March basketball is different.
Pressure and intensity are ratcheted up. Defenses become more physical. Wide open shots are rare. Even the most skilled teams are forced to grind out tournament wins.
So it was for University, playing its first Class 2A Sectional game. Max Greenamoyer made seven three pointers on his way to a game high 23 points as the No. 5 Trailblazers pulled away in the second half for a 54-31 win over host Indianapolis Scecina Memorial in the Sectional 42 opener.
The Trailblazers struggled to score in the opening quarter and trailed 8-5 after the first. Sam Mervis gave University a 2-0 lead one minute in to the game, but the Blazers managed only a Greenamoyer three pointer the rest of the period. Neither team score in the last 2:47 of the quarter after Max White hit a three pointer to put the Crusaders on top.
University knotted the game just 25 seconds in to the second quarter when Greenamoyer hit another three pointer. Neither team scored for over three minutes before Greenamoyer gave the Blazers the lead for good at 11-8 with 4:24 left in the half. Patrick Denney scored Scecina’s only points of the second quarter with 3:48 left to cut the lead to 11-10, but University scored the last eight points of the half to take a 19-10 lead to the locker room. Camden Brown hit a three pointer before Aaron Stallings split a pair of foul shots. Brown scored again off a feed from Joe Martin and Brown found Martin for a lay-in with three seconds left in the half.
The Trailblazers pushed their lead to 13 early in the third quarter on two Mervis free throws and a Martin basket before Scecina battled back to cut the lead to 28-23 with 1:20 left in the quarter.
University ran off the next 12 points of the game to take control. Greenamoyer hit a pair of three pointers, the second with two seconds left in the third quarter to put University up 34-23 heading to the fourth quarter. Martin figured in the next six University points. Mervis scored off a Martin steal, before Martin made two baskets and University led 40-23 with 5:15 left. University led by at least 14 points the rest of the contest as it closed out the game.
“I’m really proud of our defensive effort,” said Trailblazers coach Brandon Lafferman. “We had to grind through the first half. Our seniors stepped up in the second half.”
“Max really shot the ball well,” continued Lafferman. “We are glad to get the win and now we will get ready for a tough Park Tudor team.”
Mervis handed out nine assists and collected a team-high five rebounds.
The win improves University’s record to 21-4. The Trailblazers will play in the opening game of Friday’s Sectional semi-finals against Park Tudor. The Panthers are 15-7 and have won 10 of their last 11. University has won seven in a row and 13 of their last 14 games. The second game Friday will feature the winners of Wednesday night’s games between Indianapolis Howe and No. 15 Covenant Christian and Heritage Christian and Irvington Prep Academy.
UNIVERSITY 54, SCECINA 31
University FG FT TP PF
Sam Mervis 2-4 2-2 6 4
Max Greenamoyer 8-14 0-0 23 3
Camden Brown 2-8 0-0 5 3
Jacob Sager 0-3 0-0 0 2
Joe Martin 6-9 1-2 13 0
Larry Pierce 2-3 0-0 4 0
Korey Ash-Simpson 1-1 0-0 2 0
Aaron Stallings 0-0 1-2 1 0
Matt Jones 0-0 0-0 0 0
Adam Witzman 0-0 0-0 0 0
Mitchell Martin 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 21-42 4-6 54 12
Score by Quarters
Scecina 8 2 13 8 – 31
University 5 14 15 20 – 54
University 3-point shooting (8-19) Greenamoyer 7-13, Brown 1-3, J. Martin 0-2, Mervis 0-1.
University rebounds (23) Mervis 5, Brown 4, Sager 4, J. Martin 3, Ash-Simpson 3, Stallings 2, Greenamoyer 1, Pierce 1.