Posted: Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:18 pm | Updated: 12:07 am, Fri Apr 23, 2010.
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Posted on April 22, 2010
* padelsen
by Peter Adelsen
GREENTOWN - The Eastern Comets hitting and pitching came out big in its win over Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles 5-2 on Thursday.
Eastern sophomore Bryce Rainey pitched five innings in the win. He struck out six batters, allowed five hits and walked one batter.
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Eastern senior Michael Moreno got the Comets on the board with a homerun off of Golden Eagles sophmore pitcher Colin Shanteau to go up 1-0.
"With the homerun in the first inning, that kind of set the tone on that pitcher can be hit," Eastern coach Steve Swinson said.
The Comets added another run in the third inning when senior Tyler Harnish singled to send senior Brandon Hainlen home. Hainlen earlier reached on a single.
The Eastern defense stepped up in the fourth inning as they forced a double play off of junior Phil Pecaroro's ground ball. Sophomore Adam Hufford, the next batter, flied out to right field to end the inning.
In the fifth inning, Guerin Catholic posed its greatest threat to the Comets. Rainey walked senior Aaron Beaver, senior Tim McHugh reached on an error and sophomore Adam Neidlinger reached first base to load the bases. With the bases loaded, Rainey calmed down and struck out the next two Golden Eagles batters, junior Tony Zunica and junior Matt Pletzke, to end the inning and the threat.
In the bottom half of the fifth inning, the Comets got more breathing room as senior Lee Beachy RBI singled to send Moreno home, who earlier got a base hit, to increase the Comet lead to 3-0.
The Comets added two more runs in the sixth inning with RBIs from Hainlen and Harnish sending home senior Ian Beachy and Hainlen, respectively, to go up 5-0.
In the top of the seventh, Guerin Catholic made another attempt at threatening the Comets. Golden Eagles Neidlinger scored from third base on sophomore relief pitcher Kile Nolder's wild pitch and later junior Tony Zunica singled to bring home senior Tim McHugh, but this threat was over when Nolder struck out Pletzke. Guerin Catholic scored two runs, but it was not enough as the Comets won 5-2.
"I can't say enough about our pitching," Swinson said. "Our pitching has been just outstanding all week long and again tonight with Bryce Rainey starting throwing 5 innings and Kile Nolder throwing the last two, just tremendous."
Eastern (6-2) next plays at home against Tri-Central at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Guerin Catholic (5-6) next plays at the Heritage Christian Invite on Saturday.
Scores by inning:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Guerin Catholic 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 8 0
Eastern 1 0 1 0 1 2 X 5 12 1
Hitting statistics:
Guerin Catholic-
9. McHugh 0/4 (R)
3. Neidlinger 4/4 (R)
23. Zunica 2/4 (RBI)
>10. Haas 0/0
22. Pletzke 0/4
7. Shanteau 0/1 (HBP)
>17. Fettig 0/0 (BB)
12. Pecaroro 0/3
21. Hufford 1/3
45. Beaver 0/1 (BB)
>5. Highsmith 0/1
2. Kennedy 1/3
Eastern-
7. Hainlen 3/4 (RBI, 2R)
21. Horner 0/3 (BB)
17. Moreno 2/3 (HR, R, BB)
16. Harnish 2/4 (2B, 2 RBI)
24. Nolder 1/3
>2. Myers 0/1
19. Keith 0/3
6. Lee Beachy 1/3 (RBI)
5. Ian Beachy 3/3 (R, SB)
13. Courter 0/3
Showing posts with label Eastern High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastern High School. Show all posts
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Comets aim to improve
Posted: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:49 pm
by Peter Adelsen
The Eastern Comets (18-9, 4-3 MIC in 2009) are coming into the 2010 baseball season as preseason ranked number 5 in class 2A, but is still a work in progress.
"Our outlook is to try to take each game one at a time and try to be successful in as many as we can," coach Steve Swinson said.
For the past three to four years, Swinson said, the team has been a work in progress to try to build depth and improve the program.
"We're starting to get kids to where they can play multiple positions and that has helped us in situations where we need to change pitchers and move pitchers around," he said. "Pitching has gotten much better and our defense has really improved also. The hitting part early in the season is a work in progress also and I hope that we'll get better at that as the year goes on."
Coming into this season, Swinson says the team has become more baseball savvy since last year's season.
"They are understanding situational baseball a little bit more this year," he said.
This year's team is returning six starters with seven seniors returning to the line-up, he said. With the returnees, this is bringing leadership early in the season, he said.
As for the Mid-Indiana Conference, the Comets, as well as other smaller schools, may be chasing the larger schools in the conference in the standings, but Swinson sees each game as a test for his team.
"I think the 2A schools are chasing the bigger schools in the conference," he said. "(The smaller schools) are pretty good too. It's a good gauge for us small schools to see where we're at and it's a good challenge for us. Western, Northwestern and (Hamilton) Heights are predominantly pretty good every year. We try to gauge where we're at with what we do against them year to year."
Eastern has already faced a challenging start to its season in its opening game 6-0 loss to 4A's number 4 ranked Kokomo Wildkats on March 30.
"Being as ranked as high as (Kokomo) is a pretty good opponent to start the season with," he said. "I thought we played really well against them."
With a tough schedule, this may help the Comets later on in the season.
"Our goal is to play a week or two longer than we did last year," he said. "We finished up at 18-9 and we want to improve on that record and play a little longer in the season."
by Peter Adelsen
The Eastern Comets (18-9, 4-3 MIC in 2009) are coming into the 2010 baseball season as preseason ranked number 5 in class 2A, but is still a work in progress.
"Our outlook is to try to take each game one at a time and try to be successful in as many as we can," coach Steve Swinson said.
For the past three to four years, Swinson said, the team has been a work in progress to try to build depth and improve the program.
"We're starting to get kids to where they can play multiple positions and that has helped us in situations where we need to change pitchers and move pitchers around," he said. "Pitching has gotten much better and our defense has really improved also. The hitting part early in the season is a work in progress also and I hope that we'll get better at that as the year goes on."
Coming into this season, Swinson says the team has become more baseball savvy since last year's season.
"They are understanding situational baseball a little bit more this year," he said.
This year's team is returning six starters with seven seniors returning to the line-up, he said. With the returnees, this is bringing leadership early in the season, he said.
As for the Mid-Indiana Conference, the Comets, as well as other smaller schools, may be chasing the larger schools in the conference in the standings, but Swinson sees each game as a test for his team.
