GREENCASTLE BOYS' BASKETBALL SECTIONAL: Cougars hold off Mounties late, reach fourth final in five years

Having hurt Southmont on the interior throughout Friday night's IHSAA Boys' Basketball Class 2A Sectional No. 44 semifinal, North Putnam's Isaac Pickel (21) turned provider at a crucial moment, passing off to Matt Farrington (right) for a layup that put the Cougars ahead for good in the team's 57-56 win over the Mounties. North Putnam advances to the sectional final Saturday night, squaring off with Parke Heritage at 7:30 p.m., up from the original 7 p.m. start time.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

3-2-24 Update: The start time of Saturday's final is now 7:30 p.m.

Survive and advance is the name of the game come tournament time.

North Putnam has been proficient at doing just that in the past few seasons, reaching the IHSAA Boys’ Basketball Class 2A Sectional No. 44 final for the fourth time in five years after slipping past Southmont 57-56 Friday night at McAnally Center.

“I fully expected and anticipated that this would be a very different game from the last time we met (Southmont),” North Putnam head coach Vince Brooks said, the Cougars having defeated the Mounties 53-39 on Jan. 29. “They battled very well after a tough start.

“We weren’t as good at defending and made some mistakes at some bad moments but credit to Southmont to battling the way they did, hitting shots the way they did. We came out on top, though it could have gone either way.”

Southmont started the game with a 6-2 lead after baskets from Evan Watson, Hayden Hess and Austin Foley, though the next time a Mountie scored, North Putnam was ahead by double-digits.

With size to match Isaac Pickel inside, Southmont opted to play man defense on the interior, allowing the sophomore to get touches inside and score the first six Cougar points.

The rest of the offense soon caught on as Matt Farrington, Nolan Hackleman and Jaylen Windmiller scored baskets before threes from Kaden Helderman and Windmiller capped a 16-0 run, helping North Putnam to an 18-8 lead after the first quarter.

Aaron McMasters and Watson scored to start the second period while Foley added three points for Southmont but little ground was being gained as Brady Barber and Nolan Agusta hit threes in reply.

Augusta added a second three to answer a Hess triple and hit a third to make it 32-18 late in the second quarter as the Cougars took a 34-22 lead into halftime.

North Putnam’s lead grew to 15 points early in the second half after a Helderman basket and two Hackleman free throws at 38-23.

It was at that point that Southmont took the Cougar blueprint from the first quarter and applied it themselves and Vince Reimondo got hot in a hurry.

The Mountie junior hit consecutive threes, adding a third following a long Hess jumper and hit a jumper of his own to spark a 15-2 run, a move that closed the gap to 40-38.

Pickel scored a late putback to end the third quarter but Hess and Reimondo hit consecutive threes to start the final period, handing Southmont its first lead since the opening minutes at 44-42.

Two Pickel baskets, the second off his block on the other end, saw the Cougars jump back in front 46-44 before Watson scored off a steal to tie things at 46-46.

A three-point play from McMasters canceled out a Hackleman drive and a Reimondo jumper gave the Mounties a 51-48 lead.

On the next trip down the floor, North Putnam scored on a pivotal possession as Hackleman initially missed a three and Pickel had a putback dunk attempt blocked but another offensive rebound eventually ended up in the hands of Helderman, who drilled a three to tie the game.

Pickel followed by feeding Farrington on a drive while two Helderman free throws saw North Putnam take a 55-51 lead with less than a minute to play.

The two teams traded free throws before Hess hit a three with four seconds remaining to cut the gap to one but the Cougars were able to inbound the ball out of a timeout without being fouled to advance to Saturday night’s final against Parke Heritage.

“It was a game of runs for sure,” Brooks said about the win. “Each team took turns with some great offense and incredible defense.

“It’s all about survive and advance, the same thing I said on Tuesday night. It doesn’t matter if it’s ugly or pretty, you just have to move on. The things that worked well tonight might not go as well in the next game as every game is different and every opponent is different.

“It’s all about how well we we’re able to follow the scouting report and do the things we’re trying to do.”

Scoring

Southmont (12-28 2FG; 7-17 3FG; 11-15 FT) — Reimondo 16, Hess 13, Foley 9, Watson 9, McMasters 7, Hubble 2

North Putnam (14-25 2FG; 7-18 3FG; 6-14 FT) — Pickel 12, Helderman 11, Hackleman 11, Augusta 9, Barber 5, Windmiller 5, Farrington 4

Statistics