence North were set to do battle in the first game of the Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle and a battle it was. The first quarter was back and forth as Lawrence North took a four point lead but then Matt Jennings knocking down a pair of threes to give Logansport a 18-14 lead after one.
Lawrence North went on a 27-19 run over the middle two quarters and erased a 10 point lead and took a seven point lead with just over seven minutes to play. Logansport then went on a furious run ending the game on a 16-8 run to win by two, 53-51.
In the second game New Albany faced Warsaw in a defensive battle. The halftime score was 23-17 in favor of New Ablany. Romeo Langford led the way with 11 points.
The second half was much of the same with the pace slow and not many points scored. New Albany held on for the win 43-33.
Leading scorers: Matt Jennings 29 (Logansport), Jalen Adaway 16 (Logansport) Kevin Easley 15 (Lawrence North) Ra Kpedi 14 (Lawrence North), Romeo Langford 14 (New Albany), Isaac Hibbard 14 (New Albany), Kyle Mangas 13 (Warsaw)
Leading rebounders: Kevin Easley 11 (Lawrence North), Kyle Mangas 9 (Warsaw), Ra Kpedi 8 (Lawrence North), Dexter Shouse 8 (Lawrence North) Romeo Langford 8 (New Albany)
MVP: Matt Jennings (Logansport)
Jennings played superbly in this game. He had to run the offense and score the ball and he did just that and more in the game. He led all scorers with 29 points and did that on 17 shots. He scored seven points in a row at one point in the fourth and took over the game. He was the most impressive player we saw in the game and every week he is looking more and more like a steal for Grace College at the D2 level.
Best offensive performance: Kevin Easley (Lawrence North)
This was the best game I saw out of Easley offensively to date. He was hitting jumpers and midrange turnarounds like it was his job. He grabbed five offensive boards as well and hit a few second chance shots in a row. His shooting percentage wasn’t very good but he still had a really good game offensively.
Best defensive performance: Isaac Hibbard (New Albany)
Hibbard struggled a bit on offense but really put in a good showing on defense. He had a steal but had so many deflections I lost count. He had a couple rebounds and did a great job guarding on the perimeter. Continues to play defenese like a D2 kid, but needs his offense to catch up.
Best off-the-bench performance: Asher Blum (Warsaw)
Besides having a great first name, Blum played good off the bench. He was the second leading scorer on his team with nine points and added in four rebounds as well. He looked good for a 6’7 post that plays on the perimeter a bit and will be a good player for them next year.
Best under-the-radar performance: Dexter Shouse (Lawrence North)
Shouse had four points but did not shoot much in the game. A low point total doesn’t tell the whole story of how well Shouse played. He grabbed eight rebounds and added four assists. He was the guy that really kept Lawrence North in it.
Best athlete: Jalen Adaway (Logansport)
Adaway is just a freak athlete. He had a monster block in the first half and skied for the game clinching steal on an entry pass. He is the best pure athlete in the state and would give anyone a run for their money in the midwest.
Best shooter: Romeo Langford (New Albany)
Langford has some deep range and he showed it in this game. One of the best shooters in the state struggled a bit but still scored 14 points against a very good Warsaw defense.
Best rebounder: Hunter DeHaven (Logansport)
DeHaven rebounded really well against the bigs of Lawrence North. He pulled down eight boards against much taller and better players. It was a good day for DeHaven on the boards and he could stick at a small school for his rebounding along with a little offense.
Best underclassman: Mike Saunders (Lawrence North)
Saunders continues to impress and he once again looked much more confident in the game today. Every time I see him he improves in almost every aspect and he continues to grow as one of the lead guards for Lawrence North. He struggled shooting the ball but played his role well.
Best play: Jalen Adaway steals the ball with 15 seconds left to preserve the win.
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