Update on Games: 1/30

Friday night was full of some excellent performances by teams and individuals. There were a few nail-biters, as well as some unexpected blowouts, and all in all, it was another great night of high school hoops in Indiana! Let's check the results of the twelve games P-Hoops previewed.

Zionsville 56 - Avon 48 - The Orioles (7-8) could not find their offensive stride on their home floor against Zionsville (13-1). The Eagles had a balanced scoring attack led by 6'4 junior guard Jack Isenbarger, who had 13 points, while junior forward Chris Welker added nine. The two young Avon stars, freshman Austin Burgett and sophomore Kendall Griffin, played admirably in the defeat, scoring 12 and 11 points respectively.

Terre Haute South 49 - Terre Haute North 46 - The rout was on in the second half, and South (13-2) appeared to be cruising to another easy victory over the cross-town rival Patriots (7-8). But then the wheels fell off. North erased a 19-point third quarter deficit to pull within three in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. They were able to attempt a desperation heave from beyond NBA three point range, but it didn't connect, and the Braves escaped with another victory. Senior guard and Indiana State recruit Jake Odum led South with 17 points and ten rebounds, while North got 15 points from Zach Harrison and 14 points from Thomas Anderson. Patriot 6'8 sophomore big man Justin Gant contributed ten points and eleven boards.

Decatur Central 82 - Plainfield 70 - The Hawks (12-3) went on a scoring frenzy in this match-up of Mid-Sate Conference rivals. The game was decided in the pivotal third quarter, when Decatur outscored the Quakers (8-5) by ten points. Senior forward Blake Beasley had another big game for the Hawks, scoring 31 points, nailing five three pointers. Plainfield got good performances from 6'9 center and Albany signee Blake Metcalf, who had 24 points, and Brian Mucho, who chipped in with 24 points. DC moves to 5-0 in conference, while Plainfield falls to 3-1.

Brownsburg 54 - Noblesville 47 - This game was decided in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs (10-4) came back from five down to pull out a big conference win over the Millers (8-4). Brownsburg outscored Noblesville 30-18 in a fast-paced final frame. JD Cosby scored 21 points for the victors, with 15 of them coming in the decisive fourth quarter. He was 10-10 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Torrey Nibbs chipped in with 18 points for the Bulldogs. Jake Yearey led the Millers scoring attack with 15 points.

Lafayette Jeff 87 - Lafayette Central Catholic 83 (OT) - An unusual suspect rose to the occasion to give the Bronchos (10-7) a big win over LCC (8-6). Colin Bultnick, who came into the game averaging less then three points per game, scored 22 points and hit the game clinching bucket for Jeff. Bronchos junior guard Jesse Berry kept up with Bultnick, scoring 22 of his own, and Shane Wyant had a nice game with 15 points and 18 rebounds. Dru Anthrop once again paced the Knights, scoring 23 points.

Kokomo - Anderson - postponed

Jay County - Anderson Highland - postponed

Tipton 67 - Hamilton Heights 39 - With senior standout Derek Elston sitting out the entirety of the first quarter, the 2A number tow ranked Blue Devils (12-2) didn't skip a beat, getting out to a fast start and crushing the Huskies (8-6). Once Elston, an IU signee, entered in the second quarter, he had another monster game, with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds. Jake Hoffman scored 14 for Tipton, and sophomore point guard Greg Dickey added 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The Huskies were led by Nick Hartley, who scored 17 points, matching Elston for game high honors.

Heritage Christian 62 - Guerin Catholic 59 - A big comeback was needed for Heritage (11-2) to pull this one out at home against the hot-shooting Golden Eagles (9-6). Guerin came out blazing, hitting four threes in the first quarter, three of them from senior guard Ryan Nowicki, and built a 26-18 lead after one. Heritage, the number four ranked team in 2A, is known for solid defense, so this outburst was surprising. Guerin built their lead to ten halfway into the third quarter, but the home team finally locked down and got back into the game with their lauded defense. They were able to hold the Golden Eagles to four points in the fourth, one three pointer and a free throw, and steal away a hard-fought win. Nowicki paced the visitors with 16 points, with fourteen of them coming in the first half. Senior 6'5 guard Tommy Eggleston had another great game for Heritage, scoring 21 points, his third 20+ game in his last four outings. Seniors Morgan Cook and Durrel Davis both added ten points for Heritage.

Snider 69 - Dwenger 56 - The Panthers (12-1) stayed perfect in SAC play, moving to 7-0 in conference. They got 14 points from Jonathon Sims, the coach's son, while Brad Sneary added 12 points. Dwenger could not keep up with the 4A power, but did get a nice game from Joe Kosiarek (19 points) and Notre Dame football recruit Tyler Eifert (14 points).

Evansville Memorial - Princeton - postponed

Bloomington South 75 - Pike 50 - The game did not quite live up to the hype as these two conference undefeateds squared off. The Panthers (14-0), the number one team in 4A, continued their impressive dominance of all comers, trouncing the Red Devils (8-5) on their home floor. IU point guard recruit Jordan Hulls led South with 23 points and nine assists, controlling the game as a coach on the floor. He was able to easily handle Pike's hard pressure all night. Junior forward Eric Fromm scored 14 points and pulled down 11 boards for the Panthers, and sophomore guards Dee Davis and Spencer Turner had 12 apiece for the victors. Pike's sophomore sensation Marquis Teague had 19 points in the losing effort, with 12 of them coming in the first quarter. Bloomington South has now won all of their games by fifteen points or more this season.

Franklin Central 60 - Bloomington North 35 - The size of the Flashes (14-3) proved to be too much for the Cougars (7-6) to handle. Purdue recruit Patrick Bade had his best game in a while, going for 24 points and ten rebounds, while Brian Higdon added 17 points. Junior guard Julian Boatner led North with 16 points.

Other notable scorers:

* Senior Justin Jordan had 16 points for Ft. Wayne North Side in a win over Northrop.

* Freshman sensation Raphael Davis had 16 points and five rebounds for Ft. Wayne South Side as they defeated Concordia.

* Junior forward Deshaun Thomas scored 22 points as 2A number one ranked Luers trounced Elmhurst.

* Ben Davis' Greg Rice, an IUPUI signee, had 20 points in a win over Muncie South.

* Howe had a scoring explosion led by junior guard Andre Hampton with 29 points on seven threes. Sophomore PJ Boutte added 18 of his own.

* Indian Creek's scoring machines did their thing, with Kyle Bradley going off for 35 points, and Brett Brunson chipping in with 20 in a win over Monrovia.

* Lawrence North rolled over Fishers behind 16 points from Stephan Van Treese and ten each from Dominique Ferguson and Ryan Taylor.

* Freshman Trey Hendrix scored 14 points and dished out 10 assists for Lebanon in a win over Southmont.

* Purdue recruit DJ Byrd had 16 points in a North Montgomery win over Western Boone.

* Roncalli beat Ritter 40-38 on a last second shot by senior guard Aaron Evans, who had 19 points.

* Mooresville's Matt Kenney, a Valpo recruit, had 18 points in a win over Whiteland.

There are many more great games on the docket for tonight. Check back to see who played and how Saturday's games went down!