TERRE HAUTE — If the last two weeks proved anything to Wabash Valley high school basketball fans, it was that toughness is what it takes to win tournaments.
On March 5 and 6 I watched an otherwise nondescript Martinsville team eliminate the Vigo County contingent from Indiana’s Class 4A Plainfield Sectional by absorbing everything our teams threw at it, then counterpunching.
And this past Friday and Saturday I was fortunate enough to watch Robinson’s Maroons give an even better example, emerging with the Illinois Class 2A state championship as a result.
Actually, the Maroons may have won the state tournament on Dec. 19. That’s when they entertained Chicago’s Morgan Park, a city ball experience that certainly came in handy against Hales Franciscan — a team one of the gentlemen sitting with me on press row felt might have been the best in the state in any class — and Peoria Manual.
Those two teams were in any discussion of the best defensive teams I saw all season, and would rank one-two in terms of being able to convert that defense to offense.
Many, many times the Maroons would turn the ball over to give up a layup. Many, many times the Maroons would lob the ball inside to 7-foot Meyers Leonard, only to have defenders swarm around him like piranha to bloody water. Many, many times during the season teams facing Hales or Manual would eventually wilt under that relentless pressure.
The Robinson kids got tougher.
By the second half of each game, particularly the championship game, they had figured out ways to attack — which they never stopped doing. As they got stronger with the ball, those defensive gambles by their opponents turned into free throw opportunities for the Maroons — who got to the line 77 times and made 62 of those attempts for the weekend. And in both games, just when it seemed the other team was ready to take over in the fourth quarter with a four-point lead (Friday) and a six-point advantage (Saturday), it was Robinson running off a streak of consecutive points to take over.
“All through the postseason, we’ve been behind in every game but found a way to win,” coach Bob Coffman said during the euphoria on the Carver Arena court after the championship game.
“We always pull together and find ways to win,” senior forward Devan Dirks said in a slightly quieter lockerroom a while later. “That’s what champions do.”
Yes they do.
If Robinson’s more aggressive scheduling this season was a big factor in the Maroons’ success, credit should also be paid to whoever coaches free throw shooting — that’s a joke, because I don’t think you can coach that — and whoever is in charge of conditioning. The Maroons used six players on Friday, eight on Saturday, and the five starters played the great majority of the minutes against two very deep foes.
Robinson was the fresher team at the end both nights. Coffman praised his team’s work at getting in shape and agreed it was a factor, “especially to make free throws at the end of games like we did.”
Which brings us, of course, to Derek Hannahs. I couldn’t find Mitch Hannahs in the huge Robinson crowds, but I suspect he was on the road with his Lincoln Trail baseball team. Let’s hope there’s a video available for him to watch his son sometime this week.
Derek’s not a bruiser, but he’s not afraid to attack the basket either. He wound up at the foul line 20 times Saturday, a dozen of those in the overtime period, and finished off Peoria Manual by hitting 18 of those. He was pretty sure, he said, that it was the most he’d ever made in a game. “All that matters is that I made the most tonight,” he added.
Attacking the basket, of course, is what Ben Jones does too. His first quarter Friday and his fourth quarter on Saturday — until getting perhaps (no perhaps, he’ll say) a dubious fifth-foul call — were also keys to Robinson’s offense.
One of the missing keys to Robinson’s offense were assists by Leonard from the post. A truly gifted passer, Leonard didn’t have an assist in either game — he averaged four per game for the year — because he was attracting so much quick, aggressive company.
“Coming out here, [opponents’] game plan is try to get my in foul trouble and get in my head,” the big man said after the game, “but I’m used to that.”
Being used to it isn’t to say that Leonard likes it. He said he’s ready to play against college-sized people after a weekend that tested him physically — with one particularly frightening fall on which no foul was called — and emotionally.
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep control of my emotions,” he admitted. “I kept my composure tonight with four fouls, but [being in foul trouble] gets under my skin because I want to make plays on every shot [by an opponent] … I think I still did a pretty decent job [in the middle defensively].”
My stat sheet had him with 10 blocks on Saturday, which would have been 12 except for two calls.
