Marion County Tournament Tips Tomorrow

The annual Marion County Tournament, tipping off tomorrow evening, is full of great games. Many top teams and star players will be in action. Here's a look at a few of the best games, as well as some other games for Tuesday, January 10th.

Roncalli (9-0) vs. Warren Central (8-2)

Perhaps the top game of the first round pits some great big men against each other. The Rebels are undefeated and the only team to have beaten Park Tudor thus far. Led by a pair of 6'7 big men in Ryan Weber and David Heckman, Roncalli has size and strength to go along with their disciplined playing style. The Warriors counter with 6'6 junior forward Devin Davis, an IU recruit who has been playing his best ball as of late, including a 27 point, nine rebound game against Lawrence North. They also have 6'8 center Brent Calhoun, who will hope to slow down the Rebel inside attack. Should be a great game. Look for the Warriors' pressure to play a factor in the outcome of this one, depending on effectiveness.

Lawrence North (3-4) vs. Park Tudor (10-1)

The Wildcats are the poster-children for underachievement so far this season. Can they get back on track against one of the state's best? Senior guards Eron Harris and Petey Balls, along with 6'7 junior wing Basil Smotherman, are all D1 players for LN. The expectation for the Wildcats are high with reason. A string of tough losses could be overcome with this one win, but it won't be easy. The Panthers have a stable of talent and a laundry list of impressive wins, most notably a recent win on the road versus North Central. Senior IU-bound point guard Yogi Ferrell is the engine that makes the Park car go, and there are quality pieces galore. D1 level players include senior Paul Bayt and sophomores Trevon Bluiett and Troy Spears, and seniors J.B. Rapp and Brandon Tannenbaum aren't slouches, either. The Park Tudor suffocating 2-3 zone defense will likely be highly effective as well, since the Wildcats have struggled with the deep ball. Could be yet another statement win for the tops in 2A.

Other first round Marion County Tournament games include:

Ben Davis vs. Speedway - The Wills brothers should be able to withstand a Sparkplug attack led by 6'4 sophomore Justin Brent.

Pike vs. Beech Grove - All prayers go out to Beech Grove coach Matt English in his battle with cancer. His Hornets will have to play the game of the season to hang with R.J. Hunter, Zavier Turner, Johntae Alexander, and the rest of the Red Devils.

Brebeuf Jesuit vs. Franklin Central - An intriguing match up featuring the Braves high scoring sophomore point guard P.J. Thompson.

North Central vs. Indianapolis Lutheran - I simply feel bad for the Saints as North Central will be in AVENGE mode after a disappointing loss to Ben Davis. Will Ronnie Johnson still be in Doug Mitchell's dog house?

Southport vs. Perry Meridian - Seniors Michael Ramey and Kellon Thomas have scored a lot for the Cardinals this year, but help has been lacking. Perry has struggled to two wins so far, so this could be a momentum builder for both teams.

Lawrence Central vs. Decatur Central - The Bears have exceeded the expectations of many on their way to a 6-2 record, including wins over HSE and Bloomington South. Jeremy Hollowell and crew should be to much for Diamond Seltzer and the Hawks.

* Tuesday is also the start of the Southern Indiana Conference Tournament, and features great games like Bosse-Memorial and Harrison-Reitz.

* Also in action on Tuesday is Lake Station (6-2) vs. Bowman Acadeny (5-5), and LaPorte LaLumiere is in action as well.

Game Recaps: 1/7

* HSE beat Muncie Central 60-51 in a matchup of top ranked teams. MSU bound senior Gary Harris had 30 points, including five dunks.

* Bishop Luers beat Muncie South 94-65. IU bound sophomore James Blackmon Jr. Had 33 points for the second consecutive night. Luers football dynamo Jaylon Smith added 25 points, and South also got 25 points from Myron Smith.

* Tech beat Ben Davis 62-53. The Giants were coming off a huge win over North Central. IU commit Trey Lyles had 15 points to lead the Titans.

* Bosse beat Vincennes Lincoln 67-57. Sophomore Jaquan Lyle notched a triple double with 16 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds.

