TERRE HAUTE —
North Central’s boys basketball team has eight players on its varsity roster. Only three are upperclassmen.
That ought to give a good indication of what the Class A Thunderbirds were up against when they moved up in class to battle Class 4A Terre Haute South in a rare Wednesday varsity boys basketball game.
The more experienced Braves imposed their will on the youthful T-Birds and quickly turned the game into a rout. South ultimately prevailed 80-39.
Jeffrey Turner led South (2-3) with 23 points. Timmy Herrin added 18 and converted his first six shots from the field. Greg Newton had eight rebounds for the Braves. Gavin Stanifer paced North Central (1-5) with nine points.
South substituted liberally. The Braves’ starters played the first four minutes in the first three quarters and all of the final period.
“We’ve only been going seven-deep and we’re going to need those 8-9-10 guys at some point this season. Tonight, they got out there and we wanted to see who we could count on. They needed a chance to play,” South coach Scott Ridge said.
A 16-0 run in the early part of the first quarter put the game out of reach. The T-Birds couldn’t handle South’s suffocating ball pressure and would turn it over nine times in the opening period alone. North Central would ultimately have 22 turnovers overall.
“We’re a very young team. We started three sophomores, a freshman and a senior tonight. We were very intimidated early. We don’t play many 4A schools. We aren’t used to playing guys who are quicker than we are,” North Central coach Ryan Kamman said.
Turner continued his prodigious early-season scoring as he had seven of South’s first 18 points. Other Braves got in the act too. Shane Stanley had three first quarter 3-pointers. Herrin had six points in the opening period.
North Central cut down the turnovers in the second quarter, but the pace favored the Braves. South scored 27 points in the quarter, led by Turner’s 10 points in the period. South led 51-14 at halftime.
The T-Birds got the hang of it a bit in the third period, outscoring South 15-12 in a quarter where South played its starters for about half the quarter. South won the second half, but by just a 29-25 margin.
“North Central brought it and we didn’t. I thought we got outplayed in the second half. It keeps our kids down to Earth. We did it for a half, but we didn’t do it for a full game,” Ridge said.
Though the loss stung, it was a chance for North Central to play against a level of competition it doesn’t get in the SouthWestern Indiana Athletic Conference. Kamman figures the benefits will pay off down the line.
“We settled down and competed better in the second half. It’s what we’re capable of,” Kamman said. “It’ll be good for us in the long run. It’s good to play teams better than us that show us where we need to get to.”
South plays three games in the next four days and four in the next six. It’s a stretch that should prepare the Braves for the rigors of the Pizza Hut Classic later this month and the postseason in March.
“It’s a good setup for us. That’s what I like about this week. It’s a tournament type of schedule. The ultimate goal is the tournament and we want to keep getting better until we get there,” Ridge said.
South plays at West Vigo and North Central plays host to county rival Sullivan on Friday. The Braves play at Evansville Reitz on Saturday.
NORTH CENTRAL (39) — Stanifer 3-13 2-2 9, Jewell 2-7 0-2 5, Lebeda 0-3 0-0 0, Drake 1-3 1-3 3, Peterson 2-4 4-4 8, Nikirk 3-6 2-2 8, Stucker 1-6 0-0 3, Greene 1-4 1-3 3, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Adams 0-0 0-0 0. 13-46 FG, 10-16 FT. 39 TP.
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (80) — Gregory 1-3 0-0 2, Shipley 3-5 2-2 8, P. Tofaute 0-1 0-0 0, Herrin 9-15 0-0 18, Turner 9-13 2-3 23, Stanley 3-4 0-0 9, Wolfe 2-7 1-2 6, S. Tofaute 1-4 0-0 2, Newton 2-5 0-0 4, Fuson 1-4 1-2 3, Minnett 1-4 2-2 5. 23-51 FG, 8-11 FT, 80 TP.
