Tuesday Top Ten: Recaps!

On this final Tuesday of the regular season, there were some unbelievable games, including the tilt that P-Hoops picked at the number one game of the day. Without further delay, let's dive deep into these top tips for Tuesday the 24th!

1. Bowman Academy 94 - East Chicago Central 93 (2OT) - This game had everything for the basketball fan: scoring in bunches, lead changes, timely defensive stops, and a raucous environment that, momentarily, got well out of hand. This game was marked by huge scoring swings, as seen by the stretch between the second and third quarter. At halftime, Bowman (15-2), the number one team in 1A, led by twelve points, but at the end of the third, the Cardinals (13-7) led by ten. A twenty-two point swing in eight minutes! Following that stretch in the second half, a fight broke out between the student sections, delaying the game several minutes while police escorted several fans off the premises. At that point, it looked like ECC was going to get a big win on senior night, as they led 73-58 with just over three minutes to play in regulation. But that's when freshman phenom DeJuan Marrero took over. "Rico," as he is nicknamed, scored several buckets in that span, a 16-0 run, giving the Eagles a one point lead. With only seconds remaining, Cardinal senior Tremel Cooley split a pair of free throws to send it to overtime. It looked like Bowman had it won in the first extra frame until Jerrick Ware, who finished with 21 points, drilled a three for ECC to send it to double overtime. The Eagles never trailed again, although the Cardinals did tie it up, but free throws won it in the end for Bowman. Marrero had a triple-double for the Eagles in their fifteenth consecutive win, scoring 20 points, grabbing 17 boards, and swatting ten shots before fouling out. Cylk Joseph and Bryce Walker each had 16 for Bowman, while KeVan Ford and Christopher Bond added 15 apiece. Ware and Michael Harris each had 21 points for ECC, while Mattew Julkes scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

2. Carmel 80 - North Montgomery 45 - The Greyhounds (14-5) ran away with this one thanks to some stellar defense, especially on the Chargers (14-5) star, Purdue signee DJ Byrd. Byrd finished with only five points on the night, twenty below his season average. Reports are that Byrd hurt his knee in this game. Carmel spread the wealth, with five players finishing in double figures. Morgan Newton led the way with 17 points, John Michael Polley had 15 points, Robert Kitzinger had 13, Scott Laskowski scored 12, and 6'10 freshman prospect AJ Hammons chipped in with ten. The win gives Carmel their fifth win in a row.

3. Delta 50 - Wapahani 43 - Outstanding defense was the key for Delta (16-4) in this one, which turned out to be their 13th win in their last 14 tries, the only loss coming to 3A number six ranked Mt. Vernon. Wapahani (15-3), the number five team in 2A, played much better this time around, as opposed to the blowout loss they suffered to Delta earlier in the year. Delta was led by Skyler Case with 16 points, and Wapahani also got 16 from Drake Hendricks.

4. Carroll 70 - Ft. Wayne North 64 - North (13-6) was, for an unknown reason, playing without star senior guard Justin Jordan, but they battled on the road nonetheless. The Chargers (16-3) got their first win in their last three tries with several players contributing. Four players scored in double figures for Carroll, while Ray Odom scored a game-high 36 points for the Redskins. **UPDATE** Earlier reports were incorrect, as Jordan did play and was the high scorer, not Odom. Jordan's 36 boosts his already impressive season average.

5. West Vigo 73 - Vincennes Rivet 64 - Despite ridiculously hot first half shooting from Rivet (15-5), the home team was able to recover in the second half to secure a win over the number seven team in 1A. Rivet, who has now lost three straight, shot 17 for 23 in the first half, but cooled off just enough after half to let West Vigo (16-5) come back for the win. Tyler Wampler led the winners with 22 points and Jeremy Lucas added 16 points. Kendall Vieke led Rivet with 22 points.

6. Rochester 66 - North Judson 47 - The Zebras (16-3), the number three team in 3A, got a huge lift on senior night from Evan Hoffman, who knocked in five treys on the way to a career high of 18 points on his final home game. Seniors Austin Lowe, Brady Schoen, and Bruce Grimm, Jr. all scored in double figures. The Blue Jays (14-5) were led by Myles Theis, who scored 14 points.

7. Lawrenceburg 63 - Greensburg 60 - The Tigers (15-3), a top ten team in 2A, got a big, momentum-building win over a bigger school. They have now won eight of nine and a looking to make waves in the postseason. Greensburg (12-7) have now lot three of five and must hope to get a win Friday to get back some confidence before Sectionals.

8. Whitko 55 - Blackhawk Christian 52 - The Wildcats (15-4) got 20 points from Logan Irwin and 13 points from sophomore Zac Van De Water and used some tight defense on Blackhawk star Russell Byrd to get the win over a top 1A team. Wes Deason scored a game high 22 points in the loss, and Byrd, a Michigan State recruit, scored twelve, well below his average.

9. Chesterton 57 - Boone Grove 42 - Leading 18-14 midway through the second quarter, Boone Grove (13-5) went ice cold, going scoreless for six minutes, well into the third quarter. In that span, the Trojans (11-8) went on a 15-0 run, the exact margin of defeat. Sophomore Mitch McGary scored 13 points, grabbed seven boards, and blocked four shots in the game, while Tommy Peller was the high man with 20 points, including five threes. Michael Eleftheri led the losing side with ten points.

10. Souhport 40 - Roncalli 38 - The Cardinals (11-8) pulled off the road upset over the 3A top-ten ranked Rebels (14-5) thanks to a put-back layup by Alex Kriese as time expired. It was his only basket to go along with one free throw. Freshman Kellon Thomas scored nine points for Southport. Roncalli's two big guns, Aaron Evans and Michael Mislan, were held to a combined eight points in the stunning loss.

So there you have it! The Tuesday Top Ten results for the final Tuesday of the regular season. Be sure to get out there and see your team this week and next week when postseason play opens up.