5 Takeaways: Warren Central vs. Zionsville
Warren Central travelled to Zionsville in a quest to stay undefeated. It wasn’t pretty early as they were down 14-0 quickly and it looked like Zionsville’s zone was going to kill Warren Central. But, Warren Central pressured Zionsville and really ended up killing them in the middle two quarters. Warren Central was up by ten with just over two minutes left in the game but due to some untimely free throw shooting and a crazy shot by Isaiah Thompson to tie it with five seconds left, they headed to overtime. Warren Central held Zionsville to just two made field goals in the second half.
Warren Central held the ball almost the entire overtime and each team scored just one basket sending us to a second overtime tied at 52. The second was much of the same with both teams trading buckets. We went to a third overtime where Isaiah Thompson fouled out early and Riley Bertram wasn’t far behind. This took all the scorers and ball handlers off the floor for Zionsville and it was over quickly. Warren Central scored 13 points in the third overtime to escape with a 71-67 win.
Warren Central has found its kryptonite
Zionsville flustered Warren Central throughout the game and much of that was due to the 2-3 zone that Zionsville threw at them. Warren got off to a really slow start as they weren’t really able to use their athleticism. They had seven turnovers in the first half and never really looked for their shot and it took them ten minutes to hit their first shot from the floor.
Zionsville could make some noise in the tournament
Zionsville isn’t really an athletic team but the scoring duo of Isaiah Thompson and Riley Bertram is really solid. They have a few big guys down low, but they with struggle with the more athletic teams in the state. We saw that as the coach pulled them at times in favor of guards. Zionsville could knock off a few teams in their sectional.
Warren Central’s guards are going to be the ones to lead
Warren Central is known for their two big men down low and David Bell, but Dean Tate and Antwaan Cushingberry were really good in this game. Cushingberry locked up Thompson during regulation but Thompson got hot in overtime. Tate was the leading scorer in the game for Warren and really just doesn’t do anything wrong with the ball. These two are a huge part of why Warren Central is undefeated.
Isaiah Thompson is an elite scorer, but is he the real deal?
Thompson really struggled in regulation only scoring 12 points in the first 30 minutes of the game. But in the last 14 minutes of the game, Thompson went off for 22 points. Thompson finished 8/18 from the floor and was 14/14 from the line. He is a great scorer, but his handles need work. Thompson had 10 turnovers in the game and really struggled to take care of the ball against taller and more athletic defenders who pressured him all game long. Will need to get better handling the ball and decision making in order to contribute early at the next level.
What needs to happen for these two teams?
It seems weird to say it but Warren Central needs to get more aggressive. Warren needs to be able to score at will and with the athletes they have they should be able to. Whether that is kicking the ball out or driving it, Warren is a team that should be able to score around 75 points a game. Zionsville needs to find a third and fourth scorer. Thompson is relied on way too much and we saw how he was shut down for most of the game. Bertram can score the ball really well but Nate Childress, Hogan Orbaugh, and Will Alcock really need to step up for them and make an impact.