Joe Martin had his third consecutive 20-point game and Camden Brown had a double-double as University overcame a poor defensive first period to defeat Victory College Prep 73-51.
Martin had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists to pace University in scoring. Brown had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Sam Mervis was in double figures with 13 points and had team highs with seven assists and three steals.
The Trailblazers pride themselves on being one of the top defensive teams in the state. University entered the game allowing just 43.15 points per game, 12th best in Indiana and third best in Class 2A. The Firehawks scored 26 points in the first period and led 26-20 at the end of the period.
The Trailblazers clamped down after the first quarter, holding Victory College Prep to just five points in the second period and nine points in the third period to steadily build their lead. University went with the same five players for nearly the entire second quarter. Brown, Martin, Mervis, Max Greenamoyer and Larry Pierce turned that six-point deficit in to a 40-31 halftime lead.
“Larry Pierce gave us a spark off the bench tonight. His energy was huge” said University coach Brandon Lafferman of the sophomore who had four of his eight points in the second quarter, including a breakaway dunk off a steal to cap a 10-point run that put the Blazers up 30-26. Martin had five points in the second quarter and Max Greenamoyer added five, including a deep three pointer at the buzzer.
Lafferman also had praise for Brown and Martin. “Cam was great on the glass tonight, dealing with their size. He did a good job finishing at the rim. Joe continued his good play. We did a nice job finishing the game in the fourth quarter, sharing the ball and playing smart basketball.”
University, ranked fifth in the latest Associated Press Class 2A poll, improved to 17-4 with the win. Victory College Prep is now 11-9.
University is next in action Saturday morning in the Pioneer Academic Athletic Conference championship game. The two-time defending champion Trailblazers, champions of the PAAC North for the fourth straight season, will travel to South Division champion Greenwood Christian. The junior varsity game will tip at 10:30 a.m., with the varsity game to follow after just ten minutes between the games. The early start times are a consideration to the host Cougars. The Greenwood Christian girls will play in the Jasper semi-state at 4 p.m. The Greenwood Christian boys are ranked first in Class 1A at 21-0 and are one of two undefeated teams left in the state (along with Bloomington South).
UNIVERSITY 73, VICTORY COLLEGE PREP 51
University FG FT TP PF
Sam Mervis 6-7 1-2 13 3
Max Greenamoyer 2-9 0-0 5 0
Camden Brown 7-11 2-3 16 0
Jacob Sager 0-2 0-1 0 2
Joe Martin 9-15 4-5 23 2
Larry Pierce 4-7 0-0 8 2
Korey Ash-Simpson 2-2 0-0 4 0
Aaron Stallings 2-2 0-1 4 1
Matt Jones 0-1 0-0 0 0
Faizan Eskar 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 32-56 7-12 73 10
Score by Quarters
Victory College 26 5 9 11 – 51
University 20 20 14 19 – 73
University 3-point shooting (2-10) Greenamoyer 1-6, Martin 1-2, Mervis 0-1, Jones 0-1.
University rebounds (41) Brown 12, Greenamoyer 6, Pierce 6, Martin 5, Mervis 4, Sager 4, Ash-Simpson 3, Eskar 1.