Other Robinson defenders were outstanding too, which is why both their opponents shot under 40 percent from the field. Dirks, Jones, Hannahs and sixth man Cody Chamblin all played well, usually facing all-state-caliber opposition, but the defensive ringleader was probably Austin Siler.
“That’s kind of been my role on the team this year,” Siler said Saturday when asked about his defense. Since the starting backcourts from Hales and Manual both included a pair of all-staters, Siler obviously saved his toughest challenge for last.
“They were so quick,” he said, agreeing he was guarding the best players he saw all year. “I just try to come out and make sure they’re not scoring a ton of points … this is amazing. I can’t even put [the feeling of winning the state championship] into words.”
“It’s awesome,” Hannahs agreed. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet. I’m numb right now.”
“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid,” Jones added.
“All the hard work paid off,” said Dirks, who said he and his teammates had planned the moment “since we were little kids … and played AAU together. There were no doubts at all.”
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Leonard. “I’m thankful; I feel absolutely blessed to follow my teammates though our journey of success.”
One other journey should be mentioned too. Robinson is farther from Peoria than any of the other three schools, yet the Maroons had by far the biggest fan base — and by far the loudest one.
“It was as close to a home game as we could get,” said Coffman, crediting the fans for helping his team down the stretch of both games. “This was a win for our entire school and our entire community … definitely a community effort.”
Amey Takes Aim
Amey Takes Aim: Robinson proves it takes toughness to win tournaments
- Amey Takes Aim
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Getting ready for the dance
Terre Haute North got the good news Sunday night — or did it?
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Harrowing path for state hopefuls
The bad news is that the winner of Class 4A Sectional 13 in boys basketball heads northeast instead of southeast for regional play in March — to Hinkle Fieldhouse instead of Seymour as a result of Indiana High School Athletic Association’s changes.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: A superior all-star arrangement
I don’t work on Wednesdays, so I wasn’t able to attend the first Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association draft last week to set up the annual all-star game that will be June 23 this year.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
There are more things to love about the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic than could fit in this newspaper, but one of this year’s best things was that for an hour or so on Wednesday, it was Justin Paddock’s world and we were just living in it.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Taking note of ISU’s latest football win
The biggest difference I’ve noticed, as I transition from the high school football beat to quasi-official status as the Indiana State football beat writer for a few weeks, is the length of the games.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: IHSAA playoff draw not as bad as it could have been
First reaction to the Indiana sectional football pairings drawn late Sunday by the Indiana High School Athletic Association? It could have been a lot worse.
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ANDY AMEY: Between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & a hard place
Just in case any of you noticed — with some anticipation — the recent lack of my bylines, I can tell you that your wish (and mine) did come true. It was vacation week for the Amey family.
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Amey Takes Aim: UFC fighter’s bloodines traced back to ISU brothers
As a mild-mannered reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper — or thereabouts — I admit I haven’t paid much attention to the burgeoning mixed martial arts scene.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Predators’ win is music to new fan’s ears
For many, many years, the number of live games televised on WGN has been cited as perhaps the main reason for the popularity of the Chicago Cubs (it’s got to be something besides masochism, right?).
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AMEY TAKES AIM: You’ll be having a good ol’ time on vacation with the Ameys
When one of the first people you meet is Tammy Wynette’s stepdaughter, when you’ve stepped on the feet of people you haven’t met while trying to navigate Ernest Tubbs’ old Silver Eagle tour bus, and when the activities director of your resort is, well, Elvis, you might be vacationing in Nashville.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The Annual All-Amey basketball teams close out the prep season
The most encouraging boys high school basketball event I’ve attended so far in 2011 has been the Lafayette Semistate a couple of weeks ago.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Family remembers Cheryl Weatherman as caring grandmother
As far as Riley and Keely Davis are concerned, Cheryl Weatherman was simply their grandmother, and a pretty darn good one at that.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Honor to see Turkey Run girls close out memorable career
I don’t know if anyone in this part of the state could actually say they enjoy going to Fort Wayne and back, but I was glad to see the Turkey Run Warriors play one last time during the girls basketball state finals Saturday.