"I think the 2A schools are chasing the bigger schools in the conference," he said. "(The smaller schools) are pretty good too. It's a good gauge for us small schools to see where we're at and it's a good challenge for us. Western, Northwestern and (Hamilton) Heights are predominantly pretty good every year. We try to gauge where we're at with what we do against them year to year."
Eastern has already faced a challenging start to its season in its opening game 6-0 loss to 4A's number 4 ranked Kokomo Wildkats on March 30.
"Being as ranked as high as (Kokomo) is a pretty good opponent to start the season with," he said. "I thought we played really well against them."
With a tough schedule, this may help the Comets later on in the season.
"Our goal is to play a week or two longer than we did last year," he said. "We finished up at 18-9 and we want to improve on that record and play a little longer in the season."
Northwestern scratches out victory over Eastern
Posted: Saturday, February 20, 2010 1:00 am | Updated: 1:13 am, Sat Feb 20, 2010.
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
After getting an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter on senior night, the Northwestern Tigers had to scrap in the final seconds to get a victory over the Eastern Comets Friday at Northwestern High School, 54-53.
Northwestern senior Aaron Snoddy scored the first points of the Howard County Tournament rematch and Tigers led the game until Eastern senior Joby Renbarger's gave the Comets a 30-29 lead at 4:22 to go in the third quarter. The lead was short lived as the Tigers scored seven consecutive points to increase its lead to 36-30.
The run ended on Eastern junior Blake Donson's made lay-up off an offensive rebound and made foul shot with 1:35 to go in the third quarter. The Tigers responded with a three-pointer from sophomore Tanner Thomas to close the quarter with a 39-33 lead.
The Tigers opened the fourth quarter on a 6-1 run on two made three-pointers by Thomas and junior Bryan Beachy to give them a 45-34 lead at 6:47 to go in the game. From here, the Comets went on a 16-5 run for the next four minutes to tie the game at 50-50 with a Renbarger field goal at 2:39 to go.
This run may have been déjà vu for the Tigers as they lost a 12-point fourth-quarter lead Wednesday on the way to losing the game, 59-50, but the Tigers did their best to persevere Friday.
"We had that same type of game against Hamilton Heights the other night," Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. "In the third quarter, we were really strong with the basketball and strong mentally and going into the fourth quarter we still have things that we need to work on."
After Northwestern senior Brayden Merrell split at the foul line, the Comets took a 52-51 lead with 2:01 remaining on junior Wes Horner's drive to the hoop, but he could not convert the foul shot.
With 47 seconds to go, Eastern's Horner forced a Northwestern turnover, but as soon as that happened Northwestern sophomore Kylan Dubbels stole the ball back and drove to the basket where he was fouled. Dubbels made both foul shots to give the Tigers a 53-52 lead with 34.4 seconds remaining. The Tigers added another free throw from Merrell with 10.3 seconds to go.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, the Comets appeared to be finished until Renbarger was fouled on the baseline with 1.1 seconds remaining. He had an opportunity to tie the game by making both free throws. Northwestern called a time-out to ice Renbarger, but he made the first foul shot. Northwestern called another time-out and on the second-foul shot Renbarger's shot bounced off the rim and Donson tried to put in the rebound, but it was no good.
"I really praise our kids for battling back down 11 points with 6 minutes to go," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "I got to hand it to the kids for pursuing that. Mixing up the defense bothered Northwestern a little bit and I think that's what got the momentum change for us late in the game. "
The Tigers still clawed their way and used the crowd to their advantage late in the game.
"The thing I enjoyed the most is that we switched into three different defenses in about the last 2:14 of the game," Gish said. "In each of those three defenses, the kids followed the rules and game plan put in to place by each defense to a ‘T.' If you are going to do what you are supposed to do, you usually get descent results."
Renbarger's 15 points led Eastern and sophomore Joey Price joined him with 11 points in double-figures.
Treadway's 19 points led Northwestern. Merrell joined him in double-figures with 10 points.
Eastern (9-8, 2-5 MIC) next takes the court at Elwood 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Northwestern's (11-7, 3-4 MIC) next opponent is at 2A no. 4 Tipton 7:30 p.m. Saturday; its fourth game in 10 days.
"We're looking it as an opportunity," Gish said. "Let's pretend like it's the sectional championship. We know Tipton is a really good team and we are going in as the underdog."
On Northwestern senior night, Gish was proud of his four seniors, Brayden Merrell, Raymond Schaaf, Aaron Snoddy and Jared Treadway.
"These four young men are very good basketball players, but they are better people," he said. "They have done such a marvelous job this whole year portraying themselves and the team and Northwestern community in such a positive light. They do things the right way on and off the court."
Scores by quarter:
Eastern 11 13 9 20 =53
Northwestern 16 11 12 15 =54
Other games Friday:
Kokomo 61 (14-5, 6-1 NCC)
Richmond 46 (13-7, 1-6 NCC)
Western 62 (12-6, 5-2 MIC)
Lewis Cass 43 (7-12, 1-6 MIC)
Carroll 40 (9-9, 3-0 HHC)
#16-2A Taylor 55 (12-7, 4-3 MIC)
Maconaquah 52 (7-11, 2-5 MIC)
Hamilton Heights 49 (12-6, 4-2 MIC)
Rochester 52 (12-6, 4-3 TRC)
#2-3A Peru 56 (17-1, 6-0 MIC)
#4-2A Tipton 65 (14-3, 6-0 Hoosier)
Frankfort 55 (8-11, 2-3 Sagamore)
Clinton Prairie 68 (4-14, 1-3 HHC)
Tri-Central 77 (8-10, 3-2 HHC)
Saturday games:
Clinton Central (1-16, 0-5 HHC) at Western (12-6, 5-2 MIC), 7:30
Eastern (9-8, 2-5 MIC) at Elwood (3-16), 7:30
Northwestern (11-7, 3-4 MIC) at #4-2A Tipton (14-3, 6-0 Hoosier), 7:30
Hamilton Heights (12-6, 4-2 MIC) at Madison-Grant (11-5, 5-1 CIC), 7:30
Monday game:
Tri-Central at Maconaquah, 7:30
Tuesday games:
Northwestern at Oak Hill, 7:30
Wabash at Eastern, 7:30
Lewis Cass at #4-2A Tipton, 7:30
#2-3A Peru at North Miami, 7:30
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
After getting an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter on senior night, the Northwestern Tigers had to scrap in the final seconds to get a victory over the Eastern Comets Friday at Northwestern High School, 54-53.
