Martinsville —
North Central’s players were not overly concerned with the fact that Saturday’s 80-64 victory against Indianapolis Lutheran was the school’s first ever victory in IHSAA regional round.
The veteran Thunderbirds were ready to get focused on the next opponent, Edinburgh, a 61-60 winner in overtime against Shawe Memorial in the John R. Wooden Gymnasium.
North Central won their fourth sectional title in school history last week, and went for a first regional title Saturday night.
“This is definitely our first. It’s our second regional [appearance] in four years, but we’re definitely not satisfied. Our goal is to go as far as we can,” said senior point guard Bobby Swaby, one of five Thunderbirds to score in double figures.
Jordan Stefancik led the way with 23 points, three short of his career-high of 26. The 6-foot guard slashed to the bucket through the Saints’ defense multiple times, getting acrobatic more than once.
“It’s definitely the biggest game of my career to be able to do it at regionals in front of everybody,” Stefancik said.
Swaby helped ignite the Thunderbirds to a 10-2 run to start the second half, driving for a layup and then stealing the ensuing in-bounds pass and dropping a bounce bass to Tyler Howkinson, who knocked down a pair of free throws for two of his 16 points. Swaby knocked down two more free throws, and Stefancik added two at the charity stripe to cap the spurt that put North Central ahead 47-38 with 3:22 to go in the third quarter.
The Thunderbirds answered a run by Lutheran late in the quarter with a steal and layup by Ethan Stanifer and a steal and near dunk by Stefancik to make it a 12-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
Swaby, Stefancik and Stanifer, who scored 13 — including a momentous 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer of the first half — led an outstanding effort in taking care of the basketball for North Central. The Thunderbirds had just five turnovers in the game and forced 18.
North Central also shot 53.3 percent. The T-Birds showed last week they could grind it out in a defensive battle, topping Shakamak 36-35 in the sectional championship.
On Saturday afternoon, they enjoyed getting up and down the court and knocking down shots inside and out.
“When we played Shakamak, we had to play defense and shut them down. Tonight, we were able to hit shots so we had to extend the lead and get things going,” Stefancik said.
Post men Corbin Rehmel and Howkinson were a combined 9 for 9 from the field, with Rehmel chipping in 10 points and eight rebounds.
And the two big guys did all they could against Lutheran’s stocky post men, although 6-4 Griffin Ford had 19 points and 14 rebounds and 6-3 Andy Denecke finished with 21 points.
“[Rehmel] was about the same size as them height wise but they had a lot of weight on him,” Kamman said in praise of his thin 6-4 senior. “They did [produce some points], but we made it tough on them. They got 15 second-chance points, we need to do a better job there.”
Stefancik was impressed by the NC big men’s ability to find open space and convert.
“We knew coming into the game we had to have big play from the big guys, just rebounding mainly, but to be able to hit every shot they take that also helps us out offensively,” he said.
Stanifer and Swaby also played smart after picking up two fouls in the first quarter. Kamman never took them off the court. Then both picked up a third foul early in the third quarter.
“We weren’t sending them to the bench then either, “ Kamman said.
“They know how to play smart basketball when they get two fouls.”
North Central held Lutheran’s backcourt under wraps and forced a lot of miscues.
“Bobby and Ethan don’t always impress you with their quickness, but they are really good on-the-ball defenders,” Kamman said. “Those two did a really good job of shutting those guys down, and I think our offense really fed off our defense.”
Five players in double-figure scoring always makes it tough to gameplan for a team, Kamman hoped going into the night game.
“Our balance is what makes it difficult for teams to guard us. They’ve got to be ready to defend against five guys. Hopefully, Edinburgh will have the same trouble,” Kamman said.
High School
North Central starts day with its first ever regional win
- High School
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South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
The day didn’t start in a promising fashion for Wabash Valley high school wrestlers at the Evansville Semistate in Ford Center on Saturday — but it got better as it went along.
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TERRE HAUTE NORTH SECTIONAL: Mooresville tops South for fourth straight title
For Terre Haute South High School girls basketball fans, it might sound good that the Braves did not miss a shot in the first four minutes of their Class 4A Terre Haute North Sectional championship game Saturday.
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BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan rebounds from tough start for title
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Sullivan struggled mightily in the first half, eerily reminiscent of its eventual elimination in the final seconds of overtime by Edgewood in last year’s Class 3A girls basketball sectional. -
CLAY CITY SECTIONAL: Eels take third straight sectional crown
Clay City stood up to the pressure and to the Shakamak Lakers on Saturday night to win a third straight Class A sectional championship in the Eel Dome.
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NORTH VERMILLION SECTIONAL: Twenty years in the waiting
The Super Bowl came to a new city. A presidential election was ongoing. And Riverton Parke won a girls basketball sectional.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Rox clinch WRC
Class A No. 8-ranked Rockville knocked off Attica 50-35 in boys high school basketball Saturday afternoon, clinching the Wabash River Conference championship in the process.
