Weekend Wrap

This weekend was full of big games, including a showdown between two 4A state championship contenders, great play from Mr. Basketball candidates, and a redemption game for two heated rivals.

Marquis Teague, a University of Kentucky signee, has got Pike (14-2) playing their best basketball of the season. It comes as no surprise that their 9 game winning streak comes on the back of him making a strong push for the Mr. Basketball award. Pike took down defending state champion Bloomington South 80-74. South is now 14-2 on the season. Xavier recruit Dee Davis led all scorers with 29 points, but it was Teague who stole the show with 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds. I believe that if he can keep playing this way and lead Pike deep into the tournament, Marquis Teague will be Mr. Basketball.

In a classic rivalry, Tipton avenged a loss from earlier this season with a 69-57 victory of Hamilton Heights. Sophomore Mike Crawford led the Blue Devils to the win with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Both of the Etherington's had 16 points for Heights.

Warsaw scoring machine, and Mr. Basketball hopeful, Nic Moore moved into second place on the schools all-time scoring list with 20 points in a win over Northwood. He currently has just over 1750 points for his career.

Rushville (12-2) defeated New Castle (11-3) in overtime, 53-51. University of St. Francis commit Spencer Comer led all scorers with 22 for Rushville. Senior big man Brandon Herbet added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. For New Castle, Jordan Hahn had 19.

This was a great weekend of high school basketball! Email me at ramseyb14@hanover.edu if you know of a big game or great individual performance that should be added to this addition of the weekend wrap!

Weekend Wrap

Connor Rich a 6'3'' Shooting Guard from Tipton High School was reported to have committed to D2 Tusculum. However, I spoke with one of their assistant coaches, Mike McBride, and he said he had not made a final decision. Coach McBride did confirm that Rich held an offer from them, but he has not committed.

Spencer Comer a 6'3'' Shooting Guard from Rushville High School has committed to the University of St. Francis. They are the reigning NAIA Division II national champions. I spoke with Coach Chad LaCross from St. Francis and he said they are very excited for Spencer to join the program.

The Indianapolis City Tournament is coming to a close. The championship game will take place Monday night at 7:30 between Indianapolis Northwest and Indianapolis Broad Ripple. Indiana University commit Ron Patterson lead Broad Ripple with 22 points in their semi-final victory over Manual. Northwest defeated Heritage Christian 94-76 to earn their spot in the final.

Dee Davis, a Xavier signee, and Spencer Turner, a Belmont recruit both of Bloomington South H.S. scored their 1000th career point this week against Franklin Central. Congrats to them both.

Centerville vs. Jay County

A nearly perfect first half was followed by a sloppy second half by the Bulldogs, but the clutch play of Senior Guard Matthew Schauss was enough to give Centerville their 6th straight victory. Centerville 47 Jay County 41

Centerville took a 27-10 lead into halftime, however the second half was the classic "playing not to lose" problem. Especially in the 4th quarter, Jay County took advantage of the Bulldogs sloppy play to inch back into the game. Schauss, a Bethel College recruit, was able to put the game away late, scoring 13 of his game high 29 points the final period. Schauss moved into 14th on the All-Time Scoring List after last night's game. He now sits at 833 career points.

Centerville, now 10-2, plays host to conference rival Union County on Thursday.

Connor Rich to Tusculum

According to Brandon Bradley of Scouting Indiana, the 6'2'' sharp-shooter from Tipton has committed to D2 Tusculum College in Tennessee. Just Thursday I had written a story listing the top "sleepers" in the 2011 class. Well, take Connor Rich off that list! I am very happy that he found a place to play next season. In my opinion, he is the best shooter in the state, and shooting is something that any college program can always use. Best of luck to Connor with his future as a Tusculum Pioneer!

Fun Fact: Connor's grandfather was my dad's high school basketball coach at Centerville High School.

2011 Sleepers/Unsigned

With the basketball season around its midway point and the late signing period approaching, I wanted to bring some of the best "sleepers" in the Class of 2011 some publicity. All of these players deserve a chance to play college basketball at some level. Hopefully they will all find a place to play very soon!

Seth Small-Point Guard, Hamilton Heights

Seth is very strong for his size, however, at 5'8'' is still undersized. He handles the ball very well and can shoot the ball from deep. This season he is averaging 12 points a game while being the facilitator for Austin and Alex Etherington. He will play a key role in leading Heights deep into the tournament. D3/NAIA Prospect

Desmond Marks-Power Forward, Bloomington South

Very strong, big body. He is 6'6'' and probably weighs 260 pounds. However, he moves well, has a good outside touch, even knocking down a 3 in the game I watched. Also, he uses his body very well inside, very good rebounder and finishes in the post. Has a similar body type and style of play to Glen "Big Baby" Davis. D2/D3 Prospect

Logan Thomas-Point Guard, Monroe Central

Logan is having an amazing season. Averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds and almost 8 assists a game shows you that he is a complete player. He rebounds very well for his size, 6'2'', and has a high IQ on the court. Isn't the greatest athlete and needs to improve his outside shooting. I heard that he is #1 in his class. D3/NAIA Prospect

Connor Rich-Shooting Guard, Tipton

Rich is the best pure shooter I have seen this season. He has deep range and a quick release. Connor isn't very quick, but works hard off the ball to get open. Does most of his damage on the catch-and-shoot. D3/NAIA Prospect

Dustin Smith-Shooting Guard, Eastern Hancock

Great outside shooter with big time range. Dustin is averaging around 23 points per game. He has really improved his ball-handling this year and could play some point guard at the next level. At 6'2'' he is a little undersized to play off the ball, but moves well off screens and could make it work. D2/D3 Prospect

