Semi-State: Warren Central vs. New Albany
Warren Central came in 30-0 and New Albany came in with Romeo Langford so it was sure to be a great game. What we saw was better than great, it was an instant classic. Romeo Langford was hot early scoring 10 of his team’s first ten points to take a quick 10-2 lead over Warren Central. They never folded though as Warren kept plugging and cut the deficit to 18-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Nothing much changed throughout the middle quarters as New Albany kept Warren Central at bay by never letting them fully get back into it. Then, in the fourth quarter, everything changed.
With New Albany up by eight with just over five minutes left, Warren Central started to play defense and run with the ball. They got it to four and then a turnover by New Albany led to a David Bell bucket. Warren tied it up seconds later after another Bell basket. New Albany went down and missed a free throw which led to David Bell taking the ball up the floor and getting a wide-open floater at the buzzer which he drained. An exceptional game that ended with the best high school basketball player in the state, going home early.
Best Offensive Player: Dean Tate (Warren Central)
Early in the game when Warren Central was struggling to get anything going at the basket, Tate was filling it up in a hurry. Tate made his first three shots from behind the arc and kept Warren in it in the first quarter. Without his shooting early, and throughout the game, Warren wouldn’t have had a chance in this one. Tate hit six threes en route to being by far the best player in this game for Warren Central.
Best Defensive Player: Jesse Bingham/Jakobie Robinson (Warren Central)
Both of these guys had to play well inside to stop the scoring of Trey Hourigan and Julien Hunter. Those two combined scored just 10 points, so it was a successful day holding down the fort on the inside. Bingham and Robinson rotated really well and rebounded the ball. They set up a wall inside and forced New Albany to score most of the time from the outside.
Biggest Surprise: New Albany’s lack of defense at the end
David Bell could not have gotten an easier shot at the end of the game to win it. New Albany had Romeo Langford guarding him but at the end he peeled off and let him shoot a 15-footer uncontested. No one on New Albany’s team was there to help besides Trey Hourigan, who arrived late.
Top Scorers:
Romeo Langford (New Albany): 35 points, 15 rebounds
Dean Tate (Warren Central): 21 points
Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Final |
Warren Central | 12 | 25 | 37 | 64 |
New Albany | 18 | 30 | 43 | 62 |