By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
NOBLESVILLE – The score of the Guerin Catholic boys basketball team’s Tuesday victory over Liberty Christian on Tuesday night doesn’t tell the whole story.
Golden Eagles coach Bobby Allen would be the first one to tell you that. Class 3A No. 3 Guerin Catholic had to battle with a Lions team that’s receiving votes in the 1A poll. Liberty Christian had leads on GC in the first half before the Golden Eagles took over in the second half, sailing to a 78-61 victory at the Eagles Nest.
“They’re a young team with nothing to fear,” said Allen. “They have incredible energy. Their coach does a great job with them. They’re a dangerous team and they showed it tonight.”
The first half was almost all scoring runs from both teams. Guerin scored the first seven points of the game, with five of them coming from Robert Sorensen. The Lions responded with an 8-0 spurt, including five from T.J. English, one of three promising freshmen on the LC team.
The Golden Eagles blasted back, outscoring the Lions 17-4 in a run that carried into the second quarter and was led by Guerin Catholic’s big men. Dylan Murans made a couple dunks, while Bryson Cardinal was good on a pair of three-point plays. Ben Grissom finished the run with a triple early in the second period, and the Golden Eagles led 24-12.
Liberty Christian responded with a 14-0 run, facilitated by five different players. English and Kendrick Martin, another freshman, both had four points. Murans stopped the spurt with a layin, then Sorensen took over, adding seven points in the final 2:45 to give Guerin Catholic a 33-30 halftime lead.
The Golden Eagles began to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 20-13. Jack Cherry helped out with five points, including a 3. This was Cherry’s fourth game back after missing the first part of the season with an injury, and he is coming back strong.
“It feels good to be back,” said Cherry. While the senior said it was tough to be on the bench, he took a positive attitude, saying he was able to see what his teammates – “you get to see what they can do and it gives other people opportunities to play.”
Cherry showed everyone what he could do. He had a perfect shooting night that translated into 12 points: Cherry made both his two-point attempts, both his 3-point attempts, and both of his free-throw attempts.
“Robert Sorensen does a really good job scoring the ball, and the teams take him away,” said Cherry. “Then you just got to step up.”
Guerin Catholic led 53-43 after three quarters, then poured in another 25 in the fourth. An 8-0 run gave GC its biggest lead of the game at 69-49; Cherry hit a 3 and two free throws, then Murans nailed a 3. Cardinal had nine points in the quarter, including his third and-1 of the game with 3:12 left.
“We also had 15 turnovers in the first half, which is too many,” said Allen. “We came out in the second half, we only had three. So, when we take care of the ball and when we get the ball in sight first, then we find success.”
Sorensen scored 23 points, while Cardinal earned another double-double, 19 points and 10 rebounds. Murans totaled 16 points and Cherry had 12.
The Golden Eagles outrebounded Liberty Christian 38-19. Sorensen collected seven rebounds and Andy Caron had five. Guerin Catholic had 21 team assists, with Cherry dishing out eight, followed by Sorensen and Caron with two each. Sorensen and Murans both blocked two shots.
The Golden Eagles are 12-5 and host Lafayette Central Catholic Friday in a girls-boys doubleheader.
GUERIN CATHOLIC 78, LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 61
Guerin Catholic FG FT TP PF
Jack Cherry 4-4 2-2 12 1
Robert Sorensen 8-17 3-4 23 2
Andy Caron 1-3 0-0 2 1
Dylan Murans 6-12 3-4 16 0
Bryson Cardinal 7-10 5-8 19 4
Malcolm Houze 0-3 1-2 1 1
Ben Grissom 1-2 0-0 3 0
Jake Grissom 0-0 0-0 0 2
Nik Balmuri 0-0 2-2 2 0
Hayden Rodgers 0-0 0-0 0 0
Asher Arkenau 0-0 0-2 0 1
Totals 27-51 16-24 78 12
Score by Quarters
Liberty Christian 12 18 13 18 – 61
Guerin Catholic 20 13 20 25 – 78
Guerin Catholic 3-point shooting (8-25) Sorensen 4-11, Cherry 2-2, Murans 1-4, B. Grissom 1-2, Houze 0-3, Cardinal 0-2, Caron 0-1.
Guerin Catholic rebounds (38) Cardinal 10, Sorensen 7, Caron 5, Murans 4, Houze 3, Cherry 2, Arkenau 2, J. Grissom 1, team 4.