Northwestern senior Aaron Snoddy scored the first points of the Howard County Tournament rematch and Tigers led the game until Eastern senior Joby Renbarger's gave the Comets a 30-29 lead at 4:22 to go in the third quarter. The lead was short lived as the Tigers scored seven consecutive points to increase its lead to 36-30.
The run ended on Eastern junior Blake Donson's made lay-up off an offensive rebound and made foul shot with 1:35 to go in the third quarter. The Tigers responded with a three-pointer from sophomore Tanner Thomas to close the quarter with a 39-33 lead.
The Tigers opened the fourth quarter on a 6-1 run on two made three-pointers by Thomas and junior Bryan Beachy to give them a 45-34 lead at 6:47 to go in the game. From here, the Comets went on a 16-5 run for the next four minutes to tie the game at 50-50 with a Renbarger field goal at 2:39 to go.
This run may have been déjà vu for the Tigers as they lost a 12-point fourth-quarter lead Wednesday on the way to losing the game, 59-50, but the Tigers did their best to persevere Friday.
"We had that same type of game against Hamilton Heights the other night," Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. "In the third quarter, we were really strong with the basketball and strong mentally and going into the fourth quarter we still have things that we need to work on."
After Northwestern senior Brayden Merrell split at the foul line, the Comets took a 52-51 lead with 2:01 remaining on junior Wes Horner's drive to the hoop, but he could not convert the foul shot.
With 47 seconds to go, Eastern's Horner forced a Northwestern turnover, but as soon as that happened Northwestern sophomore Kylan Dubbels stole the ball back and drove to the basket where he was fouled. Dubbels made both foul shots to give the Tigers a 53-52 lead with 34.4 seconds remaining. The Tigers added another free throw from Merrell with 10.3 seconds to go.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, the Comets appeared to be finished until Renbarger was fouled on the baseline with 1.1 seconds remaining. He had an opportunity to tie the game by making both free throws. Northwestern called a time-out to ice Renbarger, but he made the first foul shot. Northwestern called another time-out and on the second-foul shot Renbarger's shot bounced off the rim and Donson tried to put in the rebound, but it was no good.
"I really praise our kids for battling back down 11 points with 6 minutes to go," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "I got to hand it to the kids for pursuing that. Mixing up the defense bothered Northwestern a little bit and I think that's what got the momentum change for us late in the game. "
The Tigers still clawed their way and used the crowd to their advantage late in the game.
"The thing I enjoyed the most is that we switched into three different defenses in about the last 2:14 of the game," Gish said. "In each of those three defenses, the kids followed the rules and game plan put in to place by each defense to a ‘T.' If you are going to do what you are supposed to do, you usually get descent results."
Renbarger's 15 points led Eastern and sophomore Joey Price joined him with 11 points in double-figures.
Treadway's 19 points led Northwestern. Merrell joined him in double-figures with 10 points.
Eastern (9-8, 2-5 MIC) next takes the court at Elwood 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Northwestern's (11-7, 3-4 MIC) next opponent is at 2A no. 4 Tipton 7:30 p.m. Saturday; its fourth game in 10 days.
"We're looking it as an opportunity," Gish said. "Let's pretend like it's the sectional championship. We know Tipton is a really good team and we are going in as the underdog."
On Northwestern senior night, Gish was proud of his four seniors, Brayden Merrell, Raymond Schaaf, Aaron Snoddy and Jared Treadway.
"These four young men are very good basketball players, but they are better people," he said. "They have done such a marvelous job this whole year portraying themselves and the team and Northwestern community in such a positive light. They do things the right way on and off the court."
Scores by quarter:
Eastern 11 13 9 20 =53
Northwestern 16 11 12 15 =54
Other games Friday:
Kokomo 61 (14-5, 6-1 NCC)
Richmond 46 (13-7, 1-6 NCC)
Western 62 (12-6, 5-2 MIC)
Lewis Cass 43 (7-12, 1-6 MIC)
Carroll 40 (9-9, 3-0 HHC)
#16-2A Taylor 55 (12-7, 4-3 MIC)
Maconaquah 52 (7-11, 2-5 MIC)
Hamilton Heights 49 (12-6, 4-2 MIC)
Rochester 52 (12-6, 4-3 TRC)
#2-3A Peru 56 (17-1, 6-0 MIC)
#4-2A Tipton 65 (14-3, 6-0 Hoosier)
Frankfort 55 (8-11, 2-3 Sagamore)
Clinton Prairie 68 (4-14, 1-3 HHC)
Tri-Central 77 (8-10, 3-2 HHC)
Saturday games:
Clinton Central (1-16, 0-5 HHC) at Western (12-6, 5-2 MIC), 7:30
Eastern (9-8, 2-5 MIC) at Elwood (3-16), 7:30
Northwestern (11-7, 3-4 MIC) at #4-2A Tipton (14-3, 6-0 Hoosier), 7:30
Hamilton Heights (12-6, 4-2 MIC) at Madison-Grant (11-5, 5-1 CIC), 7:30
Monday game:
Tri-Central at Maconaquah, 7:30
Tuesday games:
Northwestern at Oak Hill, 7:30
Wabash at Eastern, 7:30
Lewis Cass at #4-2A Tipton, 7:30
#2-3A Peru at North Miami, 7:30
Comets, Tigers meet Friday in county tournament rematch
Posted: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:44 pm
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
After losing to the Eastern Comets in the opening game of the Howard County Tournament 60-55, the Northwestern Tigers are looking to even up the season series 7:30 p.m. Friday at Northwestern High School.
"We felt like the last time we played Eastern that it was a pretty even matched-up game," Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. We had a really poor second quarter and took some really poor shots that allowed Eastern to outscore us 20 to 8 in that quarter, a quarter on which we shot 18 percent. We're going to come into the game looking to take good shots, taking care of the basketball and rebounding well."
The Tigers (10-7) and Comets (9-7) are battling in the middle of the pack of the Mid-Indiana Conference with a 2-4 record.
"We're really pleased with the way we're playing right now," Gish said. "We're going into a stretch of games here where we're playing almost 25 percent of our season in about six days. Our schedule is not really light with Peru, Hamilton Heights, Eastern and then turn back around with Tipton. We've got a really tough stretch of games here."
Northwestern, like Eastern, have had many games postponed because of snow and because of that they are each playing an NBA-like schedule until the sectional round begins.