* LaPorte LaLumiere beat Farragut 66-51, getting 18 points apiece from Rapheal Davis and Hanner Perea. Perea even had a three tonight!

* Nortrop beat Zionsville earlier today, getting 26 points from Purdue bound Bryson Scott.

* Kokomo beat McCutcheon 61-49 behind 17 points from LaBradford Seabree.

Game Recaps: January 6th

* IU bound senior Ron Patterson had 18 points, 5 boards, and 5 steals in a 65-point blowout win over Herron.

* Another future Hoosier, Lawrence Central's Jeremy Hollowell, went over 1,000 career points in a win over Columbus North. It was an efficient shooting night. In fact, through three quarters, he had 32 points on only 14 shot attempts! Hollowell finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds in the 74-60 win.

* Guerin Catholic jumped out early on Chatard, leading in an ugly first half 28-17. Sophomore Aaron Brennan played well in the half, despite foul trouble, scoring nine points. But the Trojans came out hot to start the third, as Alabama-Huntsville bound Greg Gardner scored seven straight to cut the lead to 28-24. At the end of three, Guerin still clung to a 37-34 lead. The Golden Eagles tried to pull away many times, but Chatard kept hanging tough, and trailed 45-40 with just over four minutes to play. Guerin stretched the lead to six at 49-43 with under two minutes left. But Chatard, and specifically Gardner, would not go down without a fight, cutting the lead to two at 51-49 with 12.9 seconds to play. Guerin was able to hold on for the two point win, getting 19 points from Brennan. IU assistant Steve McClain was in attendance to watch him. Gardner had 25 points for Bishop Chatard, 23 of them in the second half.

* In the title game of the Madison County Tournament, Pendleton Heights jumped out to a 22-3 lead over Anderson, but the Indians battled back, whittling the lead to ten, trailing 35-25 at halftime. But the Arabians eventually pulled away by double digits, winning 66-54. Anderson had it as close as 7 points on occasion. Butler bound Kellen Dunham had another staggering scoring display with 39 points.

* Sophomore and IU commit James Blackmon , Jr. scored 31 points in a win over Ft. Wayne Dwenger.

* Searching for stats, but in an amazing result, Wabash beat Southwood 126-123 (!) in three overtimes.

* Uspet alert!!! Ben Davis handed North Central yet another loss, winning 70-66. Ronnie Johnson had a shot to tie that came up short at the end, and Ben Davis' Michael Beaty made two free throws to seal the win. The Purdue bound Johnson struggled a bit and was actually benches out of halftime, sitting the first two and a half minutes of the third. Tony and Harry Wills had 17 each for the Giants, and Patrick
Ingram had 21 points for the Panthers. Johnson was held to only ten points.

* Kokomo handled Peru 76-53 behind 21 points from Evansville bound DJ Balentine.

* Carmel and Center Grove played a nip and tuck first half, tied up 29-29 after two quarters. But the Greyhounds pulled away on the night their girls soccer team was recognized as ESPN's National Champs, and beat the Trojans 61-51. Ben Gardner, Michael Volovic, and Sam Curts scored in double figures for Carmel, while Joe Reed scored 18 for CG.

* Cathedral routed Howe by 34, getting 15 points from St. Louis signee Jared Drew. Collin Hartman, an IU recruit, added 12 points.

* Devin Davis had 12 points as Warren Central pounded TH South to move to 8-2.

* HSE beat Lafayette Harrison behind 23 points from Gary Harris.

* Greensburg trounced Shelbyville behind 25 points from Sean Sellers and 24 points from Bryant McIntosh, both sophomores.

* Park Tudor beat sectional foe Heritage Christian in an ugly game, 47-37. IU bound point guard Yogi Ferrell led the Panthers with 16 points, while sophomore Trevon Bluiett added 15 points.

Games of the Day: Friday, January 6th

Lots of great teams in action tonight and several interesting match ups to take note of. Here are five of the best in the state for Friday the sixth.

Center Grove (7-2) vs. Carmel (6-1)

The Trojans are having another strong season thanks in large part to the play of 6'8 senior forward Joe Reed, who is averaging over twenty points a game. Carmel has once again seemingly overachieved in terms of expectations. They have no "superstar," but they combine balanced scoring with great outside shooting, a real recipe for success. Should be a great game of evenly matched teams.

