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South Putnam boys gets big for big win over Northview 53-49
BRAZIL -- The South Putnam Eagles got defensive on Thursday evening, holding Class 4A Northview to just 32-percent shooting from the field and were able to hit just enough free throws down the stretch to squeeze out a 53-49 victory. The win is South Putnam's fourth in the last five games and moves the Eagles over the .500 mark for the year at 9-8 overall.
The Eagles did an excellent job of limiting the Knights' sizable front court, which featured 6'6" Jim Mace, 6'5" Daniel Kimball and 6'5" Ethan Whitson, throughout the game. In fact, Whitson, one of Northview's top offensive players, was virtually a non-factor as he was saddled with foul troubles the entire game and was held scoreless.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were getting junior Trey Moore involved early as he scored a pair of quick buckets and grabbed eight rebounds in the first half.
South Putnam held a 9-7 lead at the first stop as the frigid shooting Knights missed their first 10 shots from the field and their first 12 three-pointers.
Northview was able to get on track in the second quarter as Christian Ellis came off the bench to score six of his 13 points in the period to help put his team on top 26-22 at the break.
Junior Sawyer Arnold got hot from beyond the arc for the Eagles to keep them close, hitting a pair of late three-pointers.
The third quarter proved to be a back-and-forth affair with six lead changes in the period.
Northview pulled out to a 28-24 lead on a layup by Craig Peters off a blocked shot, but South Putnam climbed right back into the mix on two free throws by senior Justin Bumgardner and a jumper by Arnold that tied the score at 28-all. Peters would answer with a three-pointer for the Knights and followed with a driving layup, but a turnover led to a three-pointer by Arnold and a bucket by Bumgardner off an offensive rebound. Arnold followed with his fourth three-pointer of the game to put the Eagles ahead 36-35.
The lead wasn't safe for either team as Devin Clark twice gave Northview the lead on field goals, but two free throws from Moore and one from senior Kinser Franklin tied the score at 39-apiece. Eagles junior Klayton Vittetow put his team on top 41-40 with a jumper at the buzzer.
Northview made several runs at South Putnam in the final quarter after Moore put his team up 45-40 with four of his 18 points. The Knights led for the final time at 49-48 off a bucket by Mace, but didn't score again.
Meanwhile, South Putnam hit five free throws over the final 90 seconds to get the win. The Eagles held a 33-13 edge in free throw attempts, which helped considering the Eagles connected on just 17 of their charity tosses. The Knights weren't any better, hitting just 6-of-13 at the line.
South Putnam won for the second straight time in the series and got 10 rebounds from Moore. Arnold had a team-high 21 points.
In the junior varsity contest, Northview came away with a 52-34 victory as Dustin Stevenson led the Eagles with 12 points. Jacob Carmichael added 10 points.
The Eagles host South Vermillion on Feb. 12, with JV beginning at 6 p.m.
At Northview
South Putnam 9 13 19 12 -- 53
Northview 7 19 14 9 -- 49
Scoring
South Putnam (9-8): Arnold 7-12 2-3 21, Moore 5-9 8-14 18, Bumgardner 1-5 4-8 6, Pell 1-4 0-0 3, Chestnut 0-1 2-6 2, Vittetow 1-2 0-0 2, Franklin 0-1 1-4 1, Long 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-35 17-33 53.
Northview (6-12): Peters 9-17 0-0 21, Ellis 5-9 3-5 13, Clark 3-8 0-0 6, Mace 1-3 2-4 4, Kimball 1-2 1-2 3, Hakman 1-6 0-0 2, Whitson 0-5 0-2 0, Ball 0-10 0-0 0, Tanoos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-58 6-13 49.
3-point fieldgoals -- Nv 3-26 (Peters 3-9, Ball 0-7, Clark 0-5 Ellis 0-1, Hakman 0-2, Whtison 0-1), SP 6-13 (Arnold 5-8 Pell 1-3, Vittetow 0-2). Total Rebounds -- Nv 35 (Mace 8, Ellis 8), SP 37 (Moore 10, Bumgardner 8). Total Fouls -- Nv 24, SP 12. Fouled out -- Nv (Whitson). Turnovers -- Nv 6, SP 14.