Hamilton Southeastern has made a habit of either making or warding off comebacks this season, against both ranked teams and lesser opponents. Fortunately for the Royals, their crunch-time efficiency has resulted in a 13-2 record, with their last of eight straight wins coming on Saturday against Lawrence Central, 49-42.
Hamilton Southeastern played solidly throughout the first half, but went stagnant on offense in the third quarter. The Bears dropped in 10 straight at the top of the fourth quarter and got up by four points before Hamilton Southeastern went on a 12-1 run and sealed the victory at the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds.
"Usually we come out strong in the second half, but the tide kind of got turned on us in the third quarter," said Hamilton Southeastern head coach Brian Satterfield. "They were hitting shots and we were tentative, offensively. Even if some of our guys or our team are having an off night, we usually get it done in the fourth quarter. We’ve done that a lot this season, and that’s what we did (against Lawrence Central)."
Sophomore Gary Harris led the charge for the Royals, tallying 20 points and six rebounds. Harris also posted a team-high 15 points against McCutcheon on Friday, which gave Hamilton Southeastern the lead in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. The Royals will really find out what they're made of over the next five games, as they prepare to take on New Palestine (8-6), Carmel (11-3), Pike (9-5), Westfield (9-5), and Lafayette Jeff (11-5).
Boys wrap-up
Columbus North (10-3) rallied from 21 down in the second quarter to overtake Whiteland (6-10) 55-53.
4A No. 1 Bloomington South improved to 15-0 with a 66-55 win over Pike, led by Butler recruit Erick Fromm with 26 points and 17 rebounds and Indiana recruit Matt Carlino with 14 points.
Indiana recruit Austin Ethrington scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Hamilton Heights topped 2A No. 6 Tipton 64-57.
Zionsville (13-4) beat Avon (9-6) 77-73 behind Chris Roberts’ game-high 25 points.
Shelbyville’s Larry Brown had 18 points, including a pair of buzzer-beating 3-pointers at the end of regulation and the winner in the second overtime, as the Golden Bears topped New Palestine 83-80.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 31 points and Terone Johnson added 27 points for 4A No. 2 North Central (14-2) in an 82-55 win over Warren Central (11-5).
Daniel Turner posted a combined 33 points and Jake Stafford had a combined 30 points for 3A No. 5 Mount Vernon (14-2) in double-digit wins over Connersville and Delta.
Girls basketball: Fourth-quarter run pushes Ben Davis win streak to 50
Ben Davis earned its 20th win of the season and 50th straight overall with a 58-44 win at Carmel on Saturday. The contest was close throughout the first half, and the Greyhounds even took a two-point lead with just over five-and-a-half minutes left to play, the first time all season that the 4A No. 1 Giants have trailed in the final quarter.
Still, Ben Davis would not be denied, outscoring Carmel 17-1 over the remainder of the quarter, spreading the ball around and shutting down the Greyhounds with remarkable efficiency.
Bria Goss scored 17 points for the Giants, and Dee Dee Williams added 11 points. Carmel (13-6) was led by Purdue-bound Torrie Thornton with 14 points. Ben Davis will finish its season against Brebeuf (7-11), while Carmel will host Center Grove (12-6).
Fishers defense keys big win over Brownsburg
Fishers got a big boost going into sectionals, as they toppled Brownsburg 62-45, holding the Bulldogs to 30-percent shooting and outrebounding them by 17.
The Tigers (15-4, 7-2) kept Brownsburg (15-5, 7-2) from earning a share of the Hoosier Crossroads conference title with Lafayette Jeff, while finishing tied for second in the conference and extending their winning streak to eight. The Bulldogs, though, have one game left and have already earned more wins this season than they have in the past two (14).
Fishers held 6-foot-2 Stephanie Muvunga to just 12 points, the only Bulldog in double figures, and built its lead to 20 midway through the third quarter. The Tigers, who had three players in double figures, will host Lawrence Central and Decatur Central to finish out the regular season.
Girls wrap-up
Kaila Hulls scored 21 and Jessica Parker added 16 as Bloomington South improved to 14-4 with a 50-41 win over Perry Meridian.
3A No. 5 Mount Vernon jumped out to an 18-4 lead en route to a 50-30 win over Anderson Highland. Jessica Brown paced the Marauders with 17 points.
Warren Central improved to 16-4 on the season on Friday, knocking off North Central 46-27. The Warriors' stiffling defense held every North Central player in check, allowing the Panthers' leading scorer just five points.
Indianapolis Arlington had four players in double-figures in a 71-40 win over Broad Ripple, led by Tierra Golightly with 21 points.
Roncalli defeated Franklin 81-57 behind a 29-point, 16-rebound effort from Katie Brewer.
3A No. 2 Rushville pounded Heritage Christian 69-49. The Lions had three players in double-figures, led by Alexa Bess with 21 points.
Wrestling: Roncalli earns second straight sectional title
No. 14 Roncalli mounted an early lead on No. 17 New Palestine in the Shelbyville wrestling sectionals and went on to claim the crown 227.5-205.
The Rebles will be sending 12 wrestlers to regionals in Seymour, Among them are three champions: Aaron Davis (112 pounds), second-ranked Josh Keiffer (119) and Joe Kieffer (130). The Dragons, meanwhile, will advance 10 to regionals and had four champions, Kyle Riedling (145), Jaymes Horan (152), Mike Phelps (171), and Jake Jennings (160), who boasts a 36-1 record on the year.
Warren Centralalso earned four titles, from No. 1 Brandon Wright (125), Josh Williams (135), Kyle White (Heavywt), and Michael Johnson-Jones (189), who went to 33-1 on the year.
Cathedral had five individual champions and claimed its fifth consecutive sectional title 237-219.5 over North Central.
Franklin won its 13th sectional title in 14 years with a 248.5-187 besting of county rival Center Grove.
Despite having no seniors in its 14-position lineup and finishing last in the conference meet two weeks ago, Noblesville captured its first sectional title since 2000, a 196-185.5 win over Pendleton Heights.