"We feel like we have enough (practice) to go into a game, but it really cuts down in preparation time that you can prepare the kids on what the opponent is going to be doing," Gish said.
The Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Hamilton Heights Huskies (12-5, 4-1 MIC) Wednesday where they led by 10 points going into the fourth quarter. The Huskies came back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run to beat the Tigers 60-56.
The Comets are coming off a 58-52 loss to the Lewis Cass Kings on Feb. 11, where the Kings won its first conference game of the season after starting 0-5.
In the last meeting of the two teams, Eastern senior Joby Renbarger led his team with 14 points and seven rebounds. Also in double-figures scoring were juniors Wes Horner and Blake Donson who scored 13 and 10, respectively.
Senior Jared Treadway's 18 points and nine rebounds led the Tigers. Sophomore Kylan Dubbels added 13 points and senior Brayden Merrell scored 12.
Other games Friday:
Kokomo (13-5, 5-1 NCC) at Richmond (13-6, 1-5 NCC), 7:30
Western (11-6, 4-2 MIC) at Lewis Cass (7-11, 1-5 MIC), 7:30
Carroll (9-8, 3-0 HHC) at #16-2A Taylor (11-7, 4-3 MIC), 7:30
Maconaquah (6-11, 1-5 MIC) at Hamilton Heights (12-5, 4-1 MIC), 7:30
Rochester (12-5, 4-3 TRC) at #2-3A Peru (16-1, 6-0 MIC), 7:30
#4-2A Tipton (13-3, 6-0 Hoosier) at Frankfort (8-10, 2-3 Sagamore), 7:30
Clinton Prairie (4-13, 1-2 HHC) at Tri-Central (7-10, 2-2 HHC), 8:00
Saturday games:
Clinton Central (1-16, 0-5 HHC) at Western (11-6, 4-2 MIC), 7:30
Eastern (9-7, 2-4 MIC) at Elwood (3-15, 1-5 CIC), 7:30
Northwestern (10-7, 2-4 MIC) at #4-2A Tipton (13-3, 6-0 Hoosier), 7:30
Hamilton Heights (12-5, 4-1 MIC) at Madison-Grant (11-5, 5-1 CIC), 7:30
Monday game:
Tri-Central at Maconaquah, 7:30
Tuesday games:
Northwestern at Oak Hill, 7:30
Wabash at Eastern, 7:30
Lewis Cass at #4-2A Tipton, 7:30
#2-3A Peru at North Miami, 7:30
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
After losing to the Eastern Comets in the opening game of the Howard County Tournament 60-55, the Northwestern Tigers are looking to even up the season series 7:30 p.m. Friday at Northwestern High School.
"We felt like the last time we played Eastern that it was a pretty even matched-up game," Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. We had a really poor second quarter and took some really poor shots that allowed Eastern to outscore us 20 to 8 in that quarter, a quarter on which we shot 18 percent. We're going to come into the game looking to take good shots, taking care of the basketball and rebounding well."
The Tigers (10-7) and Comets (9-7) are battling in the middle of the pack of the Mid-Indiana Conference with a 2-4 record.
"We're really pleased with the way we're playing right now," Gish said. "We're going into a stretch of games here where we're playing almost 25 percent of our season in about six days. Our schedule is not really light with Peru, Hamilton Heights, Eastern and then turn back around with Tipton. We've got a really tough stretch of games here."
Northwestern, like Eastern, have had many games postponed because of snow and because of that they are each playing an NBA-like schedule until the sectional round begins.
"We feel like we have enough (practice) to go into a game, but it really cuts down in preparation time that you can prepare the kids on what the opponent is going to be doing," Gish said.
The Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Hamilton Heights Huskies (12-5, 4-1 MIC) Wednesday where they led by 10 points going into the fourth quarter. The Huskies came back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run to beat the Tigers 60-56.
The Comets are coming off a 58-52 loss to the Lewis Cass Kings on Feb. 11, where the Kings won its first conference game of the season after starting 0-5.
In the last meeting of the two teams, Eastern senior Joby Renbarger led his team with 14 points and seven rebounds. Also in double-figures scoring were juniors Wes Horner and Blake Donson who scored 13 and 10, respectively.
Senior Jared Treadway's 18 points and nine rebounds led the Tigers. Sophomore Kylan Dubbels added 13 points and senior Brayden Merrell scored 12.
Other games Friday:
Kokomo (13-5, 5-1 NCC) at Richmond (13-6, 1-5 NCC), 7:30
Western (11-6, 4-2 MIC) at Lewis Cass (7-11, 1-5 MIC), 7:30
Carroll (9-8, 3-0 HHC) at #16-2A Taylor (11-7, 4-3 MIC), 7:30
Maconaquah (6-11, 1-5 MIC) at Hamilton Heights (12-5, 4-1 MIC), 7:30
Rochester (12-5, 4-3 TRC) at #2-3A Peru (16-1, 6-0 MIC), 7:30
#4-2A Tipton (13-3, 6-0 Hoosier) at Frankfort (8-10, 2-3 Sagamore), 7:30
Clinton Prairie (4-13, 1-2 HHC) at Tri-Central (7-10, 2-2 HHC), 8:00
Saturday games:
Clinton Central (1-16, 0-5 HHC) at Western (11-6, 4-2 MIC), 7:30
Eastern (9-7, 2-4 MIC) at Elwood (3-15, 1-5 CIC), 7:30
Northwestern (10-7, 2-4 MIC) at #4-2A Tipton (13-3, 6-0 Hoosier), 7:30
Hamilton Heights (12-5, 4-1 MIC) at Madison-Grant (11-5, 5-1 CIC), 7:30
Monday game:
Tri-Central at Maconaquah, 7:30
Tuesday games:
Northwestern at Oak Hill, 7:30
Wabash at Eastern, 7:30
Lewis Cass at #4-2A Tipton, 7:30
#2-3A Peru at North Miami, 7:30
Titans down Comets in county championship
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 12:10 am | Updated: 12:22 am, Sun Jan 17, 2010.
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
For the first time since the 2000 season, the Taylor High School Titans are Howard County Tournament Champions.
The Titans defeated the Eastern High School Comets on their home court Saturday 72-59.
It has been a tournament dominated by Northwestern and Western high schools for the past decade, but neither of those teams made it to the championship. They battled each other in the consolation game with Western winning 70-59.
