By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – The Guerin Catholic boys basketball team’s defense has been steadily getting better over the past couple weeks.
And the Golden Eagles took a quantum leap as they flew into the new year. Guerin Catholic hosted Lebanon Tuesday at the Eagles Nest and had its best defensive performance of the season, cruising past the Tigers 61-29.
It was the first time the Golden Eagles had held an opponent under 30 points since Nov. 30, 2019, when Guerin Catholic beat Manual 63-29. Needless to say, GC coach Bobby Allen was proud of his team’s effort.
“We were locked in about playing defense off the ball and being engaged in every possession, and our guys showcased that tonight,” said Allen.
Lebanon led for some of the first quarter, going up 8-4 early in the period. But Guerin Catholic took control by nailing three straight 3-pointers, one each from Jack Cherry, Robert Sorensen and Dylan Murans.
With that, the Golden Eagles led 13-8 and never trailed again. Kayden Sloggett ended the run with a 3 for the Tigers, but Guerin Catholic scored six consecutive points to finish the quarter ahead 19-11.
Kamea Chandler began the second period with a layin, and the Golden Eagles were up 21-11. Lebanon scored five straight points after that, and Allen called a quick timeout. Guerin Catholic got it together and went on a 13-3 run to hold a 34-19 halftime advantage. Sorensen helped out by going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line during the quarter.
The Golden Eagles rolled through the third period, leading 46-26 when it finished. Sorensen added five points, including another 3. Guerin Catholic then dominated the fourth quarter, allowing the Tigers just three points. Chandler, meanwhile, scored five points, including a 3.
Eight different GC players scored, led by 18 points from Sorensen. Cherry and Chandler both added nine points. Chandler and Ty Sanders each collected six rebounds, and Sorensen made six steals.
“I think our balance is great right now,” said Allen. “And we’ve had multiple conversations the past week of understanding your role for that game and then executing it.”
Guerin Catholic improved to 7-4 with the win and hosts Bishop Chatard on Friday in a girls-boys Circle City Conference doubleheader. The Golden Eagles have only played one conference game so far, a Dec. 16 win over Heritage Christian.
“They play so hard, they play disciplined, they’re very well-coached,” said Allen. “Every conference game is big for us right now, especially after we beat Heritage Christian a couple of weeks ago. We feel like we’re in a good spot right now.”
GUERIN CATHOLIC 61, LEBANON 29
Guerin Catholic FG FT TP PF
Jack Cherry 3-9 2-3 9 2
Robert Sorensen 5-9 6-8 18 0
Kamea Chandler 3-7 2-2 9 2
Dylan Murans 3-3 0-0 7 3
Bryson Cardinal 2-2 3-4 7 3
Lucas Parker 1-3 1-2 3 1
Ty Sanders 3-6 0-0 6 0
Josh Holba 0-1 0-2 0 0
Ryan Zimmerman 1-1 0-0 2 1
Julian Melendez 0-0 0-0 0 1
Kyle Shadoan 0-1 0-0 0 0
Malcolm Houze 0-0 0-0 0 0
Ben Grissom 0-1 0-0 0 1
Totals 21-43 14-19 61 14
Score by Quarters
Lebanon 11 8 7 3 – 29
Guerin Catholic 19 15 12 15 – 61
Guerin Catholic 3-point shooting (5-8) Sorensen 2-2, Chandler 1-2, Cherry 1-1, Murans 1-1, Parker 0-1, Shadoan 0-1.
Guerin Catholic rebounds (34) Chandler 6, Sanders 6, Sorensen 4, Grissom 4, Cherry 3, Murans 3, Holba 2, Parker 2, Melendez 1, Zimmerman 1, Cardinal 1, team 1.