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North Putnam sweeps county middle school basketball titles
CLOVERDALE — North Putnam varsity coach Collin McCartt has been ill this week, fighting cold-like symptoms common this time of year.
McCartt was in attendance on Wednesday night at the Putnam County middle-school basketball championships, and what transpired surely made him feel a lot better.
North Putnam won both championships, topping South Putnam 27-19 in a closely-played seventh-grade game and dominating from the opening tipoff in a 45-20 win over Greencastle in the eighth-grade game.
In the seventh-grade game, the teams battled to a 7-7 tie after one quarter with South Putnam’s Griffin Garner scoring five of his team’s points.
Feisty point guard Brayden Monnett hit a 3-pointer to pace the Cougars in the quarter.
North Putnam’s Christian Judy hit a 3-pointer in the second period to help his team establish a narrow 13-12 halftime lead, but five more Garner points in the third period helped the Eagles tie the score at the last stop.
The fourth quarter was all Cougars, as Malachi Fish hit three layups and two free throws to pace North Putnam to the title.
The victory got revenge for the Cougars, who led for most of the game against South Putnam earlier in the season before losing in the last few minutes.
“After that, we took it a little bit personally,” North Putnam coach Shawn Flora said. “We said we were to going to focus on getting to play them again in the county, but our main goal was to win the county. I don’t think these boys have done that in many, many years.”
Flora admitted the game was a little “sloppy,” with his team committing five second-period turnovers and missing 10 free throws on the night.
“But we pulled out the win,” he said. “In the fourth quarter, Malachi took it to the basket pretty well. He was out the first time we played them, and that hurt us a little bit.
“The boys played hard, and we were happy to come out with the win.”
Fish led North Putnam with 12 points, while Judy added seven.
Garner led South Putnam with 12 points.
In the eighth-grade game, North Putnam was determined to improve on its county tourney finish from a year ago — when the Cougars were eliminated in the first round.
Cougar coach Earl Hall said the players had actually set a goal of winning the county back when they were third-graders.
“We lost to South Putnam in the first round last year, unfortunately,” he said. “They have worked very hard since then, and we got it.”
Zach Huff paced the Cougars with 12 points, while Aaron Pickel added 11 and Jayden Simpson chipped in with eight.
“We work hard on moving the basketball,” Hall said. “We have four really good shooters, and we know if we can get the defense spread that we can hit the open shots.”
North Putnam scored the first nine points of the game, with four points from Pickel and three from Braden Allen to start the opening run.
Simpson scored his team’s final six points of the period for a 15-6 Cougar advantage at the first stop.
Greencastle’s Evan Alexander hit a pair of 3-pointers for all of his team’s first-quarter points, and added another midway through the second period to keep his team close at 19-11.
North Putnam then took off on another run, scoring the final nine points of the half from four different players to take a 28 -11 lead into halftime.
Pickel hit a basket and Ellis Lyons added a 3-pointer to start the second half for the Cougars and increase their lead to 33-11.
Alexander scored all seven of Greencastle points in the third period, as the Cougars held a 38-18 lead at the final stop.
Alexander finished with 16 points for Greencastle, which had won the seventh-grade title a year ago.
Jamiem Scott had the other four Tiger Cub points.
All four teams will be competing in the Western Indiana Conference tournament this weekend, which starts on Saturday.
Seventh grade
SOUTH PUTNAM (19) — Branam 1 0-2 2, Garner 5 0-0 12, Heavin 0 0-0 0, Switzer 0 1-4 1, Witt 1 0-3 2, Crickmore 1 0-1 2, Bunch 0 0-0 0, Harcourt 0 0-0 0, Young 0 0-0 0, Jobe 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 1-9 19 .
NORTH PUTNAM (27) — Judy 2 2-3 6, Monnett 1 0-0 3, Morse 0 0-0 0, Folck 1 1-4 3, Fish 4 4-10 12, Hanger 1 0-0 2, Gibson 0 0-0 0, Roseboom 0 0-0 0, Lawler 0 0-0 0, O’Neal 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 7-16 27.
South Putnam 7 5 5 2 — 19
North Putnam 7 6 4 10 — 27
3-point goals — Monnett, Judy, Garner 2.
Eighth grade
GREENCASTLE (20) — Ed -wards 0 0-0 0, Hammond 0 0-0 0, Scott 2 0-4 4, Alexander 6 1-1 16, Wilson 0 0-0 0, Barcus 0 0-0 0, Stevens 0 0-0 0, Miler 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 1-5 20.
NORTH PUTNAM (45) — Huff 4 4 2-2 12, Lyons 1 0-0 3, Pickel 4 2-2 11, Allen 1 1-2 3, Simpson 2 4-4 8, Hensley 1 2-3 4, Burress 1 0-0 2, Storm 0 0-0 0, Jeter 0 0-0 0, Ariens 0 0-0 0, McHargue 0 2-2 0. Totals 14 FG, 13-15 FT, 45 TP
Greencastle 6 5 7 2 — 20
North Putnam 15 13 10 7 — 45
3-point goals — Alexander 3, Huff 2, Pickel.