North Central 8 6 15 10 — 39
Terre Haute South 24 27 12 17 — 80
3-point goals — NC 3-18 (Stanifer 1-7, Jewell 1-5, Stucker 1-4, Lebeda 0-1, Drake 0-1), THS 8-20 (Turner 3-4, Stanley 3-3, Wolfe 1-4, Minnett 1-2, Gregory 0-2, S. Tofaute 0-2, Fuson 0-2, Shipley 0-1). Rebounds — NC 26* (Peterson 7, Team RB 5*, Stanifer 4, Greene 4, Lebeda 2, Drake 2, Jewell, Stucker), THS 40* (Newton 8, Herrin 5, Stanley 4, Wolfe 4, S. Tofaute 4, Fuson 4, Team RB 4*, Gregory 2, Shipley 2, Turner 2, Minnett 2). Steals — NC 5 (Stanifer 2, Jewell, Nikirk, Stucker), THS 14 (Turner 4, Gregory 2, Shipley, P. Tofaute, Herrin, Stanley, Wolfe, S. Tofaute, Newton, Fuson). Blocks — NC 1(Drake), THS 2 (Herrin, Newton). Turnovers — NC 22, THS 13 Total fouls — NC 10, THS 14.
JV — TH South 39 (Minnett 9), North Central 11 (McClure 3).
Freshmen — TH South 38 (Deady 10), West Vigo 34 (Rollings 9).
Next — TH South (2-3) plays at West Vigo and North Central (1-5) plays host to Sullivan on Friday.
High School
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Long range: Terre Haute South guard Shane Stanley came off the bench in the first quarter to hit three 3-pointers.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Two more: Terre Haute South's Conner Shipley shoots over the defense of North Central's Mitchell Peterson in first-half action.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Inside look: Terre Haute South's Timmy Herrin did the damage from inside. Here he gets two from the paint.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis To the line: Terre Haute South's Tre Minnett is fouled by North Central's Nick Stucker late in the first half of their Wednesday night ball game in the Braves' gym.
Discussion
Braves take control: North Central’s youth not up to South’s challenge
- High School
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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Vikings win in extra innings at Rockville
West Vigo scored six runs in its first two innings Saturday, then needed a ninth-inning single by Lucas Fagg to escape with a 7-6 extra-inning win in nonconference high school baseball at Rockville.
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TH South beats Northview in Big Four makeup baseball game
Terre Haute South wrapped up a share of the MIC baseball title and finished up the Big Four Classic with an 8-1 victory over Northview in less than 24 hours on Saturday morning.
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Olds pitches South to share of MIC baseball title
Friday night, winning the second game 5-0 and earning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title.
Damon Olds was dominant on the mound for the Braves, striking out 14 and walking just one while pitching a three-hit shutout. -
South wins first half of doubleheader against Lawrence North
Host Terre Haute South kept its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title hopes alive — and clinched no worse than second place in the process — by downing Lawrence North 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday night.
The second game, which started after Senior Night festivities between games, ended past the Tribune-Star deadline. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Calleja pitches West Vigo past South Vermillion
Brandon Calleja had 13 strikeouts to lead West Vigo to a 5-1 victory against South Vermillion in high school baseball Friday.
Brandon Behringer went 2 for 4 with two RBI for the Vikings, who secured second place in the Western Indiana Conference.
Kaden Lawson had double for South Vermillion (15-7), which finished 4-2 in the WIC. -
Seibert returns from injury to win three events as Braves win sectional crown
His baseball equivalent might be Rick Sutcliffe of the 1984 Chicago Cubs.
When Tyler Seibert returned to the Terre Haute South track and field lineup Thursday for sectional action at Terre Haute North, it was like the midseason trade the Cubs made for Sutcliffe that earned them a playoff spot. -
South switches up lineup to defeat North in tennis sectional
Terre Haute South coach Bill Blankenbaker said two weeks ago that he would change the Braves’ lineup after the 3-2 dual-meet loss to Terre Haute North.