In the championship game, the Comets jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Titans in the first quarter. Before the Titans could score their first points senior Reomey Northington, the Titans' leading scorer on the season, had to be taken out of the game after the air was knocked out of him with 6:14 to go in the quarter. Luckily for the Titans he returned with 5 minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Comets led 6-5 when Northington returned. From that point on, he scored 8 of the Titans last 11 points including a three-pointer at the end of the quarter. The Titans led after one quarter, 16-10.
The Titans added to their lead with a 10-3 run to begin the second quarter with a 26-15 lead. Eastern junior Wes Horner ended the run with a three-point basket with 4:38 to go in the quarter. The Titans later got an 11-point lead with 1:40 to go after two made free throws from junior Tyler Simmons. The Comets responded to end the quarter on a 6-2 run to bring the score to 33-26 Taylor lead at halftime.
The Comets made another push in the third quarter to cut the Titans' lead to three points with 6:08 to go after senior Brandon Hainlen made two foul shots. This was the closest the Comets would get. The Titans closed the third quarter strong to increase their lead to 55-41, including a shot from senior Drake Herr at the quarter buzzer.
There was no scoring in the fourth quarter for nearly two minutes until Eastern's senior Joby Renbarger made two free throws with 6:15 to go in the game to cut Taylor's lead to 55-43. However, this would end up to be the second-highest scoring quarter in combined scoring with Eastern scoring 18 and Taylor scoring 17 for 35 points. Of those points, 17 were from the foul line. Eastern made five of nine and Taylor made 12 of 16. The Titans went on to defeat the Comets 72-59.
"Our kids have done a nice job for the last four games," Taylor coach Jeff Fisher said. "I really thought we were set to win this and I told (the team) that. We played well at Hamilton Heights and Mississinewa and then again last night against Western."
The Titans had four players in double-figures scoring and were led by Northington's 22 points. The other players in double figures were Herr with 13, junior Tyler Simmons with 12 and senior Seth Vautaw with 10 points.
The Comets had two players in double-figures scoring and were led by Renbarger's 18. Sophomore Joey Price scored 17 points.
"We got to hand it to Taylor in terms of winning the county championship," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "I thought they really took us out of some things that we tried to do and I think especially defensively they did a good job. They need to be congratulated on a good tournament win."
Taylor (7-4) next takes the court at home against Mid-Indiana Conference rival and third-ranked Peru Tigers (12-1) in Class 3A on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (6-4) hosts conference foe Hamilton Heights (9-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Scores by quarter:
Eastern 10 16 15 18 =59
Taylor 16 17 22 17 =72
Western (7-5) and Northwestern (5-5) host conference foes as well on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Western hosts Maconaquah (4-6) and Northwestern hosts Lewis Cass (2-8).
Other scores from Saturday:
(4A-9)Carmel 56, (4A-16)Kokomo 45
Hamilton Heights 65, Western Boone 58
Logansport 68, Lewis Cass 61
(2A-3)Tipton 87, Twin Lakes 68
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
For the first time since the 2000 season, the Taylor High School Titans are Howard County Tournament Champions.
The Titans defeated the Eastern High School Comets on their home court Saturday 72-59.
It has been a tournament dominated by Northwestern and Western high schools for the past decade, but neither of those teams made it to the championship. They battled each other in the consolation game with Western winning 70-59.
In the championship game, the Comets jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Titans in the first quarter. Before the Titans could score their first points senior Reomey Northington, the Titans' leading scorer on the season, had to be taken out of the game after the air was knocked out of him with 6:14 to go in the quarter. Luckily for the Titans he returned with 5 minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Comets led 6-5 when Northington returned. From that point on, he scored 8 of the Titans last 11 points including a three-pointer at the end of the quarter. The Titans led after one quarter, 16-10.
The Titans added to their lead with a 10-3 run to begin the second quarter with a 26-15 lead. Eastern junior Wes Horner ended the run with a three-point basket with 4:38 to go in the quarter. The Titans later got an 11-point lead with 1:40 to go after two made free throws from junior Tyler Simmons. The Comets responded to end the quarter on a 6-2 run to bring the score to 33-26 Taylor lead at halftime.
The Comets made another push in the third quarter to cut the Titans' lead to three points with 6:08 to go after senior Brandon Hainlen made two foul shots. This was the closest the Comets would get. The Titans closed the third quarter strong to increase their lead to 55-41, including a shot from senior Drake Herr at the quarter buzzer.
There was no scoring in the fourth quarter for nearly two minutes until Eastern's senior Joby Renbarger made two free throws with 6:15 to go in the game to cut Taylor's lead to 55-43. However, this would end up to be the second-highest scoring quarter in combined scoring with Eastern scoring 18 and Taylor scoring 17 for 35 points. Of those points, 17 were from the foul line. Eastern made five of nine and Taylor made 12 of 16. The Titans went on to defeat the Comets 72-59.
"Our kids have done a nice job for the last four games," Taylor coach Jeff Fisher said. "I really thought we were set to win this and I told (the team) that. We played well at Hamilton Heights and Mississinewa and then again last night against Western."
The Titans had four players in double-figures scoring and were led by Northington's 22 points. The other players in double figures were Herr with 13, junior Tyler Simmons with 12 and senior Seth Vautaw with 10 points.
The Comets had two players in double-figures scoring and were led by Renbarger's 18. Sophomore Joey Price scored 17 points.
"We got to hand it to Taylor in terms of winning the county championship," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "I thought they really took us out of some things that we tried to do and I think especially defensively they did a good job. They need to be congratulated on a good tournament win."
Taylor (7-4) next takes the court at home against Mid-Indiana Conference rival and third-ranked Peru Tigers (12-1) in Class 3A on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (6-4) hosts conference foe Hamilton Heights (9-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Scores by quarter:
Eastern 10 16 15 18 =59
Taylor 16 17 22 17 =72
Western (7-5) and Northwestern (5-5) host conference foes as well on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Western hosts Maconaquah (4-6) and Northwestern hosts Lewis Cass (2-8).
Other scores from Saturday:
(4A-9)Carmel 56, (4A-16)Kokomo 45
Hamilton Heights 65, Western Boone 58
Logansport 68, Lewis Cass 61
(2A-3)Tipton 87, Twin Lakes 68
County foes prepare to square off in annual tournament this weekend
Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 5:30 pm | Updated: 4:14 pm, Thu Jan 14, 2010.
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
This may be one of the most balanced Howard County Tournaments in a long time.
