Game Report: La Lumiere 65 Crispus Attucks 52

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage of this unique Thursday night matchup at the old Broad Ripple High School between Class 3A #1 Crispus Attucks and La Lumiere. One of the top prep schools in the country, La Lumiere featured a starting five of Division I commits including five-star Notre Dame signee [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'] who played his first two seasons at Fishers High School. Despite the loss, Crispus Attucks certainly had a respectable showing especially when you consider they played without 6'9" three-star forward/center [player_tooltip player_id='1297019' first='Dezmon' last='Briscoe']. Briscoe continues to recover from an ankle injury that has kept him in a boot for a couple of weeks now. The Tigers, now 5-1 after the 65-52 loss, turn around and play Warren Central on Friday night and then Class 4A #1 Fishers, the defending state champions, at the FORUM Tipoff Classic at Southport High School on Saturday night. Coach Chris Hawkins is never afraid to pit his team against any and all competitors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the absence of Briscoe, La Lumiere's size was an issue for Attucks from the opening tip. Drives to the basket were met by bigger/stronger defenders, perimeter shots were more contested, and defensively there were early struggles with the pick-and-roll. However, senior guard Ronisone Thomas provided a first quarter spark off the bench and senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1534940' first='Kayden' last='English'] got hot for a stretch to keep the Tigers hanging around. Loyola bound [player_tooltip player_id='2277724' first='Chuck' last='Love'] III and Darmouth commit Anton Strelinikov were just too much though as La Lumiere led 24-14 after the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>IU-South Bend recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1297004' first='Chris' last='Hurt'] came out hot in the second quarter, but again the size and depth of talent on the other side was too much to overcome. [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1385285' first='Melvin' last='Bell'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2277724' first='Chuck' last='Love'] III all connected on three-point shots in the second quarter and the Lakers took a 36-25 lead into the halftime break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were periods of the second half where it looked like La Lumiere was finally going to pull away, but to Crispus Attucks' credit it never got out of hand. In fact, they had some shots late to potentially cut their deficit to single digits. Especially in the fourth quarter, UConn signee [player_tooltip player_id='1411404' first='Darius' last='Adams'] got cooking from beyond the arc while Haralson continued to dominate off of the bounce with his size in the backcourt. A fourth quarter flurry from senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297037' first='Imon' last='Cousins'] kept things interesting, but ultimately the Tigers would drop their first game of the season 65-52.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>UConn bound [player_tooltip player_id='1411404' first='Darius' last='Adams'] finished with 21 points to lead all scorers while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. Notre Dame signee [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'] added 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in front of a "hometown" crowd. [player_tooltip player_id='2277724' first='Chuck' last='Love'] III, a Loyola recruit, chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds for La Lumiere.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Crispus Attucks in the loss, [player_tooltip player_id='1534940' first='Kayden' last='English'] led the way with 13 points. [player_tooltip player_id='1297037' first='Imon' last='Cousins'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297004' first='Chris' last='Hurt'], and Ronisone Thomas all finished with 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->