Eagles stay on a roll with win

Saturday, February 17, 2018

The South Putnam Eagles put together a solid game on both ends of the floor to improve their record to 10-11 with a 57-36 victory over the Owen Valley Patriots Friday night.

The host Eagles put together an excellent shooting night, combined with a solid defensive effort, to pull away in the second half for their fourth win in the last five games. South held the Patriots to just four points in the third quarter to turn a competitive game into a rout, as the Eagles never trailed on the night. Owen Valley fell to 8-13 on the season.

“Our kids really executed the defensive game plan well. Last time (47-35 loss to OV on Jan. 26), they got a lot of threes. We wanted to keep their shooters from getting good looks. Dalton (Scott) was left on an island against their quick point guard and he did a great job. Thomas (Fanning) and Lane (Watson) shut down their scorers,” South Putnam head coach Greg Dean said.

The Eagles made a concerted effort early in the game to get the ball inside. The Eagles jumped out to a 8-2 lead as all eight points were scored in the paint. Once the inside game was established, Fanning made the Patriots pay with a pair of 3-pointers late in the quarter. South shot an efficient 7-of-11 from the field and led 16-11 at the first break in the action. Wes Lesko led the way with six points.

“What more can you say about Wes Lesko? He is out there throwing his body around and attacking the basket. He really gave us a lift tonight,” Dean said.

South continued to pound the ball inside in the second quarter. Allen Plunkett and Lesko each scored 10 points in the first half. The duo repeatedly posted up the smaller Patriots or aggressively attacked the rim and made them pay. The two biggest players on the court also helped the Eagles dominate the boards. South outrebounded Owen Valley 30-21 on the night and 13-8 in the first half. The Patriots were limited to one shot as the Eagles went to the locker room with a 28-21 lead.

South made a statement in the third quarter by outscoring Owen Valley 17-4 and extending its lead to a comfortable 45-25 margin heading into the fourth quarter. Plunkett continually got free going to the basket and scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the quarter.

“Allen really went to the rim tonight. He did a great job of attacking, I don’t think he had a three tonight. He was very effective,” Dean said of the six-foot-five junior, who hit 10 of 15 shots from the field and pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Eagles defense really clamped down in the quarter. The Patriots hit just two field goals in the quarter as they missed 14 shots, while the Eagles efficiently hit 8 of 11 shots and put the game away.

“We really came out focused (after halftime). We have sometimes struggled putting together a good quarter after we have played well. We really did a lot of things well tonight,” Dean said.

The Eagles maintained their lead throughout the fourth quarter. South was able to win the each of the quarters on the night. Owen Valley began to full-court press in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles efficiently were able to break the press and keep their lead. The Patriots never closed the game to less than 18 points in the final stanza.

Owen Valley was led by Nathan Polich with 12 points and Robert Herrington with 10. South put eight players in the scoring column, led by Plunkett’s 24. Lesko had 12 in support, but multiple players scored and looked for their shot on the night. South shot an astounding 62 percent (25 of 40) from the field in puitting away the Patriots.

“We were balanced tonight. I thought we did a great job of executing. We can be pretty tough to guard when we are balanced,” Dean said.

The Eagles will try and reach the .500 mark as they travel to North Vermillion tonight.

OWEN VALLEY (36) – Herrington 5-8 0-1 10, Wood 0-5 0-0 0, Richardson 2-11 0-0 4, Polich 5-11 0-0 12, Atkinson 1-6 0-2 2, Roudebush 0-0 0-0 0, Marsh 2-3 2-2 8, Boyd 0-2 0-0 0, Mauder 0-0 0-0 0, Bonebrake 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-46 FG, 2-5 FT, 36 TP.

SOUTH PUTNAM (57) – Fanning 2-6 0-0 6, Plunkett 10-15 4-5 24, Watson 2-2 0-0 4, Scott 1-4 0-0 2, Lesko 6-7 0-3 12, Gregory 2-4 0-0 5, Arnold 1-1 0-0 2, Heavin 1-1 0-0 2, VanSickle 0-0 0-0 0, Blaydes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-40 FG, 4-8 FT, 57 TP.

Owen Valley 11 10 4 11 — 36

South Putnam 16 12 17 12 — 57

3-Point Shooting — OV 4-17 (Richardson 0-6, Polich 2-6, Atkinson 0-2, Marsh 2-2, Boyd 0-1) SP 3-11 (Fanning 2-4, Plunkett 0-3, Scott 0-3, Gregory 1-1). Rebounds – OV 21 (Herrington 2, Wood 2, Richardson 1, Polich 7, Atkinson 8, Marsh 1) SP – 30 (Fanning 2, Plunkett 13, Watson 3, Scott 3, Lesko 4, Heavin 1, VanSickle 1) FG Pct. – OV 32.6, SP 62.5. FT Pct. – OV 40.0, SP 50.0. Turnovers OV 10, SP 11.

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