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THN SECTIONAL: Braves to play Mooresville for sectional title tonight
Terre Haute South continued to show what’s new and Terre Haute North unfortunately reverted back to what’s old in Class 4A high school girls basketball sectional action Friday night at North.
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OWEN VALLEY SECTIONAL: Eagles bring Vikes down to earth
Baby steps. A baby takes that first step and grins, then attempts the second step and tumbles. The West Vigo High School girls took their first step with a victory Tuesday night in the Class 3A basketball sectional at Owen Valley.
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BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan jumps to early lead in sectional victory
Sullivan jumped out to a 9-0 lead and were never threatened in a dominant 48-25 win over Eastern Greene in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Bloomfield girls basketball sectional inside Glover Gymnasium on Friday.
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North Vermillion Sectional: Panthers, Falcons to meet for NV title
Outstanding defense and quality passing landed Riverton Parke in the championship game of the Class A North Vermillion Sectional. The Panthers will have to get through the host school tonight in order to secure the program’s first sectional crown since 1992.
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South swimmers don’t advance at Finals
Terre Haute South’s trip to the IHSAA girls swimming state finals at the Indiana University Natatorium was a short one Friday night.
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South runs into talented North Central team
Terre Haute South players and coaches knew when they got off the bus Saturday afternoon that they couldn’t run with the Class 4A No. 3-ranked Indianapolis North Central Panthers.
But they tried anyway. -
BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Duncan’s OT free throws help Marshall down H-P
Jacob Duncan hit four free throws in overtime Friday night as visiting Marshall defeated Hutsonville-Palestine 51-49 in Little Illini Conference action.
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O'Leary pours in career-high 34 for Terre Haute North
Matt O’Leary poured in a career-high 34 points, 17 in each half, to lead Terre Haute North to a dominant 69-46 home victory over Center Grove in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference boys high school basketball Saturday afternoon.
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Davis hits layup in double overtime to lift Terre Haute North at Bloomington North
Playing without their two leading scorers against a team that — most of the time — seemed more determined to win than they did, Terre Haute North's Patriots got a driving layup from Steven Davis with 2.8 seconds left in the second overtime to escape Bloomington North with a 54-52 win in high school basketball Thursday night.
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Sullivan stays on top of WIC for third straight year
Western Indiana Conference boys basketball teams have been trying to storm the Sullivan castle for three years now. The Golden Arrows have endured nearly every kind of strategy in the effort to breech their wall. West Vigo tried a few more on Thursday in a showdown for the WIC championship.
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South girls looking for solid performances at swimming state finals
One individual and one relay team, which includes that same individual, will represent Terre Haute South in the IHSAA girls swimming state finals today and possibly Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Cesinger, Jones each score 24 in Clay City win
Blake Cesinger and Brylan Jones poured in 24 points apiece to lead visiting Clay City over North Central 67-53 in SouthWestern Indiana Athletic Conference boys high school basketball Thursday night.
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Teutopolis knocks off record-setting Marshall girls in regional championship
Marshall jumped ahead 4-0 only to watch Teutopolis score the next 11 points Thursday in the championship game of the Class 2A Teutopolis Regional.
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Sullivan wins battle in low post
Sullivan dominated the low block at both ends of the court Wednesday to defeat South Knox 43-30.
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State wrestling berths won't come easily
If high school wrestlers thought regional competition was tough last weekend, they can expect the competition, as Keegan Michael Key used to say on MADtv, taken to “a whole notha level” on Saturday.
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South pulls upset
Plainfield’s 16-5 record made the Quakers the team to beat in the Class 4A Terre Haute North Sectional.
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Vikings break long sectional drought
You’ll have to forgive West Vigo for celebrating just a wee bit prior to the postgame handshake with South Vermillion, but its first victory in a sectional game in 11 years was worthy of celebrating.
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PREP ROUNDUP: RP rolls past Attica
Riverton Parke jumped to a 20-point halftime lead and easily defeated Attica 59-34 in the Class A North Vermillion girls basketball sectional on Tuesday.
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They’re the pride of Marshall
With a 24-1 record, coach Kathy Miller’s Marshall team earned the top seed in the Class 2A Teutopolis Regional.
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Union season more fun with Talpas around
The Union boys basketball team has had its share of fun moments in the past, arguably the most fun being its Class A state runner-up in 2000.
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Injury bug follows girls into postseason
Who’s healthy is the question at least three of the four teams will be asking tonight when Class 4A girls high school basketball sectional play begins at Terre Haute North.
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Rockville needs late run to stop West Vigo
It was a game of fits and starts, but host Rockville finally overcame a stiff challenge from visiting West Vigo in a 53-46 victory in boys high basketball action on Saturday.
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Northview holds off Plainfield
Northview got its sixth victory in boys high school basketball action Saturday night, defeating Plainfield 59-56.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Cloverdale helps Rady to career win No. 714
Brandon Dorman and Joe Fidler combined for 37 points and six 3-pointers Saturday night as visiting Cloverdale defeated Turkey Run 63-45 in boys high school basketball.
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