The four Howard County schools are separated by only one game from top to bottom in the standings as they prepare to meet at Taylor High School on Friday and Saturday.
“This is about as balanced as it’s been in a long time,” Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. “Who ever wins will have to put their best two nights together and it could come down to which team is hot at that time.”
The defending champion Northwestern High School Tigers (5-3) have found its stride with four consecutive wins after a 1-3 start.
“We went into Christmas break knowing that there was a long season ahead of us,” Gish said. “We had times when we lost our focus to where we wanted to be, but I felt we were really coming together offensively and defensively.”
The Tigers are 0-2 in county play with losses against Western (72-55) and Taylor (55-53). The game against Taylor came down to the final shot as Taylor’s Reomey Northington hit a game-wining basket with a second remaining.
The Western High School Panthers (6-4) are coming off a tough weekend against the Logansport High School Berries and the West Lafayette Red Devils. The Panthers lost to the now 9-1 Berries 80-61 and defeated the now 4-5 Red Devils 54-44.
So far on the season, the Panthers have been unbeaten against its county foes with wins against Northwestern High School (72-55) and Eastern High School (61-55). It has yet to play Taylor.
“What I like about our team is that we are pretty balanced,” Western coach Andy Weaver said. “An opponent cannot key on one or two of our players.”
The Panthers are averaging three players in double-figures scoring. They are Jamal Johnson, Drew Larrick and Matt Reida.
The Eastern High School Comets (5-3) are on a three-game winning streak with wins over Clinton Central High School, conference rival Maconaquah High School and Carroll High School. For the past two games, the Comets pull out the wins in overtime.
The Comets have only played Western in county play losing to them 61-55 early in the season.
The hosts Taylor High School Titans (5-4) are coming into the tournament on a two-game losing streak against with tough losses to conference rival Hamilton Heights High School and Mississinewa High School.
The Titans are 1-0 in county play with a win over Northwestern (55-53) on December 11.
With how evenly matched the teams are it will be a tough tournament.
“Four teams with a winning record and nobody is undefeated,” Weaver said. “It makes it wide open.”
In game one of the tournament, Western plays Taylor at 6 p.m. Friday. Following that game at approximately 7:30 p.m., Eastern plays Northwestern.
On Saturday, the losers of Friday’s games meet at 6 p.m. for the consolation game. Following that game will be the championship between the two winners from Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Other games Friday (7:30 p.m. starts, unless otherwise noted):
New Castle at Kokomo, 6:30 p.m.
Peru at Maconaquah
Lapel at Hamilton Heights
Pioneer at Lewis Cass
Other games Saturday (7:30 p.m. starts, unless otherwise noted):
Carmel at Kokomo, 4:30 p.m.
Hamilton Heights at Western Boone
Logansport at Lewis Cass
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
This may be one of the most balanced Howard County Tournaments in a long time.
The four Howard County schools are separated by only one game from top to bottom in the standings as they prepare to meet at Taylor High School on Friday and Saturday.
“This is about as balanced as it’s been in a long time,” Northwestern coach Jim Gish said. “Who ever wins will have to put their best two nights together and it could come down to which team is hot at that time.”
The defending champion Northwestern High School Tigers (5-3) have found its stride with four consecutive wins after a 1-3 start.
“We went into Christmas break knowing that there was a long season ahead of us,” Gish said. “We had times when we lost our focus to where we wanted to be, but I felt we were really coming together offensively and defensively.”
The Tigers are 0-2 in county play with losses against Western (72-55) and Taylor (55-53). The game against Taylor came down to the final shot as Taylor’s Reomey Northington hit a game-wining basket with a second remaining.
The Western High School Panthers (6-4) are coming off a tough weekend against the Logansport High School Berries and the West Lafayette Red Devils. The Panthers lost to the now 9-1 Berries 80-61 and defeated the now 4-5 Red Devils 54-44.
So far on the season, the Panthers have been unbeaten against its county foes with wins against Northwestern High School (72-55) and Eastern High School (61-55). It has yet to play Taylor.
“What I like about our team is that we are pretty balanced,” Western coach Andy Weaver said. “An opponent cannot key on one or two of our players.”
The Panthers are averaging three players in double-figures scoring. They are Jamal Johnson, Drew Larrick and Matt Reida.
The Eastern High School Comets (5-3) are on a three-game winning streak with wins over Clinton Central High School, conference rival Maconaquah High School and Carroll High School. For the past two games, the Comets pull out the wins in overtime.
The Comets have only played Western in county play losing to them 61-55 early in the season.
The hosts Taylor High School Titans (5-4) are coming into the tournament on a two-game losing streak against with tough losses to conference rival Hamilton Heights High School and Mississinewa High School.
The Titans are 1-0 in county play with a win over Northwestern (55-53) on December 11.
With how evenly matched the teams are it will be a tough tournament.
“Four teams with a winning record and nobody is undefeated,” Weaver said. “It makes it wide open.”
In game one of the tournament, Western plays Taylor at 6 p.m. Friday. Following that game at approximately 7:30 p.m., Eastern plays Northwestern.
On Saturday, the losers of Friday’s games meet at 6 p.m. for the consolation game. Following that game will be the championship between the two winners from Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Other games Friday (7:30 p.m. starts, unless otherwise noted):
New Castle at Kokomo, 6:30 p.m.
Peru at Maconaquah
Lapel at Hamilton Heights
Pioneer at Lewis Cass
Other games Saturday (7:30 p.m. starts, unless otherwise noted):
Carmel at Kokomo, 4:30 p.m.
Hamilton Heights at Western Boone
Logansport at Lewis Cass
Comets outlast Braves in overtime thriller
Posted: Saturday, January 9, 2010 1:45 am | Updated: 1:51 am, Sat Jan 9, 2010.
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
GREENTOWN -- With 58.8 seconds remaining in regulation, the Eastern High School Comets had its largest lead of 7 points against Mid-Indiana Conference rival Maconaquah High School. Then the Braves found a way to tie the game for the 11th time with a basket from senior guard Curtis Hyde at the buzzer.
"I saw a few heads hanging down there for a moment after they hit the two to tie it," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "We kept our heads up when we needed to (in overtime)."
In the recent games with each other they had been close and this game was no different. Throughout the game there were 11 ties and 17 lead changes. It was not until the fourth quarter until a team could get more than a six-point lead.
