By: Sam Lipply Saturday in Knighstown we had one of this seasons last big single day shootouts, this one coming from the Hoosier Gym. It was a 6-game set, that featured some of the states best teams and individual players.…
By: Sam Lipply
Saturday in Knighstown we had one of this seasons last big single day shootouts, this one coming from the Hoosier Gym. It was a 6-game set, that featured some of the states best teams and individual players. To follow are some notes from four games I was able to catch.
Seton Catholic vs Wes-Del
This was one where just by looking at the records alone, that it would probably be a little one-sided. Desmond Bane is becoming one of the hottest names in Indiana right now and added to that label by pouring in 30 points while leading his team to a 69-45 win. However it was Bane’s sidekick who was equally impressive. Billie Webster, a 6’4, long and athletic 2017 Guard had 23 points of his own for Seton. Although Wes-Del was a little outmatched, they did get a nice performance from Sutter Foster. Foster, a 6’4 G/F for the class of 2017 had 20 points and showed the ability to score inside and out and showed some deceptive athleticism.
Jimtown vs Barr-Reeve
Game 3 of the day was one that followed a similar script to the game that proceeded it. Jimtown simply did not have the depth to hang with Barr-Reeve, who is one of the more balanced and well coached teams in the state. Trevor Lengacher was a nice surprise from Barr-Reeve, leading them with 21 points on their way to a 73-32 win. Lengacher was essentially a 6’3 center for a team that lacks much height to begin with, but he was able to score inside consistently throughout the whole game. Despite the loss, Dylan Guldager had a nice game for Jimtown. He lead them with 16 points. Guldager is a 6’1 senior guard who has a decent outside shot to go along with quickness to get to the rim. I was also impressed with Sam Pawlak, a 6’5 forward for Jimtown. He’s still a little slow making plays sometimes, but played solid defense and has a great outside shot.
Portage vs Greenfield-Central
This was another game, that on paper coming in, appeared that it would be one sided as well. But Portage kept it close most of the way until Greenfield was able to pull away late in the second half. They were lead by UIndy commit Tate Hall who had 24 points but go contributions from a lot of different players to help seal the win. Portage was lead by Canaan Cooper who had 21 points. Cooper is a score-first guard who can get a bucket any way you want it and showed some very deep range, but it appeared that he got hot early in the game and wasn’t able to regain his rhythm in the second half.
Tipton vs Brownstown Central
Coming into the day, this was easily the best game of the classic. Putting it simply, it did not disappoint. Both teams came in 9-0 and ranked in the Top 10 in the state for Class 3A. Both teams also brought with them great crowds as the old Hickory gym was packed from the tip and definitely had some Hoosier Hysteria type flashbacks. This one went back and forth the entire way. But no player had more of an impact on this one than Mason Degenkolb. The senior guard had 39 points to lead Tipton to their 57-51 win in Overtime. There were stretches where Degenkolb was seemingly un-guardable. Brownstown was lead Zach McCory with 16 points and Carson Lambring with 13. Tipton simply just hit more shots in crunch time to help them grab the win. Regardless, this was one of the states best games this year, in one of the best atmospheres.