Recruiting

[wh]

Did I see a MattCarter tweet that Adekoya went for 33 and 19 tonight?! The kid was on twitter apologizing for letting the fans down since they lost. What a team first attitude, expect nothing less of a Valpo recruit.

Thornton 59, Andrew 53
Justin Taylor had 21 points and 7 rebounds for Thornton. Jubril Adekoya had a career-high 33 points and school-record 21 rebounds in the Andrew (1-4) loss.

Another MONSTER game by one of our high profile recruits.  I've never seen anything like this before from Valpo recruits - and the season is just underway.   

[wh]

Not to be outdone, Yeo scores 31:

NorthWood holds off Triton in season opener
Posted: 11/30/2012 at 11:20 pm

NAPPANEE — NorthWood needed to burn just 53 seconds to win its season opener, but Triton wasn't making it easy.

Every time the Panthers crossed mid court, the Trojans swarmed. Three times, Triton wrapped up NorthWood guards at the top of the key. Three times, NorthWood burned frustrated timeouts.

With 23.7 seconds left, a 2-point lead and no timeouts left to save them, Panther guard Tommy Klem broke through the Triton wall and found Zach Zurcher under the basket.

Zurcher's layup kissed the glass, securing a 66-62 NorthWood win.

"It felt so good," Zurcher said of that final shot. "Everyone goes crazy, to know we're about to get that win in that first game."

When Triton's Clay Yeo and Tanner Shepherd took control to score 52 of the Trojans' 62 points, Zurcher and Jonathan Wilkinson fought back to score 42 of NorthWood's 66 points.

Yeo seemed unstoppable for most of the game, scoring 31 points, including a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line and three 3-pointers.

Zurcher said Yeo's 32-point performance against NorthWood in last year's opener had been a focus in practice during the week. Considering the Panthers held him to 31 points this time around, call it a minor success.


Triton — Clay Yeo 12-20 4-4 31,

[valpopal]

Not sure yet how much he scored or if he sat much of the game while the second team played, but Alec Peters' Washington team won over East Peoria this evening by the score of 66-8; halftime score was 40-0!

[bbtds]

Not sure yet how much he scored or if he sat much of the game while the second team played, but Alec Peters' Washington team won over East Peoria this evening by the score of 66-8; halftime score was 40-0!

Must have been very bitter sweet for Jason Jenkins, a graduate of East Peoria High.

EP can look to improve on that bitter taste of total defeat on Jan.25 because they play the Panthers again at Washington.

[valpopal]

Not sure yet how much he scored or if he sat much of the game while the second team played, but Alec Peters' Washington team won over East Peoria this evening by the score of 66-8; halftime score was 40-0!

Looks like Peters scored 16 points in limited action as nine players on his team scored. Most points scored by a player for East Peoria: 2!

[bbtds]

Washington basketball wins at East Peoria, 66-8

EAST PEORIA —
Washington boys basketball coach Kevin Brown is known around the coaching circle as a defensive guru, but Saturday night's effort may have been his team's best ever.

The Panthers held East Peoria scoreless for more than the first two quarters in a 66-8 Mid-Illini Conference victory.

The point total for East Peoria (1-5, 0-1) was the team's lowest since the Journal Star began keeping game-by-game records in 1956-57.

In a game that Washington could've overlooked on the schedule, its intensity was on display from the opening tip.

"We've got seven seniors, and the easiest way to stress that is, if those seniors don't make sure that we're ready to go, then there's a situation where we're going to plateau somewhere in there," Brown said.

Washington (5-0, 1-0) scored the first 40 points of the game, and didn't allow East Peoria to get on the scoreboard until the 7:16 mark of the third quarter.

The Raiders finished 4-for-35 from the field, 0-for-10 from on 3-pointers and 0-for-9 from the free-throw line.

"They're good, and this is the basketball hotbed of Illinois, and to be the best team in the hotbed, you've got to be pretty good," East Peoria coach Matt Wright said. "Even the guys (who) aren't huge contributors still do things exactly the way they're supposed to do them."

Seniors Alec Peters and Mason McCoy led nine Washington scorers with 16 points apiece. Senior Tucker Harlan added 14 points for the Panthers, who showed their ability to play as a team.

"The biggest thing about this entire game was unselfishness, whether it be offense or defense," Brown said. "A lot of times in a game like this, people just start firing shots, so you lose who you are. I thought our kids did a great job tonight of staying for 32 minutes of who we are."

That unselfishness led to some open opportunities on the offensive end, and a high shooting percentage for Washington. The Panthers finished at 53 percent (23-for-43) from the floor, and 15-for-19 from the free-throw line.

Four players scored two points apiece for East Peoria.

Josh Herman can be reached at 686-3214 or jherman@pjstar.com.

[wh]

Andrean comeback stuns Bowman
John Luke | The Times

MERRILLVILLE | Never say die was the theme on Saturday night inside a packed gymnasium at 5959 Broadway, as two of the region's top powers faced off for the first time ever.

Times No. 2 Andrean erased an 18-point second-half deficit and went on to defeat No. 5 Bowman 73-68 on Saturday night.

"It was a really hard-fought game," Andrean coach Carson Cunningham said. "I was impressed with our guys, they stuck with it. Many of them have been playing varsity for several years. We were down and they looked at me and said, 'Coach, we've got this.'"

When asked if he gave his team any kind of Knute Rockne speech during a timeout in the final 16 minutes, the Andrean coach went into Carson Cunningham mode.

