By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
Defending 1A state champion Triton has had to replace some key pieces from last year’s championship team. In fact, the Trojans lost more seniors, eight, than any other champion.
Still, six letterman – including one starter – are back on the hardwood and have led Triton to an impressive 3-0 start.
Like the other champions, Triton graduated a lot of height. The Trojans held opponents to just over 40 points per game last season, while averaging over 57 themselves. Though a bit shorter, head coach Jason Groves feels that his team has a lot of speed and a lot of room to grow.
“Last year, we were big and could match-up with almost anybody toe-to-toe. Teams had trouble scoring against us because we were so good inside and on the boards,” Groves said. “This year, we’re a lot quicker. We might not be able to shut teams down in the half-court, but, as crazy as it sounds, I think that we might be better offensively. We’re quick and we’ve got some great shooters coming back.”
The ability to score was on full display in the Trojans’ first game of the season against Oregon-Davis. Triton put up 92 points, beating the Bobcats by 30 points. Triton has followed with wins at Plymouth, 49-29, and NorthWood, 62-47. All of Triton’s wins have come on the road, the last two against 3A schools. The wins against the bigger schools are important as they are the only 1A school in the Northern State Conference.
“Playing a tough schedule in a tough conference helps prepare us for the postseason, so we definitely have no complaints. Our kids expect to win every single game, and they’re always focused on the next one, so that’s a good start,” Groves said.
The Trojans are led by senior forward Polton Keel, the lone returning starter. Keel averaged 10 points and nearly six rebounds a game last season and led the team with 42 steals. Sophomore Griffyn Carpenter will also be expected to contribute more as the season goes on. As a freshman, Carpenter hit 45 percent of his 3-pointers and averaged 3.5 points per game.
Triton’s next game will be at home on Tuesday against 2A North Miami, who is 2-0 and has outscored its opposition 197-108.
Lawrence North Rallies, Pushes Past Marion
A surprising loss to Terre Haute South knocked Lawrence North out of the state’s top five. A powerhouse like the Wildcats may stagger from time-to-time, but they are very difficult to topple.
Lawrence North got its swagger back on Saturday, pounding second-ranked Marion 70-58.
After winning three straight championships from 2004-2006 behind current NBA players Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Lawrence North has restocked its bench with big, talented players. Among them are arguably five of the state’s top 20 players, including senior Stephan Van Treese and junior Dominique Ferguson.
Ferguson and Van Treese both had huge nights against the Giants, spurring a 17-0 run in the third quarter that eventually ballooned into a 23-point lead. Van Treese went 9-of-14 from the field, scoring 21 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, while Ferguson tallied 20 points and five rebounds.
In the Wildcats primary nine-man rotation, there is only one player shorter than 6-foot-3. This can cause a lot of problems for opposing defenses. Big players like Van Treese and Ferguson can go off on a moment’s notice, as evidenced by the former dropping in 19 points in the second half against Marion and the latter scoring 11 points in the aforementioned 17-0 run.
The Wildcats’ size can also be problematic against smaller teams with good shooters, proven by Terre Hate South’s 11 3-point buckets. Still, Lawrence North boasts a slew of future Division I players and is an intimidating sight on the hardwood.
Van Treese will be headed to Louisville next season, and 6-7 junior swingman Justin Martin will follow in two years. Ferguson, also a junior, will be heading to Kentucky, while senior forward Jeff Robinson will play at Purdue. After those players, the Wildcat roster is full of current and future playmakers, giving Lawrence North perhaps the deepest bench in the state.
The Wildcats play a tough schedule, including three more ranked teams, the Marion County tournament, and the T-Mobile Invitational, which features top teams from Texas, Georgia and Washington. Lawrence North’s next test will be at Southport on Saturday against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, currently tied for sixth with the Wildcats in the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Poll.
Cathedral Survives Broad Ripple in Overtime
Class 4A No. 3 Cathedral is now 2-0 on the year, though by only the slightest of margins.
The Irish played back-to-back road games on Friday and Saturday against Warren Central and Broad Ripple. Cathedral managed to sneak by the Warriors 51-50, but it took an overtime for the Irish to down the Rockets, 65-63.
The Irish had four players in double figures, led by Eric Peck, who put up 17 points and snatched 10 rebounds. Purdue recruit Kelsey Barlow had 13 points, while Joey Bender and Jarrett Hamilton put up 12 and 11, respectively.
Cathedral’s next game is Saturday at home against Arsenal Tech (1-2).
Girls Basketball: Heritage Christian Scores Impressive Win
In one of the most spectacular comebacks in recent girls basketball history, Heritage Christian rallied from 12 down with five minutes left in the game to force overtime against Chicago’s Whitney Young high school. In the extra session, Whitney Young, No. 17 in MaxPreps preseason rankings, fell to Heritage Christian 66-64, putting the Eagles on the national radar.
Heritage Chrisian’s Kelly Faris, a Connecticut commit, played her usual outstanding, all-around game, rebounding, commanding the floor, playing defense and scoring 19 points in the process. It was teammate Claire Freeman, though, that really stepped up to make the difference.
Down 12 in the fourth quarter, Freeman had struggled from the field, going 4-of-13 at that point. Some good defense and a pair of lay-ups from Freeman sparked a 14-2 game-tying run that led to overtime. Freeman also scored the game-winning bucket with 27 seconds left in overtime, two of her 18 total points.
The three-time defending state champions are now 5-0 after a 75-33 blowout of Brebeuf on Saturday. The Eagles will continue their quest for a fourth straight title on Saturday, as they take on 4A No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern.
Fishers Outlasts Carmel
Fishers has only been in existence for a few seasons, but the Tigers have already managed to claw their way into the Associated Press Class 4A poll.
Fishers entered its game with Carmel as the No. 7 team in the state, one below its opponent. It took a superb effort from Karli Harris, but the Tigers walked out of Carmel with a 61-54 victory on Friday night, lifting their record to 6-1 on the year.
Harris tallied 17 points and five steals, leading her team in both categories. The Greyhounds had four players score in double figures, but could not pull out the win in the end.
Forward Lauren McRoberts led the way for the Greyhounds with 16 points.
After the win, Fishers moved up to fifth in the AP poll, while Carmel slid to seventh. The Greyhounds will travel to Cathedral on Thursday to take on Adrienne Sahm and the Irish (1-3), who secured their first win of the season on Monday against Broad Ripple behind Sahm’s career-high 32 points.
Fishers, whose only loss was to No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern, will visit Arsenal Tech (2-3) on Saturday.