Daily Reporter staff reports
Trailing by 10 points heading into the final quarter, the Eastern Hancock boys basketball team stormed back with 24 fourth-period points to upend county rival Greenfield-Central 51-47 Saturday night in Charlottesville.
The Cougars were in control early, limiting the Royals (7-8) to just eight total points in the second and third quarters. They owned a 37-27 advantage going into the final period.
That was when the Royals began to frequent the charity stripe and mount their comeback. After shooting just four free throws in the first half, Eastern Hancock approached the line 15 times in the final two quarters, knocking down 13. All together, the Royals hit 16-of-19 free throws, compared to the Cougars’ 4-of-9 night.
Eastern Hancock’s Derrik Noel led all scorers with 22 points on three 3-pointers and seven free throws. He also was the primary defender on Cougars’ top scoring threat Tate Hall, who was held to 2-of-8 shooting on the night.
“Derrik is an outstanding defender, and Saturday night was the first time I really felt like he was all the way back from his knee injury,” said Royals coach Aaron Spaulding, whose Royals are 9-6 against the Cougars since the 2006-07 season. “He just gave (Hall fits) to be honest with you … Combined with what he did on the offensive end, he looked like the player on the court at both ends of the floor. If he continues to play like that, we’ll be a tough challenge for any team.”
Addison True added 10 points and two assists for the Royals. Cooper Henderson had nine points and two assists, and Tom Barton contributed seven points and six rebounds, including four on the offensive end. The Royals have now won three straight.
For the Cougars (6-12), who lost the fourth quarter 24-10, this was the eighth consecutive game they have been outscored in the final period, dating back to a 54-45 loss against East Central during Richmond’s holiday tournament.
Greenfield-Central was led by Cole Oleksy, who scored a season-high 14 points, while pulling down five rebounds. Chandler Bean picked up 11 points and a game-high eight assists. Tate Hall had seven points and six rebounds.
Mt.Vernon slips past Delta
The Marauders kept themselves in the hunt for a Hoosier Heritage Conference championship with Saturday’s 48-36 win at Delta.
The game was much closer that the final score let on, as Mt. Vernon led Delta (6-11, 0-4 HHC) by just three at the half (23-20) and entered the final quarter tied at 27.
Mt. Vernon (9-6, 3-2 HHC) was able to pull away, however, and the victory allows for the possibility of the Marauders climbing the league standings, as three other teams have two conference losses, while undefeated Pendleton Heights has two games to go.
New Palestine falls against Perry Meridian
The Dragons struggled to contain the Falcons’ Dylan Windler and fell 73-65 Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Windler, a Belmont University recruit, led all scorers with 34 points, hitting four 3s and going a perfect 10 for 10 at the free- throw line.
New Palestine (8-8) was led by senior Ryan Curry’s 24 points. Curry knocked down six three-pointers against the Falcons (10-6). Teammate Kevin Riley chipped in 14 points.
GIRLS BASKETball
Dragons stumble late, fall vs. Greenwood
New Palestine led for much of the afternoon but dropped a 47-42 back-and-forth battle to Greenwood on Saturday in the Dragons’ final home game of the season.
The Dragons led 19-17 at halftime and built the lead to 28-20 in the third quarter, but Greenwood rallied for a late 43-42 lead. New Palestine (10-11) had a shot inside to retake the lead in the last 30 seconds, but it did not fall, and Greenwood hit four straight free throws to seal the win.
Raegan McMurray led New Palestine with 13 points, going 3-for-5 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the line. She also had three rebounds and three steals. Katlyn Keele added eight points and six rebounds. Emma Laughlin had six points and four rebounds.
Cougars dispatchWarren Central
The Cougars dominated from the opening tip, defeating the Warriors 67-23 Saturday afternoon in Greenfield.
Greenfield-Central sprinted out to a 13-1 first-quarter lead against Warren Central (3-18) and carried the momentum into the half up 26-11. The Cougars put the game away in the third period, outscoring Warren Central 21-6 and taking a 47-17 advantage into the final period.
Maddie Wise led the Greenfield-Central (15-6) stampede with 16 points. Regan Lewis added 13 points, Shelby Oldham 11, and Katie Helgason had seven.
Royals use big 4th to cruise past Hauser
Up 30-24 heading into the final period, the Royals used an 18-9 run to ground the Mid-Hoosier Conference Jets and win 48-33 Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville.
The victory helped catapult Eastern Hancock (11-9, 5-3 MHC) up the league standings into a three-way tie for third place. With the loss, Hauser (10-12, 4-4 MHC) dropped to sixth.
Three Royals entered double-digit scoring nights, as Emiley Carlton paced the scorers with 13 points. She also added six rebounds and four steals.
Leah Ferguson and Hope Spaulding each contributed 10 points, and Ferguson also pulled down five rebounds.
Shelby Mourey led the Royals’ defense with seven steals. As a team, Eastern Hancock had 19 steals.
SWIMMING
Mt. Vernon boys, girls win weekend invite
The Marauders dominated the Beech Grove Invitational, as both the boys and girls teams claimed victories. The boys and girls from county rival Eastern Hancock each finished fourth.
The Marauders girls’ 383 points topped Cascade (301), Herron (176), the Royals (154) and Beech Grove (122).
For the Royals, Alina Wallau, Tatum Profitt, Shelby Kell and Erin McKeeman set the school record in the 200 medley relay with a finishing time of 2:16.60.
“The girls showed great toughness and bounced back from an ‘eh’ performance on Wednesday,” Eastern Hancock coach Derek McCormick said. “They are shaping up to do very well at sectionals.”
The Mt. Vernon boys’ 347 points were enough to nip Beech Grove (344) and soundly defeat Cascade (172), the Royals (145) and Herron (111).
Eastern Hancock’s Kohler Kerber set a new school record in the 500 freestyle to pace the Royals’ boys.
“The boys continue to improve and are making it difficult for me to decide on our sectional lineup,” McCormick said.
