Daily Dive: Howe’s Roller Coaster, Andrean’s Senior, Cobie’s 30
This season, we are looking to do things a little bit more differently than in the past. Normally, we would do game stories with some breakdowns but this year, we are looking to change things up. This story will be a daily recap of everything that happened the previous night with key topics and some quick hitters to go along with it. It should allow us to talk more broadly about the state and the games, trying to tie in as many teams as possible. We will pair that with evaluations at the end of the week from those games we did attend. So, for your viewing pleasure, our look back at Monday’s action.
Howe Has Wild Swing In First Win Of The Season
Taking in the Indianapolis Howe game last night was a little bit like a roller coaster. Eased along in the first quarter and everything was going well and then all hell broke loose but at the end of it, you got to go back to your family successful.
Last night, Howe got out to a big first quarter lead and looked dominant. Was quick up and down the floor, drilling threes, and was stellar defensively. But then mistakes and foul trouble creeped in and Irvington Prep was able to withstand the first attack and come firing back. Led by 25 points from senior Tewon Kelly, Irvington Prep got right back in it in the second half.
Howe couldn’t really get their groove as there were constant fouls anytime Irvington looked to attack. It was difficult for them to let up and that caused enormous issues. But then, Tewon Kelly fouled out and that seemed to slow Irvington Prep’s offense down enough that they were able to just hold on.
From last night, you could see the upside of this Howe team. A ton of guards, good size for a 2A team, and the ability to shoot and play quick. At their best, they looked like a State Champion level group. At their worst, they could get upset by anyone, I mean anyone. This could be their season as a lot of that was due to mental mistakes. It isn’t so much about the right now for them as it will be about can they be together when March comes around? Biggest question from Day 1 of the season.
Andrean Gets Senior Into The Mix
Coming off a year where Andrean is missing some of their biggest scorers after graduations, they were mostly built of underclassman. But, last night it was senior wing John Carrothers that led the way and could be the veteran key for this team’s success.
Scoring 19 points, 10 of which came in a pivotal third quarter, this was a big opening win for the 59ers over Lake Central. Kyle Ross, a sophomore post, also had 17 points in the win.
Andrean is setup to be one of the best teams in their class but the one issue you saw on paper before the season was who will be the leader. Who will be the guy that can lead the team in points and leadership on the court and usually you want that to be a senior if possible but truth be told, the more talented players for Andrean are underclassmen. But, Carrothers might be staking his claim now and if so, that will be massive for this group.
Cobie Barnes Drops 30 In Opener
Even after losing a couple key seniors, Floyd Central looks to finally take control as the best team in the South Central region. For the last couple of years it has been dominated, much like the entire state, by New Albany. But Romeo Langford is gone and so is Sean East and they are rebuilding. Floyd Central still has key players in place.
In their home opener, Floyd Central put a beat down on Christian Academy 74-48. In the win, senior forward Cobie Barnes dropped 30 points, a total I’m not sure he came close to last season. For Floyd to really be a threat for a State Championship this season, they need those types of performances from him.
While Christian Academy is good, not great, this weekend Floyd Central gets a big early season test as they head to Lawrence North on Saturday for a big time matchup. Will Barnes and Floyd Central give a repeat performance?
Emptying The Notebook:
- Culver Academy comes out of the gate to get an early win over Indianapolis Homeschool. Homeschool kept it close and has enough talent to beat some good teams. Trey Galloway put up 22 points in the win. Myles Johnson scored 18 points for Homeschool Wildcats.
- Indianapolis Pike goes to Rockford East (IL) for their yearly stroll to the neighboring state but comes back with a loss, 76-66. They were actually down a ton earlier in the game but crawled back to almost single digits. Jasen Graves led with 17 points, Ahmoni Jones with 16 points. Pike has lost talent due to transfers so hard to know what this team will look like.
- Indianapolis Manual got an early win as they took down Indianapolis Lighthouse South, 79-69. Leading the way was Jalen Johnson with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Manual will need that double-double level production from Johnson all season long as an inside presence.