Guerin Catholic (8-3) vs. Bishop Chatard (8-0)

Two of the top parochial teams in the Indianapolis area square off in this one. Coach Pete Smith has Guerin rolling. Led by sophomore big man Aaron Brennan, who is getting looks from Big Ten schools including Michigan and Indiana, the Golden Eagles are a tough out. Chatard has two big, dynamic guards in Joe Fagan and Greg Gardner, both capable of going off for 20-plus in any game. Can Guerin hand Chatard it's first loss of the year?

North Central (8-3) vs. Ben Davis (5-3)

The Panthers are probably out for blood after a string of tough games including a recent loss to 2A Park Tudor. The trio of Ronnie Johnson, Patrick Ingram, and Darius Latham has been great for North Central, but so far they've lacked outside shooting, allowing teams to really key on Panther stud Johnson. Ben Davis is playing well under coach Mark James. Harry Wills is one to watch for the Giants.

Park Tudor (9-1) vs. Heritage Christian (5-3)

A potential sectional match up here. The 2A #1 ranked Panters led by IU-bound Yogi Ferrell are rolling. With several D1 and college caliber players on the squad, they are killing teams. Sophomore Trevon Bluiett has been scoring close to 30 points a game of late, and he is the happy recipient of many of Ferrell's assists. Heritage is no slouch. They lost Basil Smotherman to Lawrence North this offseason, but seniors Joel Smith and Tyler Mink, as well as junior point guard Anthony Warrum have made the Eagles really tough this year. This will be a test for Park Tudor and a chance to show if they're the odds on favorite in their sectional.

Anderson (6-3) vs. Pendleton Heights (10-2)

The championship of the Madison County Tournament should be a good one as rivals take the floor. Anderson has rolled to the title game with a pair of blowout wins. The Arabians have done the same and come into tonight with the advantage of playing on their home floor. Oh, and also having the advantage of deploying the most dynamic scorer in the state in Butler-bound Kellen Dunham. The Arabians are the better squad, but will they prove it tonight?

Also in action tonight state-wide are stars such as Gary Harris, Ron Patterson, Bryson Scott, Jared Drew, Collin Hartman, Jaquan Lyle, Jeremy Hollowell, and James Blackmon, Jr. Should be a fantastic night of hoops action!

Game Recap: Arsenal Tech versus Decatur Central

One of IPS's best team, the Arsenal Tech Titans, were in action last night on the road at Decatur Central. The Hawks are struggling this year, but they do have some talent and a pair of nice wins against Perry Meridian and Brownsburg.

From the start, this one appeared to be all Tech. The Titans jumped out to an 11-0 lead and rolled throughout the first quarter or so. In the first frame alone, Tech sophomore star and IU recruit Trey Lyles had 11 points. Midway through the second quarter, the Titans had a commanding 30-point lead at 41-11. But as is common for Tech, the guard play got sloppy and they went away from their bread and butter in Lyles. A DC run cut the lead to a somewhat manageable 50-28 halftime score.

The third quarter was more of the same for Tech, as Lyles could not get a touch and the Hawks crept closer, trailing onlt 59-46 after three. In all, Lyles got minimal touches and no points in the second and third quarter.

But the fourth quarter was when Lyles came alive. He demanded the ball, got it in the paint and in space, and scored in transition, including a thunderous dunk in the face of a DC defender. Tech and Lyles owned the final stanza, and he scored 15 of his team's 26 points in the quarter. Lyles finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, and fellow sophomore Mike Jones added 16 points. The Hawks were led by Diamond Seltzer, son of IU assistant coach Bennie Seltzer, with 14 points.

Tonight is a slow day for hoops action, although one game in the Hendricks County Tournament could be interesting, as Avon and Notre Dame recruit Austin Burgett takes on Tri-West, led by rising freshman point guard Trevor Waite, who has scored in double-digits in every game since becoming a starter, including a 21 point effort against Sheridan.

Game Recaps: January 3rd

Great games last night. P-Hoops previewed three of them, and here are the results!

