The REPORTER
The three boys basketball teams that competed at last Saturday’s Forum Tipoff Classic at the Southport Fieldhouse put on a remarkable show.
First up was Guerin Catholic. The Golden Eagles wanted to shake off a disappointing result against Westfield two days prior, and did just that against a good Heritage Hills team, winning 52-42.
“We found something in our team tonight,” said GC coach Bobby Allen. “We saw their toughness. Our guys are staring to believe if we can defend, we can play with some pretty good teams.”
The Patriots presented a challenge to Guerin Catholic with their star junior Trent Sisley, who is receiving interest from Division I schools across the Midwest. Sisley showed what he can do right away, scoring nine straight points to erase an early 4-0 Golden Eagles lead.
Guerin Catholic surged ahead with a 7-0 run, starting with a 3-pointer from Malcolm Houze. The two teams exchanged the lead a couple more times before a layin by Hayden Rogers ended the first period and put the Golden Eagles up 15-14. Rogers then scored the first basket of the second quarter off a steal by Andy Caron.
“He played a ton of minutes for us tonight and was very, very good,” said Allen. As for Rogers, Allen said “He’s a freshman who’s not afraid of anybody and that’s why I love him.”
Rogers’ baskets were part of a 9-0 spurt that put Guerin ahead 22-14. Heritage Hills cut that lead to 22-18 by halftime, then jumped ahead at certain points during the third quarter.
Two free throws from Cardinal with 1:20 left in the quarter put Guerin Catholic ahead for good, and Caron finished the half with a layin to give GC a 36-33 lead. Robert Sorensen then took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points to give him a total of 29 overall.
Guerin Catholic’s Robert Sorensen scored 29 points to help the Golden Eagles beat Heritage Hills. (Julie Brown)
“Rob is a guy who just wants to win at all costs,” said Allen. “I don’t think he cares how many points he gets. He stepped up tonight, he hit some big-time shots for us in the second half.”
Caron had seven rebounds and four assists, while Sorensen collected six rebounds.
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Noblesville was up next, and the Millers toughed out a win over Crispus Attucks 51-46.
Noblesville never trailed in the game, leading for all but a few seconds in both the first and third quarters. Aaron Fine started the scoring with a 3, then after the Tigers tied the game, Fine and Justin Curry made jumpers to give the Millers a 7-3 lead.
By the end of the first quarter, five different Noblesville players had scored and the Millers had a 16-8 lead. Baron Walker hit a 3 at the end of the period. The second quarter first belonged to Aiden Brewer, who scored six points, then Hunter Walston took over with six more points. Noblesville led 28-20 at halftime.
Noblesville’s Hunter Walston reached double-double status with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Millers’ win over Crispus Attucks. (Julie Brown)
Attucks was already making a comeback and used a 9-0 spurt to tie the game at 33-33 with 2:40 left in the third quarter. Walston stopped the run with two straight baskets, and Walker nailed another closing-seconds 3 to give the Millers a 40-36 lead going into the fourth.
Walston again stepped up in the fourth quarter, with eight points. His two free throws gave Noblesville a 48-41 lead. The Millers hung on from there, with Walker making two more foul shots to secure the win.
Walston led the scoring with 20 points and reached double-double status with 10 rebounds. Walker and Fine both scored eight points. Will Smits collected seven rebounds and Fine pulled five.
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The nightcap game saw Fishers, which went into the contest ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, take on last year’s 4A runner-up Kokomo. The Tigers used a strong second half to get a convincing 77-55 victory.
Fishers used its balance to get the victory. Tigers coach Garrett Winegar said his team had “nine guys who played more than 10 minutes,” and was happy so many players came in to contribute and have no drop off.
“It just speaks to them as people, really,” said Winegar. “Any given night could be a different guy’s opportunity.”
The first half was close, with a Nathan Baker 3 giving Fishers a 14-13 lead at the end of the period. Seven different players scored for the Tigers, who began to pull away when Jason Gardner made a traditional three-point play, then Justin Kirby hit two free throws to give Fishers a 34-26 lead. Kokomo’s Karson Rogers scored to cut the lead to 34-28, and that was the halftime score.
The Tigers steadily built their lead in the third quarter, totaling 26 points in the period. Balance was again the key, with seven different players scoring. Garner and Jason Gardner Jr. each had five points in the quarter. Fishers continued to roll in the fourth, using a 10-0 run to lead 72-45. Cooper Zachary started it with a 3, then Garner sandwiched an and-1 between two dunks.
“If you’re a mid-major coach in the country and you watch that game and you’re not interested in Keenan, I question your talent evaluation,” said Winegar. He then listed several attributes for Garner, including his ability to rebound, hit 3s and defend.
“There’s really nothing on the basketball floor that he can’t do,” said Winegar.
Garner scored 19 points, followed by JonAnthony Hall with 18 and Zachary with 13. Garner led the rebounds with five, while Zachary handed out seven assists; Winegar pointed out Garner had no turnovers in the game.