Battle of Unbeatens: Lawrence North vs Homestead

<p>One of the better matchups this season took place over the weekend as Class 4A No. 2 Fort Wayne Homestead took on Class 4A No. 1 Lawrence North. Both teams came in undefeated, with Homestead coming out on top, winning 55-50 in overtime. </p> <p><strong>Homestead (16-0)</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] (SG; 2022)</p> <p>A day after posting 20 points, Loyer came back and caught fire, finishing with a game-high 27 points. His shot looked great. He hit six 3’s and looked extremely confident with each release. </p> <p>Loyer was also able to get in the paint and use his length to finish in the lane and around some of the length and athleticism around the rim for Lawrence North. </p> <p>Overall, the Purdue commit shined and continues to see his play improve as be is becoming a very good and well-rounded guard. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="529568" first="Luke" last="Goode"] (SG/SF; 2021)</p> <p>The Illinois signee struggled to get a lot of open looks and that was mainly due to the terrific defense by LN wing CJ Gunn early on.</p> <p>Gunn's defense didn't allow Goode to get into a rhythm to start and thus he did try to force the issue as the game went on. Goode was coming off of a 41-point outing in which he hit 10 3’s, but finished this game with just eight points. </p> <p>Goode, however, showed off his passing ability as he dished out six assists. He played more of the distributor and allowed Loyer to play almost strictly off of the ball. </p> <p>He also added six rebounds and played some tough defense as well. Despite not his best shooting night, he still had a very good floor game. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963221" first="Grant" last="Simmons"] (SF/PF; 2021)</p> <p>Simmons has been a terrific part of the Homestead attack, especially with his ability to be more of an inside presence. </p> <p>He was able to get the ball in the middle of the LN defense and utilize his agility to score around the rim. His passing was also an underrated part of the night, as he found a few open cutters when he was on the block. </p> <p>Simmons added 13 points and six assists on the night. </p> <p><strong>Lawrence North (14-1)</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="830575" first="DJ" last="Hughes"] (PF; 2021)</p> <p>Hughes scored a team-high 14 points for LN and was a factor in the paint once again. </p> <p>He is a terrific rebounder and he controlled the boards with his size advantage on both ends, finishing with 11 rebounds. He was utilized multiple times in the pick-and-roll either creating an open opportunity with his screen for a teammate, or finding space at the rim on the roll. </p> <p>He even showed his athleticism as he got out in transition a few times after getting his hands on a few loose balls at the top of the key.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] (SG; 2022)</p> <p>Gunn continues to improve and be more confident on the offensive end. He started the game guarding Goode and that’s really where he made his mark early. After a slow offensive start, he picked his spots later in the game to help LN stay within striking distance, eventually taking the lead. </p> <p>His confidence to take the big shot late in the game continues to show as it was another opportunity where LN needed a big play late and Gunn took on that responsibility. Overall, he finished with 13 points. He scored on two 3’s and a few midrange pull-up jumpers and was aggressive on the glass at times too which resulted in some nice put backs. </p> <p>Despite not always being showcased offensively, he still lets the game come to him and tries to impact in many ways. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="783180" first="Shamar" last="Avance"] (PG; 2021)</p> <p>The LN point guard has had a terrific season but seemed to force things at times against Homestead. </p> <p>His shot has been very much improved over the last year but it wasn’t falling in this matchup. Because of that, he over dribbled at times to try and create something. He still added 11 points and made some really nice plays off of the dribble where he utilized his quickness against the Homestead guards. </p> <p>Defensively, Avance wasn’t able to get the steals he usually does which allows him to showcase his transition skills. He was more or less limited to half court offense and contained that way. </p>