Bowman Academy 84 - Lawrence Central 76

The Bears travelled to the Region last night, and the #5 team in 4A came away with a hard fought loss. Despite once again playing without star Elijah Ray, Bowman's depth was too much to overcome. A great scoring spread was led by Carlos McCormick, who had 24 of Bowman's points. Justin King added 17 points and DaMario Smith had 15 points. DePaul signee DeJuan Marrero could not get it going offensively, finishing with only 8 points, but he did notch 12 board. IU commit Jeremy Hollowell was the individual story of this one, going for a season high 38 points (or 50% of his team's points) in the loss.

Warren Central 56 - Lawrence North 52 (OT)

Another statement win by Greg Graham's Warriors. Just days after beating two of the Region's best in Munster and Bowman, Warren Central came back with another strong performance against one of Indy's best. Purdue recruit Basil Smotherman helped the Wildcats jump out to an early lead, scoring seven of the team's first nine points. But it was back and forth all the way to the end, where LN senior guard Petey Balls drilled a three to tie it at 46-46 and send it in to overtime. Warren Central pulled away for good on a trey by Jamal Bridges. The story of the game was Warrior's junior forward Devin Davis. He scored a season high 27 points to go along with 9 rebounds, playing with a purpose throughout the game. Smotherman's fast start didn't really continue, but he led LN with 13 points, and Sean Howard scored the same amount. Eron Harris chipped in 11 points for the Wildcats.

Cathedral 70 - Indianapolis Northwest 50

A close game at halftime was blown open in the third. Leading 31-29 going into the half, Cathedral outscored the Space Pioneers 23-10 in the third stanza and never looked back. Freshman guard Jalen Coleman led the Irish with 14 points, while Jared Drew added 12 points. Northwest's Donnell Minton, a Lamar recruit, notched 16 points, and freshman Harris Brown added 13 points. IU recruit Collin Hartman was saddled with foul trouble and managed only nine points.

* Michigan City upset lake Central 51-42. Glenn Robinson III scored 22 points in the loss, but the Indians were never really in this one.

Games of the Day: Tuesday, January 3rd

Welcome back, hoops fans! P-Hoops was out and about all Christmas break, but being on the road so much didn't allow for any write ups. Apologies. I did see Yogi Ferrell in action over break and came away impressed, but that will have to wait till another time. Many Indiana high schools are already back in session, so this week is full of many great games, a few of which tip off tonight! Let's take a brief look at some of the best games across Indiana for Tuesday night.

Lawrence Central (5-1) vs. Bowman Academy (4-4)

The Bears will likely be shaking off the rust as they've been off since December 21, and they come back to a tall task. IU commit Jeremy Hollowell leads the LC charge and has been putting up great numbers despite being the focal point of all opposing defenses. Bowman has a bevy of D1 talent, most notably 6'6 senior forward DeJuan Marrero, a DePaul signee. Travelling to the Region accompanied with the long layoff will make this a tough one for Coach Shelt and the Bears.

Lawrence North (3-3) vs. Warren Central (6-2)

Perennial 4A power Lawrence North has fallen on some hard times this year with an inability to score the ball despite having some big time talent. Senior guards Eron Harris (WVU) and Petey Balls (NIU) lead the Wildcats, who are looking to get back in the win column after losing to Guerin Catholic all the way back on December 16. Greg Graham's Warriors are rolling of late, beating Region powers Munster and Bowman Academy in holiday tournament action. Warren Central is led by 6'6 junior forward Devin Davis, an IU recruit who has played his best ball of late. Home court should aid the Warriors.

Cathedral (5-2) vs. Indianapolis Northwest (4-2)

The Irish visit IPS power Northwest in an Indy area match up. Cathedral dropped a New Year's Eve game to Bowman 49-46, and they are out for a fresh start led by 6'5 senior wing Jared Drew (SLU) and 6'6 junior shooter Collin Hartman (IU). Northwest had a big time win in the IPSAC/Midwest Shootout against Evansville Bosse and Jaquan Lyle, and are looking to continue their strong play. Lamar recruit Donnell Minton, a senior point guard, leads the way for the Space Pioneers. Should be a chance for Northwest to gauge how good they truly are.

Check back later for updates!