Hall of Fame Classic – Semifinals Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Indiana made the annual pilgrimage to The Largest and Finest High School Fieldhouse in the World on Saturday for the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic. Let's quickly recap the first two games of the day and take a look ahead to the evening matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Crispus Attucks 69 Kokomo 59</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a battle of two Top 10 teams featuring two of the best front court prospects in the state the Tigers outlasted the Wildkats. Kokomo held a 44-43 advantage going into the fourth quarter, but a couple of buckets from University of Indianapolis signee [player_tooltip player_id='1275771' first='Ron' last='Rutland III'] helped pull Attucks head. Ultimately, the Tigers began the final period on a 14-1 run to take a 57-45 lead with about 2:30 left to play in the game. Kokomo would cut the margin back down to five points following a [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy'] three-point shot, but that would prove to be as close as they would come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crispus Attucks' 6'8" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1297019' first='Dezmon' last='Briscoe'] scored 14 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots despite sitting for much of the second quarter and ultimately fouling out of the game. He was excellent on both ends of the floor while battling with one of the best high school basketball players in the country. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='1297004' first='Chris' last='Hurt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1275771' first='Ron' last='Rutland III'] each led the Tigers with 16 points a piece while dishing out 5 and 4 assists respectively. Hurt had 5 steals in the game as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As for the Wildkats, Kansas signee [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. Kokomo struggled to get Bidunga the ball in the first quarter while figuring out Attucks' zone defense which featured a constant double-team of the star big man. He also battled foul trouble but still led the Wildkats in scoring. [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy'] added 12 points and 5 assists while [player_tooltip player_id='2282357' first='Karson' last='Rogers'] chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brownstown Central 56 Brownsburg 48</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When this game was selected for the Hall of Fame Classic it was supposed to be Purdue signee [player_tooltip player_id='1158245' first='Jack' last='Benter'] against future teammate Kanon Catchings. However, Catchings opted to play his senior season at Overtime Elite while Benter was kept out with a boot on his left foot from an injury sustained a couple of weeks ago. Despite the lack of star power this game still was entertaining to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Braves jumped out to a 7-0 advantage to begin the game, but that lead was relatively quickly erased by Brownsburg's own 7-0 run. However, Brownsburg did not have an answer for the 12-0 run against them to end the first half. Trailing 18-15 with a couple of minutes left to play, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1547584' first='Parker' last='Hehman'] would hit three three-point shots including one from half court at the buzzer. [player_tooltip player_id='1296999' first='Chace' last='Coomer'] connected on a triple as well to give Brownstown Central a 27-18 halftime lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brownsburg would get themselves back in the game and had it as close as three points in the final minutes, but they could never get fully over the hump. Ultimately, Class 2A #1 ranked Brownstown Central came away with the 56-48 win even without their star player. 6'6" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1297005' first='Colby' last='Hall'] stepped up to lead the way with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='1296999' first='Chace' last='Coomer'] added 15 points points while [player_tooltip player_id='1547584' first='Parker' last='Hehman'] had 11 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1293376' first='Grant' last='Porath'] scored a game-high 18 points in the loss for the Bulldogs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Evening Matchups</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Championship: Crispus Attucks (8-3) vs. Brownstown Central (9-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Consolation: Kokomo (9-3) vs. Brownsburg (6-4)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->