Jordan Hahn-Point Guard, New Castle

True floor general point guard. He isn't very big, 5'11'' and isn't very strong either. However, he is very smart with the ball and handles the ball well. His shot looks a little different, but he is a good outside shooter. If he improves his strength and quickness he would increase his potential a lot. D3/NAIA Prospect

Hamilton Thorne-Center, Bethany Christian

6'9'' back to the basket true center. Hamilton has very long arms which makes him hard to stop on the offensive end, and a good defender on the defensive end. Needs to improve his foot speed. Averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds a game. D3/NAIA Prospect

Jon Trawick-Small Forward, Richmond

Undersized for his position at only 6'3'', but makes up for it in strength. He finishes very well inside, and rebounds well for his size. Penetrates the defense off the dribble well, likes to attack from the baseline. Trawick has become a good mid-range shooter, but needs alot of work on his outside shot. D3/NAIA Prospect

I hope to see all of these guys playing college basketball next season. If you know of somebody who deserves to be mentioned on this list please email me at ramseyb14@hanover.edu. Thanks!

Mr. Basketball Candidates

A nationally ranked point guard, a household name, and an undersized, yet electric scoring machine. This years Mr. Basketball race is up for grabs, maybe more so than any year in recent memory. My vote today would be for the point guard for the Warsaw Tigers, Nic Moore. He is surrounded by the least amount of talent of the top players, yet has lead the defending state runner-ups to a 11-1 record on the back of his 31 points per game. For a player of his size, 5'8'', I have never seen somebody dominate a game the way he does. Marquis Teague, a point guard from Pike High School is picking up steam heading into the 2nd half of the season. He lead Pike to a Marion County Tourney Championship, scoring 30 points in the final game. Cody Zeller is trying to becoming the 3rd in his family to win this prestigious award. Brothers, Luke in 2005, and Tyler in 2008 won the Mr. Basketball voting.

My list as of now...

1. Nic Moore 5'8'' Point Guard, Warsaw High School

Illinois State

To me he is the definition of an Indiana Mr. Basketball. His strength, shooting ability, quickness, and all-around domination of the game is just something you don't get to see very often. The fact that a mid-major school like Illinois State was able to land him is incredible, he will make many school wish they hadn't overlooked him. Averaging 31 points a game, while being the only true offensive weapon on your team and having defenses focus on you is a great accomplishment. The other players may have a higher profile and be going to more national schools, but Nic Moore is deserving of this award.

2. Marquis Teague 6'2'' Point Guard, Pike High School

University of Kentucky

On paper, Teague was the preseason favorite. He is ranked in the top 5-10 on most National Rankings, and is heading to play for Coach Calapari and the Kentucky Wildcats. He started the season a little slow, not putting up the numbers a top national player should be, but he is really hitting his stride and showing that he is in fact the most talented player in Indiana.

3. Cody Zeller 6'1'' Center, Washington High School

Indiana University

Usually not winning Mr. Basketball is not a disappointment. However, I am sure it would be for Cody since he would be the first Zeller kid to not win the award. I like his skill set for a big man, his shooting ability and the way he runs the floor does not fit his 6'11'' frame. That being said, a player of his size and talent needs to dominate more in order to win this award. Some blame it on his teammates not getting him the ball, but I think he does a poor job of working to get open on the offensive end and needs to DEMAND the ball. He is still the most talented big man in the state.

This Mr. Basketball race should be very close and I am anxious to see how it turns out. Please email me any comments you may have....ramseyb14@hanover.edu. Thanks!

Centerville vs. Blue River

For the second straight year, but also the second time in the last ten, Centerville swept the weekend series of Knightstown and Blue River. The Bulldogs (8-2) defeated Knightstown 50-29 on Friday night, then beat Blue River by the score of 43-39 last evening. After falling behind 12-4 after the first period, Centerville shut down the Vikings over the next two periods allowing only 11 points. Senior Guard Matthew Schauss led Centerville with 22 points, including 5 late free throws to put the game away. He also had 10 rebounds. Schauss moved into 15th on Centerville's all-time scoring list with 784 points.

Coach Ryan Chiddister and the Bulldogs have always been known for a tough defense, but this is the best unit I have seen in my years of being around their program. Matthew Schauss is playing great, and everyone else is settling into their roles. The rest of the schedule is tough for Centerville, including games against Jay County, Union County, Winchester and Rushville. This stretch of games should prepare them very well for a possible run in the tournament.

Wayne County Tournament Championship

The Centerville Bulldogs continued an annual tradition, winning the Wayne County Tourney Championship. The Bulldogs defeated the host Hagerstown Tigers 53-38 for their 7th straight county title. Bethel College commit Matthew Schauss lead all scorers with 21 points. This was Centerville's second victory over the Tigers this season, winning the first match-up 56-39. Centerville, now 6-2, returns to action with two home games next weekend against Knightstown and Blue River. Hagerstown is 6-5 and will host conference foe Winchester on Friday.

Wayne County Tourney-Centerville vs. Northeastern

This game certainly helped the defensive averages for both teams. Centerville moved on to tonight's final with an ugly 31-22 victory of rival Northeastern. The Knights, who lost 55-32 to Centerville earlier this season tried, and succeeded in slowing the pace to a screeching halt. Centerville's Senior Guard Matthew Schauss picked up two quick fouls in the 1st quarter which kept him on the bench much more than usual. He still managed to lead all scorers with 13 points. The Bulldogs were able to pull away in the final period as they picked up the tempo on offense and converted on some free-throws down the stretch. Tonight, Coach Ryan Chiddister and the Bulldogs will look to win their 7th straight Wayne County Tournament title. They will face host Hagerstown who defeated Cambridge City in their opening round game. Centerville won 56-39 over the Tigers earlier this year.