Ten Best: East Chicago Central vs. Evansville Bosse
A first round matchup in the North Central tournament brought together two very good but unfamiliar opponents as Evansville Bosse faced off with East Chicago Central. Bosse led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter behind a…
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Continue ReadingA first round matchup in the North Central tournament brought together two very good but unfamiliar opponents as Evansville Bosse faced off with East Chicago Central. Bosse led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter behind a 4/4 effort for deep by Kyrique Presley.
Then Jermaine Couisnard took over for East Chicago Central and led them back to take the lead at the half 34-33. Cousinard scored 23 points in the first half and continued that throughout the game.
ECC built a 13 point lead with just over six minutes remaining but Bosse went on a 10-0 run late spurred by seven from Mekhi Lairy to bring the game to within three points. Bosse had multiple looks at a tie late but couldn’t convert them giving ECC a 82-79 victory.
Leading scorers: East Chicago Central: Jermaine Couisnard 45, Jabril Harris 17, Alyion Stubbs 10. Bosse: Mekhi Lairy 24, Jaylin Chinn 19, Kyrique Presley
MVP: Jermaine Couisnard (East Chicago Central)
Couisnard controlled the game from start to finish. He was money on the offensive end and really was able to control the game. It was the best offensive output I have seen this season.
Best offensive performance: Jermaine Couisnard (East Chicago Central)
Couisnard scored 45 points on 17/23 shooting from the floor and did it in all kinds of ways. He drained threes and he also hit jumpers and worked out of the post. He was impressive and easily was the reason ECC won.
Best offensive performance that wasn’t best offensive performance: Mekhi Lairy (Bosse)
Had Couisnard not gone off, Lairy would have been offensive player of the game easily. He scored 24 points in the game and 17 of those came in the fourth quarter. He had to bring it to get his team back into it late and he did just that. He also dished out seven assists.
Best defensive performance: East Chicago Central late
There wasn’t much defense in this one but ECC really pulled together late. With a three-point lead they continually made it hard for Bosse to get a good look at a tying shot.
Play of the Game: Jermaine Couisnard hits a free throw late
Couisnard hit a free throw late to give ECC a three point lead and force Bosse to take a three-pointer to tie. This free throw was big as Bosse couldn’t get any good looks and took away the drive, something that Lairy had been superb with all game.
Best underclassman: Shammon Williams (East Chicago Central)
Williams came into the game late and while he didn’t really make a huge impact, he went 4/4 from the line to help ECC build their lead. He also pulled down three rebounds, all of which were important.
Best under-the-radar performance: Jabril Harris (East Chicago Central)
Overshadowed by Couisnard, Harris had himself a solid game. He scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and was a tremendous complement to Couisnard in the game. Harris worked hard on both ends of the court and you could see how much of an impact he was with his motor.
Best passer: Mekhi Lairy (Bosse)
Lairy had seven assists and passed it really well. He never forced anything and was patient with the ball. He saw the open man and got it to him quickly. Lairy never forced up a shot but instead passed it off to a teammate for a better one.
Best shooter: Jaylin Chinn (Bosse)
Chinn shot the ball really well in this one going 6/7 from the floor and scoring 19 points. It was one of the better shooting performances he had and it was nice to see him not forcing anything and letting the game come to him.
Best dunk: Jermaine Couisnard (East Chicago Central)
More Couisnard. He drove down the middle of the lane in the second quarter and threw one down on two Bosse defenders. It was one of the better dunks I have seen this year.
Best takeaway: This was more of a game that proved how good Bosse really is. They stepped up their schedule and are playing top 4A teams very tough. Bosse will be very ready for a run in the tournament this year. East Chicago Central could be a really good team if players other than Couisnard do like they did in this one.