"Hey, we're not plitting the atom here," Cunningham said. "We're not bouncing proteins off each other. We picked up our defense and I told the guys if they had a clean look, 'Knock the apple down.'"

Nick Davidson led the stunning for the 59ers (3-0). The Valparaiso University-bound point guard was ice from the free-throw line, hitting 20 of 21 for the game, including 14 of 14 in the second half.

He finished with 28 points, including 23 in the second half.

Bowman (0-3) missed 14 free throws in the fourth quarter and was 14-of-33 from the line for the game. Andrean was 15-of-17 from the line in the fourth quarter and outscored the Eagles 32-12.

"That was the game," Bowman coach Marvin Rea said. "We're a young team and we have to learn how to win games. Free throws was the game. They knocked down theres, we didn't."

Andrean's Collin Wojcik's 3-pointer with three minutes left tied the game at 63 and Andrean never relinquished the lead after that. It was Wojcik's first game of the year after sitting out with an injured ankle.

Skyler Moss contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds for the 59ers after settling down from early foul trouble.

Bowman's Antonio Pipkin led his team with 18, Justin King added 17, Davon Dillard scored 12 and D'Mario Smith had 10.

"Bowman has a great team," Cunningham said. "This was just a great comeback by my guys. I'm very proud of them."

[valpotx]

Have to love good FT shooters!

[lowposter]

Impressive win by Andrean.  Davidson certainly can shoot FTs!. That is a very experienced 59er squad. 

The big man, Skylar Moss continued to inflict damage in the lane with a double double.  He is a load, unfortunately a tad undersized.
Sounds like the incoming class is having a great start to their senior season. 

lowposter

[StlVUFan]

"Nick Davidson led the stunning for the 59ers..."

He's wicked with the tazer, I guess.

 

[wh]

"Nick Davidson led the stunning for the 59ers..."

He's wicked with the tazer, I guess.

 

Give the writer a break.  After all, he's not "plitting" atoms.   

[valporun]

"Nick Davidson led the stunning for the 59ers..."

He's wicked with the tazer, I guess.

 

Give the writer a break.  After all, he's not "plitting" atoms.   

Or "bouncing 'proteins' off each other". Where did this guy screw up a fun comment from the coach?

[hungry4moreYeo]

Local paper talking about last nights game with Clay and his team.

The Trojans jumped on them early with a 16-2 run and never let off of the accelerator. Clay Yeo started the scoring with a breakaway dunk which got the crowd going. He dropped in 36 points along with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals for a nice all-around game.

Triton's defense helped hold the Warriors to only 13 points in the first half as the Trojans led 45-13 at the break.
It was more of the same in the third as they were able to push their lead out to 65-24, which let them go deep in their bench for most of the fourth quarter.

Final 75-44

[agibson]

Davidson certainly can shoot FTs!.

He made 20 of his 28 points from the line?  Is this common in high school?

[lowposter]

20 free throws is a pretty good month for most high schoolers!

[valporun]

I don't think 20 points from the free-throw line is normal, but depending on the opponent, and what the game plan, can't say it isn't unusual for some players to keep driving on the same weak opponent for layups, get fouled, and go to the free-throw line time and again.

[Valpo89]

20 points from the line is almost unheard of in a "normal" high school game. But Bowman likes to play full throttle at all times, I'm sure Nick was fouled even more than the times he actually was sent to the free throw line.

[vuweathernerd]

20 free throws is a pretty good month for most high schoolers!

it'd probably be a pretty good month for dwight howard too. ooh, too soon?

[wh]

It doesn't appear that scoring will be a problem in the future:

-  Jubril Adekoya had a career-high 33 points and school-record 21 rebounds

-  He (Clay) dropped in 36 points along with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals for a nice all-around game.

-  The Valparaiso University-bound point guard (Nick) was ice from the free-throw line, hitting 20 of 21 for the game, including 14 of 14 in the second half.
He finished with 28 points, including 23 in the second half.

-   On the night of Valpo's official announcement that Alec Peters had signed his letter of intent, Alec scores 40 points!

An avg. of 34 ppt in a 32 min. game = 42 in a 40 min. game.  Not bad!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

We're going to need another ball.

[milanmiracle]

We're going to need another ball.

I'm not going to name names, but some of these new recruits will not be scoring anywhere close to what they did in HS.

[bbtds]

We're going to need another ball.

I'm not going to name names, but some of these new recruits will not be scoring anywhere close to what they did in HS.

I totally agree. It's a lot different game from high school to Div. I. On the other hand would you rather have the guy putting up 30+ points in high school or the guy scoring 10-15 points in high school.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I'm not going to name names, but some of these new recruits will not be scoring anywhere close to what they did in HS.

Oh I totally agree.  I was joking per usual.

It's ever thus--look at the dropoff from college to the pros--same thing.  Everyone's always a scorer in biddy ball, and then as they "level up" they either learn how do do the gritty things, or get cut.  There just isn't room for everyone to be a scorer.

[chef]

I don't remember Valpo every having a player that averaged anywhere close to what they did in H.S. Tracy Gipson and Casey Schmidt were probably the closest. If my memory is correct Bryce averaged 25 a game in his Sr. year at VHS, but never more than 19 a game at VU.

[IndyValpo]

I don't remember Valpo every having a player that averaged anywhere close to what they did in H.S. Tracy Gipson and Casey Schmidt were probably the closest. If my memory is correct Bryce averaged 25 a game in his Sr. year at VHS, but never more than 19 a game at VU.

Perhaps Chris Ensminger.