Menu
South Putnam opens season with road win over Clay City
CLAY CITY — A pesky swarm of Clay CIty Eels fought an older and more physically mature convocation of South Putnam Eagles on Tuesday night in the boys’ high school basketball opener for both teams.
The Eagles eventually wore down their hosts and emerged with a 67-50 win.
South Putnam got six first-quarter points from senior forward Allen Plunkett and five more from senior guard Thomas Fanning to assume a 13-7 lead late in the period, before the Eels got back-to-back treys from Caden Cannon and Nathan Owens to tie the score at 13-13 with 13.7 seconds left in the period.
Fanning hit a shot just before the buzzer to give the Eagles a 15-13 lead at the first stop.
Fanning exploded for 13 second-quarter points, but the Eagles were not able to pull away. Clay City’s Gianni Pipes scored nine points off the bench in the quarter, hitting all three two-pointers and one of two treys.
A trey from Jacob LaFary broke a 17-17 tie and put the Eels up 20-17 with 5:38 left in the half. Following a Fanning basket, the Eels got an Owens free throw and a Corbin Crosby basket to go up 23-19.
Owens hit a trey and a basket to help Clay City keep its advantage at 28-24 with 2:08 left in the half.
Fanning scored the game’s next seven points on a trey and four free throws, and after a Crosby free throw Garrett Heavin added a basket on a tip in at the buzzer to put the Eagles up 33-29 at intermission.
Owens hit a pair of treys in the first half of the third quarter to help keep his team close, and a pair of LaFary free throws with 2:43 left in the third period pulled Clay City within 40-37.
The physical advantage of the Eagles began taking its toll at that point, as South Putnam scored the final 10 points of the period for a 50-37 lead at the final stop.
Kain Gregory scored a basket with 2:14 left to start the run, while Austin Arnold scored on a putback, Ty VanSickle converted a steal into a layup and both Plunkett and Trey Blaydes got offensive rebounds and hit putbacks in the final 27 seconds.
Plunkett, who had 11 points through three quarters, equaled that total in the final eight minutes.
He hit a pair of free throws and a basket in the first 45 seconds of the final period for a 54-37 lead.
The Eels got a little spark when, trailing 56-39, Cannon hit the first of two free throws but missed the second — with LaFary grabbing the rebound and scoring to make it 56-42 midway through the period.
Clay City, playing its first game under new head coach Chris Ames, trailed 60-45 with 3:37 left when the Eels scored five straight points to cut the gap to 60-50. Owens had another basket to start the run, while Bryce Patterson hit a basket and a free throw.
The Eels were done scoring, however, and the Eagles tallied the game’s final seven points on baskets by Fanning and Lane Watson and three Plunkett free throws.
Fanning had 24 points to lead all scorers, while Plunkett added 22. Austin Arnold chipped in with seven points.
Owens had 18 points and was the only Eel in double figures, although LaFary and Pipes were close with nine each. LaFary, standing just six feet tall, outhustled everyone else on the court to lead all rebounders with 12.
The Eels will play at North Knox on Tuesday, while South Putnam is idle until a Nov. 30 game at North Putnam to start Western Indiana Conference play.
SOUTH PUTNAM (67) — Plunkett 8-18 6-11 22, Fanning 7-12 8- 24, Scott 2-2 0-0 4, Watson 1-2 0-0 2, Arnold 3-5 0-0 7, Blaydes 1-2 0-0 2, VanSickle 1-3 0-0 2, Gregory 1-1 0-0 2, Heavin 1-1 0-0 2, Leo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-46 FG, 14-22 FT, 67 TP
CLAY CITY (50) — Rogers 1-3 0-0 3, Adams 0-4 0-0 0, Crosby 1-7 1-2 3, LaFary 3-4 2-3 9, Owens 6-8 2-4 18, Cannon 1-3 0-2 3, Patterson 2-5 1-4 5, Pipes 4-7 0-0 9, Newton 0-1 0-0 0, Buell 0-1 0-0 0, Harris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-42 FG, 6-15 FT, 50 TP
| South Putnam | 15 | 18 | 17 | 17 | — | 67 |
| Clay City | 13 | 16 | 8 | 13 | — | 50 |
3-point shooting — South 3-11 (Plunkett 0-3, Fanning 2-3, Arnold 1-3, VanSickle 0-2), Clay City 8-20 (Rogers 1-2, Adams 0-2, Crosby 0-2, LaFary 1-2, Owens 4-5, Cannon 1-3, Patterson 0-1, Pipes 1-3). Turnovers — South Putnam 11, Clay City 18. Rebounds — Clay City 26 (LaFary 12), South Putnam 23 (Arnold, Plunkett 5).