South Putnam get big win at Banker's Life

Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The South Putnam boys' team stands in Bankers Life Fieldhouse after its overtime victory. (Courtesy Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS -- A tough Friday-night loss to Cloverdale was not enough to dampen the spirits around South Putnam when the boys' basketball team traveled to Banker's Life Fieldhouse for a showdown with Lighthouse Christian Academy.

The Eagles held a nine-point lead with 2:30 to play in the fourth quarter, only for the Lions to come roaring back, tying the game and missing a chance to win in regulation, a miss that would prove costly as South Putnam rallied to win 44-41 in overtime.

Eagle head coach Greg Dean said the team had no trouble getting amped for the game.

"I thought we did a really good job of coming out to play," Dean said. "I don't think it took too much for the kids to be excited to play at Banker's Life.

"The kids were anxious to get out there, into a unique atmosphere, and it was a great opportunity for our kids."

South Putnam raced out to an early double-digit lead in the first quarter, mainly through the efforts of Jacob Schroer, who scored nine of the teams' 15 first-quarter points, helping the Eagles gain a 15-3 advantage after eight minutes of play.

Neither side had much luck scoring in the second quarter as South Putnam carried a 20-11 lead into the break.

Dean felt the offense played better than the 20 points on the board indicated.

"I thought defensively we did a lot of good things," Dean said. "We did a good job taking away their weapons and keeping the game plan in the first half.

"I felt, going into halftime, that we had scored more than the 20 points we did. It felt like we played better offensively than that."

Lighthouse Christian pushed the tempo to start the second half, hitting the Eagles with a full-court press that allowed the Lions to close the deficit down to 22-18 midway through the third quarter.

Trevor Long scored seven of the last nine points in the quarter to help preserve South Putnam's nine-point halftime advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The Eagles stayed comfortably in front of Lighthouse Christian until the final three minutes of regulation.

Bray Snider converted a three-point play and hit a three to cut the deficit to three. Thomas Sinclaire hit the first of two free throws and missed the second, only for a Lion to grab the offensive board.

Caleb Norris was fouled and sank both of his free throw attempts and after a steal, Lighthouse Christian had a chance to win the game in regulation, only to see Nick Kult miss a runner to send the game into overtime.

South Putnam finally found a hole in the Lion full-court press and exploited it as Long hit two lay-ups to start the overtime period and after Chad Menke and Grady McHugh hit a pair of shots, the Eagles held a 41-37 advantage.

Josh Stewart hit three free throws down the stretch that helped to seal the game after Norris' late three was nullified by a foul before the shot, sending the freshman to the line instead of into double overtime tied at 33.

Dean said the late press break was a sign the squad was getting better at handling pressure defense and kept their cool late to win the game.

"I think we're getting more and more comfortable with it all the time," Dean said. "I think we're learning and understanding what we need to do as a basketball team.

"Sometimes, we still get a little too fast and we've got to recognize when the opportunity is there to be aggressive and attack, and when it's the right move to pull it out and set up our half-court offense. That's something we're still trying to get into our kids.

"Fortunately, the kids kept battling and executing down the stretch to get us into overtime and get us the win," Dean added.

South Putnam hosts North Putnam on Friday as both boys' teams look to secure a conference win in the last WCC game of the season.

Dean said the team needed to continue to play smart in a high-intensity atmosphere.

"We need to keep executing on offense," Dean said. "We understand it's a county game and a conference game, so there's certainly a rivalry.

"We had a pretty good game with them in the county tournament, so I think our kids are going to be anxious and motivated to play. It's a home game and a game both teams could use, so our kids are anxious to get out there."


At Banker's Life Fieldhouse

South Putnam 15 5 9 4 11 -- 44

Lighthouse Christian Academy 3 8 9 13 8 -- 41

Scoring

South Putnam -- 16-32 FG, 2-9 3-FG, 10-15 FT -- Long 17, Schroer 14, Menke 6, Stewart 3, Carmichael 2, McHugh 2

LCA -- Sinclaire 13, N. Kult 10, Snider 10, Norris 8, W. Kult 0, De Jong 0, Smith 0

Statistics (SP Only)

Rebounding (Offensive) -- 22 (6)

Assists -- 11

Steals -- 6

Blocks -- 1

Turnovers -- 18

Next Game: South Putnam (2-14, 0-3 WCC) hosts North Putnam (3-13, 0-3 WCC) in a girls/boys varsity doubleheader Friday.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: