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Cougars get 10th win
BAINBRIDGE -- Senior night proved to be sweet for North Putnam Tuesday night as the Cougars defeated the North Vermillion Falcons, 67-45, as they showcased an all-senior starting five.
Tyler Trent, Jake Mullis, Brayden Dahlstrom, Max Schreiber and Brian Blaydes made up the starting five Tuesday night, all contributing to the win. Trent, Dahlstrom, and Mullis combined for 41 of North Putnam's 67 points.
The Cougars seized control from the opening tip and never let the Falcons catch their breath.
Trent got the Cougars off to a fast start, scoring eight of North's first 10 points, which included a couple of three-point baskets.
"He's (Trent) is a really special kid," North Putnam coach Wes Peek commented. "He's a very good, streaky scorer."
Brayden Dahlstrom scored off of an offensive rebound, but then the Cougars let the Falcons creep back into the game midway through the quarter.
Zach McBride scored six straight points for North Vermillion to bring the score to 10-8 with 4:11 on the clock. The Cougars simply shifted into another gear and left the Falcons in the dust.
North Putnam scored the final eight points of the quarter as Griffen Dahlstrom scored four quick points, Mullis connected on a driving shot and Trent closed out his first quarter heroics by scoring just before the buzzer, to give the Cougars an 18-8 left after one.
The second quarter saw the Cougars continuing to dominate the Falcons on both ends of the court. North's defensive effort was superb Tuesday night as it forced North Vermillion into 25 turnovers on the night and 0-for-7 at the line through the first half.
After failing to go to the line in the opening quarter, North connected on 7-of-10 free throws in the second quarter, and received a couple of downtown twine ticklers from Mullis and Zack Hedrick to continue to build its lead. Brayden Dahlstrom hit a fantastic shot while falling to the floor to give the Cougars a halftime lead of 35-22.
Just as the opening quarter belonged to Trent, the third belonged to fellow senior Brayden Dahlstrom. He scored eight points, including back-to-back three-pointers and provided some great defense along with Mullis, Trent and Blaydes. Mullis scored two of his game-high 15 points with 3:24 remaining in the third. The quarter expired with the Cougars holding a 22-points advantage over the Falcons.
North Putnam never let up on the feverish pace it set in the first half and that included the final eight minutes. North kept pressing North Vermillion on defense and running the Falcons ragged on the offensive end. The highlight of the quarter came when Brayden Dahlstrom caught a court-length pass and dumped it while spinning to a driving Blaydes for the layup.
The Falcons would mount a small scoring surge after North cleared its bench, but the Cougars were way too much for North Vermillion to handle. When the buzzer sounded, North had won by 23 points and were optimistic going into the weekend.
"This senior group just came out and did what they had done all year," a teary-eyed Peek said after the contest. "They have really been a fun group to be around and I'm going to miss them like crazy."
With the team having not practiced for eight days, Peek was happy with his squad.
"The snow really hurt us," he said. "We almost had five guys in double figures and you need that type of balance this time of year."
The JV squad fell to the Falcons, 58-55 in overtime.
The squads will next travel to face the Danville Warriors Friday at 6 p.m.
At North Putnam
North Putnam 67 North Vermillion 45
North Putnam (67) -- Mullis 15, B. Dahlstrom 14, Trent 12, Schreiber 2, Blaydes 2, G. Dahlstrom 7, Hedrick 8, Alcorn 1, Dean 4, Young 2. Totals: FG 26-63 FT 8-12 TP 67.
North Vermillion (45) -- Boling 2, Grube 2, McBride 12, Yoho 6, Swartz 2, Howard 4, Buchhass 6, Allen 6, Goins 5. Totals: FG 20-42 FT 5-17 TP 45.
3pt. FG -- North Putnam 7 (Mullis 1, Trent 2, Dahlstrom 2, Hedrick 2), North Vermillion 0 Total fouls: North Putnam 21, North Vermillion 16
Junior Varsity -- North Vermillion 58, North Putnam 55
Next game -- The squads will next travel to face the Danville Warriors Friday at 6 p.m.