By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
Unbeaten North Central has racked up some impressive wins this season, but the Panthers face their biggest test so far in Friday’s Marion County tournament semifinal match-up with 4A No. 3 Lawrence North.
Second-ranked North Central is averaging over 83 points per game in its 12 wins, but has yet to face a team the size of the Wildcats. North Central has current bragging rights, though. After losing the first match-up last season, the Panthers exacted revenge in the sectional. This is the first of potentially three meetings this season, and it is shaping up to be a good one.
North Central took out Beech Grove in the first round of tournament play, squashing the Hornets 106-61. The second round pitted the Panthers against Southport, the tournament’s host. The Cardinals were .500 coming into the game, but put up a good fight.
After a close 23-22 first quarter, North Central controlled the second and third quarters, pulling ahead by as many as 16. Southport cut the deficit to eight in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome a Panther team with four scorers in double-figures.
Junior Terone Johnson led North Central with 21 points, 14 of which came in the first half. Freshman D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera chipped in 15, and Justin Reed scored 12.
Lawrence North had a much tougher match-up in Wednesday night’s quarterfinal, facing 4A No. 7 Franklin Central.
The one-loss Flashes struggled through the first half, scoring just 14 points. In a low-scoring game, it looked as if the Wildcats were going to walk away with an easy when they went up by 16 points midway through the third quarter. The Flashes spread the floor against the bigger Lawrence North team and eventually got the game back to within four points with 3:17 left to play. The Wildcats proved to be too strong though, as they went on an 11-0 run to put the game away.
Lawrence North was led by Louisville-bound senior Stephen Van Treese with 14 points and 13 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive glass. The Wildcats snatched 20 offensive rebounds, two more than the total number of rebounds for Franklin Central (12-2).
North Central is one of the few teams equipped to handle Lawrence North. The Panthers up-and-down style is a contrast to the inside-out game of the Wildcats, and there may be a certain mental edge from having beaten them by 14 in their last meeting. Still, it is the depth and unselfish play of the team that has allowed North Central to remain unblemished.
“They don’t mind giving the ball up because they know they’re going to get it back,” North Central head coach Doug Mitchell said of his team’s offense. “They’re unselfish, they’re humble, and they want to get better. We’ve got a lot of guys who are good enough to play (varsity), but there’s no animosity if somebody beats somebody else out. It’s really a coach’s dream.”
North Central is shooting 52 percent from the field on the year and is hitting about 40 percent from beyond the arc. That is good news for the Panthers, as Lawrence North’s only loss on the year came from a team that hit 11 3-pointers and shot very well.
“I’d take this team and go anywhere and play anybody,” Mitchell said. “No hesitation.”
More Boys Basketball: Plainfield tops Brownsburg in Hendricks County Championship
After starting the season 0-3, defending 4A champion Brownsburg hit its stride and went into the finals of the Hendricks County tournament with a six-game winning streak. The Bulldogs powered past Tri-West 73-36 before Sunday’s championship match-up with Plainfield, who squeaked past Avon 56-55 in overtime behind sophomore Chris Page’s 26 points.
Brownsburg was feeling pretty good going into the final game, having won the previous two county championships and facing a 5-4 Quaker squad still looking to find its groove.
The contest was a physical one throughout, with Plainfield jumping out to a 34-30 lead at halftime and extending their lead to 10 points in early in the third quarter and 15 halfway through the fourth. Brownsburg cut the lead to seven with 1:01 left to play, but could not shut Plainfield down on offense.
Page led the Quakers with six 3-pointers and 24 points, followed by senior guard Brian Mucho with 17. Brownsburg was led by Torrey Nibbs with 14 points and Enique Mason with 13.
Plainfield now has momentum, having won three straight games. The Quakers next test will be at Monrovia (5-5) on Saturday.
Girls Basketball: Heritage Christian survives fishers
Nationally-ranked Heritage Christian has not been challenged frequently. On the occasions that an opponent has stepped and challenged the Eagles, they have responded with huge performances against very good teams. Heritage Christian has already toppled Chicago’s Whitney Young High School, which was ranked second in the nation at the time by USA Today.
The Eagles took on another big time foe on Saturday, traveling to Fishers to face the 13-1 Tigers, ranked No. 6 in 4A. It took an extra period for Heritage Christian to pull out the win, but the Eagles managed a 59-48 victory to remain unbeaten on the season (14-0).
Connecticut-bound senior Kelly Faris had another big game, putting up eight of her game-high 25 points in overtime, while Emily Anderson followed with 13 and Clarie Freeman chipped-in 10.
The Eagles turned around and rolled over Northwestern on Tuesday, 70-33. Heritage Christian is now 15-0 thanks in large part to Faris. Through 14 games, Faris shot over 52 percent from the field, scored 15 points per game, and averaged 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 4.4 assists per game.
The biggest improvement in Faris’ game is her ability to go the distance consistently. Opting to forgo volleyball this past season, she has had fresher legs and a focus centered on the hardwood.
“She’s improved a lot, especially from a physical standpoint,” Heritage Christian head coach Rick Risinger said. “You can really see it late in the game.”
Faris generally carries the load, but has plenty of help. Claire Freeman, one of the heroes of the Whitney Young game, is averaging 13.1 points per game on 55 percent shooting while contributing 4.5 assists. Emily Anderson is netting 10.1 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting.
Despite the impressive stats and start, Risinger still believes that he has yet to see his Eagles in full flight.
“There are times you can get a little lazy (when you start undefeated),” Risinger said. “We’re not doing a great job of executing our offense, which can lead to quick shots and turnovers, and it doesn’t make the (opposing) defense work to get stops. I’m proud of our success, but I think that we’ve still got work to do. It’s not about just beating teams, it’s about playing to our potential, and I don’t think that we’ve done that yet.”