The Comets and Braves ran contrasting styles of offense. The Comets focused on using its centers, senior Joby Renbarger and sophomore Joey Price, and the Braves ran their offense through their guards, seniors Nick George and Curtis Hyde.
The first quarter featured four ties and two lead changes as Eastern struck first to go up 2-0 on a Renbarger field goal. In the quarter, six Braves scored led by Hyde's four points. Eastern had five players score in the quarter and were led by senior Brandon Hainlen and Price with four points each. After the first quarter the game was tied at 15-15.
The Braves took the lead first in the second quarter, but it was short-lived as the Comets went on an 8-0 run, all scored by Price. It was not until 5:19 to go in the quarter until the Braves stopped the run with two free throws from junior guard Devin Shaffer. Even with the run, the Braves began chipping at the lead to again tie the game at halftime, 26-26.
The third quarter featured six lead changes and two ties as neither team could get a lead by more than three points. The Braves got that lead with 3:01 remaining in the quarter after junior forward David Carter scored on a free throw to go up 36-33. But like the previous quarters, this ended in a tie as well after Eastern junior Dylan Buck made a three-pointer after the Braves added another field goal from George.
The fourth quarter was marred with missed free throws from both teams. The Braves shot 6/6 through three quarters, but they only hit 8/16 from the line in the quarter. Eastern was no better shooting 5/13 from the line in the quarter after shooting 7/12 through three quarters. Each team had their opportunity to win the game in the quarter.
"Each of us probably had opportunities to probably put somebody away if either one of us had hit any percentage of free throws," Keisling said. "We had opportunities just like they did to go up and put some icing on the cake there maybe in regulation."
With 3:29 to go in regulation, the Comets had a one-point lead, 44-43 and they found their way to a seven-point lead with just under a minute to go. The Braves then went on a 9-2 run, including five points in the final 10 seconds, to tie the game at 54-54.
In overtime, the free throw line continued to plague the Braves, but it was not the same for the Comets. While the Braves shot 1/6 from the line, the Comets shot 8/9 to get the victory, 66-62.
Maconaquah coach Lucas Zartman said his team has been up and down when it comes to free throws.
"We're right there," Zartman said. "Again, I think it's mental. Understanding how to win ball games and what it takes to win ball games."
Zartman also said that the team cannot dwell on the overtime loss as they have ranked and conference foe Peru High School next week.
The Comets had two players in double-figures scoring and were led by Price's 25 points off the bench and Renbarger's 12 points. Seven players scored for the Comets.
The Braves also had two players in double-figures scoring. George's 25 points and Hyde's 20 points led the team. Six players scored for the Braves.
Eastern (4-3) next travels to Carroll High School Saturday to take on the (4-4) Cougars. Maconaquah (4-5) plays Peru (9-1) at home on Jan. 15.
Scores by quarter:
Maconaquah 15 11 12 16 8 =62
Eastern 15 11 12 16 12 =66
Other scores from Friday:
(No. 4-3A) Peru 67, (No. 14-4A) Kokomo 53
Logansport 80, Western 61
Hamilton Heights 51, Taylor 46
Lewis Cass 67, Tri-Central 61
Saturday games (7:30 starts):
Kokomo at McCutcheon
West Lafayette at Western
Eastern at Carroll
Northwestern at Clinton Central
Taylor at Mississinewa
Oak Hill at Peru
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
GREENTOWN -- With 58.8 seconds remaining in regulation, the Eastern High School Comets had its largest lead of 7 points against Mid-Indiana Conference rival Maconaquah High School. Then the Braves found a way to tie the game for the 11th time with a basket from senior guard Curtis Hyde at the buzzer.
"I saw a few heads hanging down there for a moment after they hit the two to tie it," Eastern coach Duane Keisling said. "We kept our heads up when we needed to (in overtime)."
In the recent games with each other they had been close and this game was no different. Throughout the game there were 11 ties and 17 lead changes. It was not until the fourth quarter until a team could get more than a six-point lead.
The Comets and Braves ran contrasting styles of offense. The Comets focused on using its centers, senior Joby Renbarger and sophomore Joey Price, and the Braves ran their offense through their guards, seniors Nick George and Curtis Hyde.
The first quarter featured four ties and two lead changes as Eastern struck first to go up 2-0 on a Renbarger field goal. In the quarter, six Braves scored led by Hyde's four points. Eastern had five players score in the quarter and were led by senior Brandon Hainlen and Price with four points each. After the first quarter the game was tied at 15-15.
The Braves took the lead first in the second quarter, but it was short-lived as the Comets went on an 8-0 run, all scored by Price. It was not until 5:19 to go in the quarter until the Braves stopped the run with two free throws from junior guard Devin Shaffer. Even with the run, the Braves began chipping at the lead to again tie the game at halftime, 26-26.
The third quarter featured six lead changes and two ties as neither team could get a lead by more than three points. The Braves got that lead with 3:01 remaining in the quarter after junior forward David Carter scored on a free throw to go up 36-33. But like the previous quarters, this ended in a tie as well after Eastern junior Dylan Buck made a three-pointer after the Braves added another field goal from George.
The fourth quarter was marred with missed free throws from both teams. The Braves shot 6/6 through three quarters, but they only hit 8/16 from the line in the quarter. Eastern was no better shooting 5/13 from the line in the quarter after shooting 7/12 through three quarters. Each team had their opportunity to win the game in the quarter.
"Each of us probably had opportunities to probably put somebody away if either one of us had hit any percentage of free throws," Keisling said. "We had opportunities just like they did to go up and put some icing on the cake there maybe in regulation."
With 3:29 to go in regulation, the Comets had a one-point lead, 44-43 and they found their way to a seven-point lead with just under a minute to go. The Braves then went on a 9-2 run, including five points in the final 10 seconds, to tie the game at 54-54.
In overtime, the free throw line continued to plague the Braves, but it was not the same for the Comets. While the Braves shot 1/6 from the line, the Comets shot 8/9 to get the victory, 66-62.
Maconaquah coach Lucas Zartman said his team has been up and down when it comes to free throws.
"We're right there," Zartman said. "Again, I think it's mental. Understanding how to win ball games and what it takes to win ball games."
Zartman also said that the team cannot dwell on the overtime loss as they have ranked and conference foe Peru High School next week.
The Comets had two players in double-figures scoring and were led by Price's 25 points off the bench and Renbarger's 12 points. Seven players scored for the Comets.
The Braves also had two players in double-figures scoring. George's 25 points and Hyde's 20 points led the team. Six players scored for the Braves.