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So many matches, so many favorites
Go ahead, ask me anything about the 224 wrestlers who competed last week at the Indiana state finals — or at least about the 112 wrestlers who survived Saturday’s first round.
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ANDY TAKES AIM: A sportwriters’s lament: Oh, the games we missed
I was already tired of winter by the time that first bitterly cold snap passed through in mid-December, so it’s safe to say the season hasn’t grown on me.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Time of the season for teams to tough it out
In the last month or so I figure I’ve seen at least four boys high school basketball teams with legitimate state-championship dreams as the season heads into its dog days.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: It's the fall 2010 Amey Awards
I won’t get to know the kids from Casey and North Putnam until they come to Terre Haute in droves next June for the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star game, so I guess it’s not too early for the high school football awards from this space.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: An early look at Indiana prep football playoffs
I wasn’t at all surprised to watch Linton pick up a 20-point win over previously unbeaten North Knox in high school football last Friday, one week after the Miners had lost by 40 to North Daviess.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Baseball season rounding third for an exciting ending
Major League baseball is coming down to an interesting week for the National League, then a couple of interesting weeks for the American League.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Look for me in the yellow shirt
I won’t be wearing pink or blue tonight for the Terre Haute South-Terre Haute North volleyball match at North, but I’m anticipating that plenty of you will be.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Little QB had big moments in ISU blue
You won’t find his name easily in the Indiana State record book, but for my money the best quarterback the Sycamores have ever had was Verbie Walder.
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Amey Takes Aim: Biggest baseball pet peeve … Nibbling
Having seen some outstanding baseball — and some not-so-outstanding baseball — at literally every level of play this spring and summer, I have identified what without a doubt is my main pet peeve with the sport. Nibbling. I’m not referring to popcorn or pretzels or nachos or cheese sticks or corn dogs or snow cones or candy or ice cream. Those can also be a serious problem — particularly if the kids are with me — but one that can be solved by simply running out of money.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Head to the high seas: Ameys’ vacation cruise
It’s good to be king. Abdication? Not so good.
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World Cup replaces void opened when Stanley Cup ended
It’s niche sports day here at the Tribune-Star, so we’ll start with a test of how much you learned while watching the recent National Hockey League season.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: Win or lose, a softball season to remember
Well, this is awkward. I’m writing this late Monday night, with my Tuesday and Wednesday days off in the future, not knowing entirely how happy I am with state-finals softball.
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Amey Takes Aim: Wabash Valley is a softball powerhouse
Greetings from the high school softball capital of Indiana. Your Tribune-Star will be spending all day Saturday at Ben Davis, dominating the press box and elbowing those other newspapers to the back row where they belong. No other paper has as many teams to cover as we do (go Panthers, go Miners and go Patriots); The Times and Post-Tribune get off to a good start with Whiting (against Riverton Parke) and Wheeler (versus Linton), but couldn’t get anything going among the bigger schools (now that my cousin Keith Hauber no longer coaches at Lake Central).
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Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs > NBA playoffs
Eavesdropping, as I often do, at a couple of sporting events recently, I heard conversations that warmed my heart. At both the Rose-Hulman baseball game recently and the Terre Haute North-Terre Haute South girls tennis match a week ago, I heard spirited arguments involving — the NHL playoffs.
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Amey Takes Aim: Amey family travels to Astros land
I have an uneasy feeling that I know what I’m getting for Fathers Day. Not sure how your family celebrates that holiday, but mine uses it to get me things I wouldn’t otherwise buy for myself. It’s probably the only reason I ever got a cell phone, and a couple of years ago it was a good excuse for a flat-screen TV for the living room. Yes, I use both of them now.
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Amey Takes Aim: Favorite group for boys basketball Amey Awards ... Most Improved team
As much as I enjoyed the girls high school basketball season this past winter, I liked the boys season even better; something about a team winning its last game — or another team practically becoming the 2010 version of “Hoosiers” — will do that for you. Maybe that’s the excuse for having a record number of captains for some of the Andy Amey teams, as you are about to see.
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ANDY AMEY: Butter your popcorn! It’s time for the Amey Awards!
Yes, you’re right. The high school girls basketball season has been over for awhile, which can only mean the Andy Amey teams are getting out a little late this spring.
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