Guerin Catholic fights hard in season opener at Park Tudor
By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Guerin Catholic boys basketball team didn’t give itself an easy assignment when it traveled to Park Tudor on Wednesday for the Golden Eagles’ season-opening game.
That was by design, of course. Guerin Catholic fought hard against a talented and tall Panthers team in an up-and-down game. The Golden Eagles led in the first half before Park Tudor came back and eventually won 70-66 at the Panthers’ brand-new athletic facility.
The outside shooting of Park Tudor was difficult for Guerin Catholic to overcome, as the Panthers made 13 3-pointers during the game.
“We are going to be better because of this game tonight,” said GC coach Bobby Allen. “That’s why we want to play them early in the season. We know it’s going to be a hard game. I thought our guys completed extremely hard.”
The Golden Eagles trailed only once in the first half, when they were down 5-2 early in the first quarter. Guerin erased that with an 8-0 run; Dylan Murans hit a triple, then Kamea Chandler converted a three-point play and a layin.
Chandler had a sensational game, starting with nine points in that first period. He continued to score in the second quarter, adding another six points. The Golden Eagles’ Robert Sorensen added five in that period, including a 3, and Lucas Parker nailed a 3 late in the quarter to give Guerin Catholic a 36-22 lead.
But Park Tudor began its comeback before halftime, as Jermaine Coleman hit two triples to bring the Panthers back within 36-28 by halftime. Coleman continued his hot shooting during the third quarter with two more 3s; his second triple brought Park Tudor within 41-40. Thomas Ruffin then threw in a 3, and the Panthers were up 43-41 with three minutes left in the third.
“They hit big-time shots,” said Allen. “We lost some of their key guys, which we weren’t supposed to do.”
The remainder of the game was close all the way, with several point swings. Sorensen’s layin got GC up 46-43, but the Panthers went on a 6-0 run for a 49-46 advantage. Josh Holba made a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds left in the third, so the Golden Eagles trailed by only 49-48 going into the fourth.
A 10-3 run sent Guerin Catholic ahead 58-52 with four minutes left in the game. Sorensen and Chandler made baskets, Julian Melendez was good on an and-1, and Parker drained his second 3 of the night. Another Sorensen basket gave the Golden Eagles a 60-54 lead, but Park Tudor went on an 8-0 run to lead 62-60.
Parker nailed a third triple to put the Golden Eagles up 66-65 with a minute to go, but Guerin Catholic wouldn’t get another point. Coleman gave the Panthers the lead on a floater, and Park Tudor held on to win.
Chandler finished the game with 25 points, while Sorensen scored 13 and Parker added 11 points. Coleman led Park Tudor with 23 points, including six 3-pointers.
“I think we still have a lot to learn. I’m pretty happy about our effort and energy tonight. Mentally, we’ve got to get better down the stretch taking care of the ball, because a lot of our mistakes led to them scoring,” said Allen.
The Golden Eagles play their first home game of the season Saturday, hosting Cardinal Ritter in a girls-boys doubleheader at the Eagles Nest.
PARK TUDOR 70, GUERIN CATHOLIC 66
Guerin Catholic FG FT TP PF
Robert Sorensen 6 0-0 13 4
Kamea Chandler 10 5-6 25 2
Lucas Parker 4 0-0 11 3
Dylan Murans 3 1-2 8 4
Josh Holba 0 2-2 2 4
Ty Sanders 0 0-0 0 1
Julian Melendez 3 1-1 7 1
Malcolm Houze 0 0-0 0 1
Ben Grissom 0 0-1 0 0
Totals 26 9-12 66 20
Score by Quarters
Guerin Catholic 18 18 12 18 – 66
Park Tudor 15 13 21 21 – 70
Guerin Catholic 3-pointers (5) Parker 3, Sorensen, Murans.