Saturday Night Daily Dive – 2/12/2022

<p>Saturday night saw some top-notch matchups across the state of Indiana including a battle of 2A #6 vs. 1A #1 that came down to the wire. We also saw a game-winning shot by one of the top 3A schools and a matchup between New Castle and Eastern Hancock who were playing for the first time in 42 years.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>New Castle 63, Eastern Hancock 50</h2> <p>This was the first time that these two schools had played since 1982 which saw Steve Alford in his sophomore season for New Castle. In this meeting though, the size of New Castle and Dawson Scott inside and the poor shooting for Eastern Hancock proved to be too much for the Royals. Scott would end with 13 points, 11 boards, and 4 assists in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="1160680" first="Gavin" last="Welch"] had an excellent game for the Trojans as well, as he led the way with 17 points, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id="1160379" first="Trey" last="Miller"] was also in double figures with 11. For Eastern Hancock, their trio of guards combined to go 0-13 from the outside. Edric Miller led with 14 points, [player_tooltip player_id="1269995" first="Landon" last="O’Neal"] added 11, and Silas Spaulding had 9 points and 9 boards. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Bloomfield 41, North Daviess 37</h2> <p>This game has been the top game in the state for two weeks in a row due to the weather postponing it last week, and it did not disappoint. Both teams got off to fairly slow starts offensively as North Daviess would lead 7-3 and 15-11 after the first quarter and halftime. However, a big third quarter by Bloomfield allowed them to take their first lead of the game and lead 25-22 after three. Bloomfield held this 3 to 5 point lead for most of the fourth quarter, and despite everything the Cougars tried to do offensively, they just couldn’t overtake the Cardinals. [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] led North Daviess with 12 in the loss. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Connersville 55, New Palestine 54</h2> <p>In a game that was back and forth all night, New Palestine was able to battle back from an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to tie the game before [player_tooltip player_id="1063975" first="Tobey" last="Billups"] hit a shot with 1.1 seconds to go to give Connersville the two-point lead. New Palestine would draw a final on the final inbounds, but they would miss the second free throw, and Connersville would hold on for a big 4A road victory. I will update this with stats from the game when they are provided.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Chesterton 82, Hammond Central 56</h2> <p>Chesterton, one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the state, became the second team to 20 wins as they improved to 20-0 with the win. This was a battle between two very underrated guards in Travis Gayson and [player_tooltip player_id="1049160" first="Jordan" last="Woods"]. Hammond Central held close early on, but the Trojans would cruise in the second half to a 26 point victory. [player_tooltip player_id="1158231" first="Justin" last="Sims"] led the way with 18 points and [player_tooltip player_id="870243" first="Travis" last="Grayson"] added 16 points and 6 assists. [player_tooltip player_id="1275807" first="Tyler" last="Parrish"] and Carson Parrish were also in double figures with 15 and 13 points. For Hammond Central, [player_tooltip player_id="1049160" first="Jordan" last="Woods"] added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Kenneth Grant knocked down 6 triples in the loss.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Terre Haute North 57, Decatur Central 55</h2> <p>After their heartbreaking loss to Bloomington North on Friday, Terre Haute North looked to bounce back with a road win against Decatur Central. North came out extremely strong, building a 39-22 halftime lead. However, the Hawks would battle back and just claw their way back into the game. In the end, the lead was too much to overcome, and the Patriots would hold on by 2. This was Decatur Central’s fifth straight game decided by one possession or overtime. Mark Hankins led the way for THN with 26 points after his 31 point performance on Friday. Decatur Central was led by Brandon Smith with 14 and Javon Tracy with 12.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Warren Central 68, Fort Wayne Northrop 53</h2> <p>Warren Central was able to go on the road to Fort Wayne and take down the Bruins in a battle of Division 1 prospects with [player_tooltip player_id="769654" first="D’Ante" last="Davis"] (Louisville) and [player_tooltip player_id="870219" first="Jalen" last="Jackson"] (UIC). Northrop was able to keep pace in the first half as Warren Central only led 35-28 at the half. However, in the 3rd quarter, the Warriors would outscore the Bruins 20-10 and extend their lead to 17 to put it away. Davis ended with around 20 points in the win, and Jackson would add 27 points, 5 boards, and 3 steals in the loss. </p>