Eastern (4-3) next travels to Carroll High School Saturday to take on the (4-4) Cougars. Maconaquah (4-5) plays Peru (9-1) at home on Jan. 15.
Scores by quarter:
Maconaquah 15 11 12 16 8 =62
Eastern 15 11 12 16 12 =66
Other scores from Friday:
(No. 4-3A) Peru 67, (No. 14-4A) Kokomo 53
Logansport 80, Western 61
Hamilton Heights 51, Taylor 46
Lewis Cass 67, Tri-Central 61
Saturday games (7:30 starts):
Kokomo at McCutcheon
West Lafayette at Western
Eastern at Carroll
Northwestern at Clinton Central
Taylor at Mississinewa
Oak Hill at Peru
Comets, Braves prepare for conference battle
Posted: Thursday, January 7, 2010 4:00 pm
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
GREENTOWN -- For the last three seasons it has been a tight battle between two Mid-Indiana Conference teams meeting on Friday. The Maconaquah High School Braves travel to play the Eastern High School Comets Friday in a match-up that has been decided by 12 total points in the previous three meetings.
Eastern (3-3), who has not played a game in three weeks, is coming off a solid win against Clinton Central, 82-53. The Comets had four players in double-figures scoring. They were led by Joey Price with 21 points, followed by Dylan Buck who scored 14 points. Also scoring in double-figures was Joby Renbarger with 11 points and Brandon Hainlen with 11 points.
Maconaquah (4-4) is coming off a defeat in the championship game of the Miami County Tournament on Dec. 30 to Peru High School, 59-29. Leading the Braves in scoring was Nick George with 10 points. In the day previous, the Braves defeated North Miami High School, 68-64, to reach the championship game. Against North Miami, George led the Braves with 28 points. The Braves’ Curtis Hyde added 25 points as the team’s second-leading scorer.
In the last three years of this series, defending home court has been an issue for both teams. Last year, Eastern defeated Maconaquah 66-58 in a game that was decided in the final minute at Maconaquah. In 2007, Eastern lost at home to Maconaquah 55-54. In 2006, Maconaquah defended its home court by defeating Eastern 73-70.
Maconaquah coach Lucas Zartman is calling Friday’s game a must win for both teams to compete in the conference race.
“Obviously being a conference game, there is an instant rivalry there,” Zartman said. “We went over to their place two years ago and won by one in a very exciting game. Last year they came here and it was a game that went down to the wire and they were able to pull away with the win last year. The last two years, it has been very competitive, very good ballgames and I expect this year to be no different. For a conference game, it is almost a must-win for each of us in terms of being able to stay toward the top of the conference.”
Both Eastern and Maconaquah have played tough schedules thus far.
For Maconaquah, they handed North Miami its second loss of the season in the Miami County Tournament and, like Eastern, have played 3A’s fourth ranked Peru.
For Eastern, they suffered a tough defeat to county and conference rival Western High School at home, 61-55, on Dec. 11.
The Braves are already within one win of last year’s total of 5.
“Compared to last year, we feel that we are playing much more competitive basketball this year,” Zartman said. “We returned a lot from last year, so we have a lot of experience and we finally have a core group of guys who are beginning to understand varsity basketball and what it takes to be successful.”
Other games Friday (7:30 p.m. starts):
Logansport at Western
Peru at Kokomo
Taylor at Hamilton Heights
Lewis Cass at Tri-Central
Other games Saturday (7:30 p.m. starts):
Kokomo at McCutcheon
West Lafayette at Western
Eastern at Carroll
Northwestern at Clinton Central
Taylor at Mississinewa
Oak Hill at Peru
By Peter Adelsen staff writer padelsen@kokomoperspective.com | 0 comments
GREENTOWN -- For the last three seasons it has been a tight battle between two Mid-Indiana Conference teams meeting on Friday. The Maconaquah High School Braves travel to play the Eastern High School Comets Friday in a match-up that has been decided by 12 total points in the previous three meetings.
Eastern (3-3), who has not played a game in three weeks, is coming off a solid win against Clinton Central, 82-53. The Comets had four players in double-figures scoring. They were led by Joey Price with 21 points, followed by Dylan Buck who scored 14 points. Also scoring in double-figures was Joby Renbarger with 11 points and Brandon Hainlen with 11 points.
Maconaquah (4-4) is coming off a defeat in the championship game of the Miami County Tournament on Dec. 30 to Peru High School, 59-29. Leading the Braves in scoring was Nick George with 10 points. In the day previous, the Braves defeated North Miami High School, 68-64, to reach the championship game. Against North Miami, George led the Braves with 28 points. The Braves’ Curtis Hyde added 25 points as the team’s second-leading scorer.
In the last three years of this series, defending home court has been an issue for both teams. Last year, Eastern defeated Maconaquah 66-58 in a game that was decided in the final minute at Maconaquah. In 2007, Eastern lost at home to Maconaquah 55-54. In 2006, Maconaquah defended its home court by defeating Eastern 73-70.
Maconaquah coach Lucas Zartman is calling Friday’s game a must win for both teams to compete in the conference race.
“Obviously being a conference game, there is an instant rivalry there,” Zartman said. “We went over to their place two years ago and won by one in a very exciting game. Last year they came here and it was a game that went down to the wire and they were able to pull away with the win last year. The last two years, it has been very competitive, very good ballgames and I expect this year to be no different. For a conference game, it is almost a must-win for each of us in terms of being able to stay toward the top of the conference.”
Both Eastern and Maconaquah have played tough schedules thus far.
For Maconaquah, they handed North Miami its second loss of the season in the Miami County Tournament and, like Eastern, have played 3A’s fourth ranked Peru.
For Eastern, they suffered a tough defeat to county and conference rival Western High School at home, 61-55, on Dec. 11.
The Braves are already within one win of last year’s total of 5.
“Compared to last year, we feel that we are playing much more competitive basketball this year,” Zartman said. “We returned a lot from last year, so we have a lot of experience and we finally have a core group of guys who are beginning to understand varsity basketball and what it takes to be successful.”
Other games Friday (7:30 p.m. starts):
Logansport at Western
Peru at Kokomo
Taylor at Hamilton Heights
Lewis Cass at Tri-Central
Other games Saturday (7:30 p.m. starts):
Kokomo at McCutcheon
West Lafayette at Western
Eastern at Carroll
Northwestern at Clinton Central
Taylor at Mississinewa
Oak Hill at Peru
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