Ten Best: McCutcheon vs. Zionsville
From the jump, McCutcheon showed that they were going to live at the three point line and after the first three triples went in, you knew it was going to be a tough night for Zionsville. Up 30-19 at the…
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Continue ReadingFrom the jump, McCutcheon showed that they were going to live at the three point line and after the first three triples went in, you knew it was going to be a tough night for Zionsville. Up 30-19 at the half, McCutcheon was cruising but in the fourth quarter Zionsville began to make a run. They got it down to a 5-point deficit with just under two minutes to go but then McCutcheon shut it down and walked into another Sectional Championship, 61-47.
MVP: Robert Phinisee (McCutcheon)
Phinsee came into the game as the guy to determine a good chunk of the outcome and he played a stellar game. He was able to control the game and with his three-point shooting, and everyone else’s on McCutcheon, they got out to an early lead and never gave it up. He impacts so many different areas of the game that you really can’t completely shut him down.
Play of the Game: Tyler Leedy (Zionsvlle)
The play of the game came with under two minutes to go as Tyler Leedy got the ball off a steal and hit a three pointer while getting fouled. He hit the free throw as well and in one trip down, Zionsville scored 6 points to cut the lead from 11 to 5. It ended up not mattering but it changed the whole feel of the last two minutes and Zionsville had a legit shot to comeback if they could have gotten another stop.
Best Offensive Performance: Robert Phinisee (McCutcheon)
For Phinisee, his stat line is pretty normal and pretty ridiculous at the same time. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. He shot the ball really well from the field and gave McCutcheon so much on the defensive end that even if Zionsville could have hit the open shots, they would have still been playing from behind the whole game.
Best Defensive Performance: Haden Deaton (McCutcheon)
Haden Deaton dropped 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in this game. Defensively, he does a ton in the middle of the court. He was really good taking away open jumpers on closeouts and went to battle for every last rebound. Zionsville didn’t get a lot of clean looks and Deaton’s size and athletic ability really helped McCutcheon last night, as it has all year long.
Best Guy Off The Bench: Nathan Childress (Zionsville)
In a couple of years, Childress is going to be a big time player for Zionsville. On this night, he still made an impact and started the run that could have been the comeback for Zionsville. He finished with 8 points, two coming on a finish at the rim that preceded a costly McCutcheon turnover and Leedy four-point play.
Best Intangibles: Isaac Angstadt (McCutcheon)
For a guy who wasn’t getting many minutes in the beginning of the season, Angstadt really stepped up and gave more depth to McCutcheon in this game. He was physical around the rim and got tied up for rebounds a few times. He was able to impact the game without scoring a ton and that was really a big thing that McCutcheon had been missing, quality depth.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Gavin Dunbar (McCutcheon)
With Deaton, Phinisee, and Collins at the top of this team, you can easily forget about the depth and Gavin Dunbar didn’t let you forget about him last night. He hit a pair of triples early in the game to set the tone. He finished with 12 points and really stepped up when Eddy Collins had an off night. It was huge to have that third scorer in a game like this that ended up getting as close as 5 points in the final two minutes.
Best Underclassmen: Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville)
It is easy to discount Thompson because Zionsville lost but he was really good again and is going to be a nightmare down the road. He finished the game with 16 points and was shooting the ball well. His size and length, with his shiftiness, are a crazy good combination and he’s been given the reigns of this team since his first high school game. You can see how he has grown up the last two seasons and see where he could go in the next two.
Best Player College Coaches Should Track: Tyler Leedy (Zionsville)
This season, I have really liked what Leedy has turned in to. He’s a long, lanky guard with a pretty solid jumper and an active game. He’s going to have to build up on his frame but could be a guy that makes a big jump once he is in college. Really good prospect that not many are talking about.
Best Storyline Moving Forward: Next up for McCutcheon is Carmel who somehow was able to get past Hamilton Southeastern last evening and will join them at Logansport for the Regional. It was this same game last year that McCutcheon was able to get past Carmel, 56-54 in overtime on their way to the State Finals. Carmel is a completely different team but McCutcheon is pretty much the same. Will be a great game once again.