By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – University finished its regular season on a winning note, as the Trailblazers beat Phelan Academy 82-67 Thursday night at the U Center.
It was University’s Senior Night game, so there was a large crowd to cheer on the ‘Blazers. Emotions can run high at a Senior Night contest, but after a shaky first quarter, University settled in and took care of business.
“Senior Night to me is always a little tricky with the emotion and things like that,” said ‘Blazers coach Justin Blanding. “As coaches, it’s tough for us because we change a lot of things. We got down early and then we fought back.”
The Falcons got University down 6-0 to start the game. Appropriately, a senior scored the Trailblazers’ first points, with Robert Russell making an and-1 two and a half minutes into the first quarter. Another senior, Bryce Gray, tied the game at 10-10 with a 3-pointer.
Senior Bryce Gray takes the ball to the basket. (Richie Hall)
Junior Max McComb hit a 3 to put the ‘Blazers in front 13-12, their first lead of the game. Derek Callahan’s putback moved Phelan ahead 14-13 before Montgomery Holland tied it up at with a free throw.
That was the last point of the first quarter, but the senior Holland stepped up to open the second quarter, nailing a 3. Gray made a layin, and University led 19-14. The ‘Blazers stayed in front from that point forward, outscoring the Falcons 21-11 in the second period for a 35-25 halftime lead. An 8-0 run helped things out, with Cooper Cammack scoring six of those points.
“We want to play fast, but at the same time, we got to be disciplined in the half court,” said Blanding. The coach said his team was “trying some new things defensively” as it gets ready for the sectional tournament next week.
“For the most part, we executed pretty well,” said Blanding.
University kept its offense at a high level in the second half, scoring 22 points in the third quarter and 25 more in the fourth. McComb was dominant in the fourth quarter, pouring in 12 points, including a 6-of-6 effort from the free-throw line. McComb made both his free-throw attempts in the second quarter, so he finished a perfect 8-of-8 on his way to 24 points.
McComb reached double-double status by collecting 11 rebounds. So did Cammack, as he totaled 14 rebounds and 13 points. Gray added 14 points and dished out eight assists. The Trailblazers had an astounding 14 blocked shots: McComb made five blocks, Holland had four and Cammack made two. Holland had nine points and six rebounds.
“It’s definitely a collective effort,” said Blanding. “We’ve been on everybody. The last three or four games we haven’t been very efficient on the defensive end, rebounding and things like that. So, we wanted to make it a point to do that tonight because in a tournament, if you don’t rebound, you’re not going to win.”
University finished the regular season 11-12. The Trailblazers travel to Class 2A Sectional 43 at Sheridan next week, taking on the host Blackhawks in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday, March 1.
UNIVERSITY 82, PHELAN ACADEMY 67
University FG FT TP PF
David Walz 0-0 0-0 0 1
Bryce Gray 5-11 2-2 14 1
Jackson Bledsoe 2-4 0-0 4 2
Robert Russell 3-9 1-3 7 4
Joe Rozembajgier 0-0 0-0 0 1
Max McComb 7-15 8-8 24 3
Montgomery Holland 3-9 2-4 9 4
Cooper Cammack 6-10 1-2 13 3
Zien Bland 2-3 0-0 4 2
Faisal Mohamud 1-7 1-2 4 2
Jalen Scott 0-1 0-0 0 0
DJ Willis 1-1 0-0 3 0
Leslie Carroll 0-0 0-0 0 0
Phil Berebitsky 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 30-70 15-21 82 23
Score by Quarters
Phelan Academy 14 11 16 26 – 67
University 14 21 22 25 – 82
University 3-point shooting (7-22) McComb 2-7, Gray 2-5, Mohamud 1-4, Holland 1-2, Willis 1-1, Bledsoe 0-1, Russell 0-1, Scott 0-1.
University rebounds (45) Cammack 14, McComb 11, Holland 6, Gray 4, Russell 3, Mohamud 3, Scott 2, Bledsoe 1, Bland 1.