The Patriots knew it was coming, but they couldn’t do anything to stop it. -
PREP ROUNDUP: North slips past Northview in eight-inning baseball game
Colton Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk to score Zach Milam with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as host Terre Haute North edged Northview 8-7 in high school baseball Thursday at Jennings Field.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North and South to face off for tennis sectional title
The winner of the Terre Haute sectional for girls high school tennis will come down to Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
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Terre Haute North gets 10 event victories to claim 12th straight sectional crown
Terre Haute North won 10 events Tuesday night while winning the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls track and field section at South Putnam High School for the 12th straight year.
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North, South to meet in first round of baseball sectional
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced pairings for the baseball state tournament Tuesday and the draw offered up a Vigo County battle in the opening game.
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PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo softball clinches share of WIC title
West Vigo clinched at least a share of the Western Indiana Conference softball title with a 6-4 victory over Edgewood on Tuesday.
Jacy McClain and Bailee Waters had RBI singles in the fourth inning to break the game open for the Vikings. -
Track sectional titles on the line
Expect one heck of a high school dual track meet Thursday night when Wabash Valley boys visit Terre Haute North for sectional action.
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Prep report: Patriots, Braves favored to advance from tennis sectional 1st round
Persons attending this week’s girls tennis sectional championship match at Terre Haute North might want to pack a lunch.
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Local ADs happy to see spring come to a close
Brian Mancuso is the most experienced of the high school athletic directors in Vigo County — and that’s a very relative term — but even he wasn’t quite ready for the headaches that have accompanied spring sports the last few weeks thanks to rain, rain and more rain.
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South baseball remains in first-place tie with Center Grove
Heading into Saturday’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball doubleheader against Center Grove, coach Kyle Kraemer of Terre Haute South wasn’t completely optimistic.
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Kehrt Award goes to Emily Bell, Lee Davis
Emily Bell of Terre Haute South and Lee Davis of Terre Haute North are the 2013 recipients of the Willard M. Kehrt Mental Attitude Award.
Bell and Davis were nominated by their schools and chosen in a vote by the Kehrt Award panel. Both will be recognized at awards assemblies later in the month at the schools.
Bell played varsity basketball four years at South and is competing in track this season, running the 800 and two relays. “I wanted something to do my senior year,” Bell said.
She plans to attend DePauw University and play basketball. DePauw is the reigning NCAA Division III champ in women's basketball.
Bell tore an AÇL playing in a basketball tournament the summer after her sophomore season. She missed most of her junior season but came back to play her senior year and was second leading scorer and leading rebounder her final season.
Bell also was leading rebounder her sophomore year. -
South softball's power display earns Braves share of MIC
The fun that the Terre Haute South high school softball team had Saturday — including those five home runs — was all the result of the hard work the Braves had put in before the game, coach Dwayne Stout said after the game.
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Pirtle takes medalist, leads Sullivan to WIC title
Sullivan took team and individual honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys high school golf championships played Saturday at Idle Creek.
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Prep roundup: Patriots drop doubleheader to Carmel baseball
Host Terre Haute North saw its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball championship hopes suffer what was probably a fatal blow on Saturday as the Patriots lost a doubleheader to Carmel by scores of 8-7 and 11-8.
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Timely hits: After slow start, Terre Haute North rallies to beat Mooresville
No-hit through three innings, Terre Haute North’s bats came alive — especially Sam Wolf’s — just in time to rally for a 4-2 home victory over Mooresville in high school baseball Friday evening at Jennings Field.
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Linton’s Weber to coach at BNL
Bedford North Lawrence High School has announced that Steve Weber will be the Stars’ head coach for the 2013 season.
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Freshman group adds to Big Four teams' baseball tradition
The Terre Haute North-Terre Haute South high school baseball series wasn’t an inning old last week before T.J. Collett of the Patriots lashed a run-scoring single.
That hit helped the Patriots take a 2-0 lead, but in the top of the second inning a three-run double by Justin Jenkins sparked the visiting Braves to a four-run inning.
North tied the score in the bottom of the second inning, Collett driving in another run. And just before rain caused the game to be suspended, South called Logan Ames in from its bullpen for some solid pitching.
Not bad for a trio of freshmen. And the weekend hadn’t even started yet. -
Pairings drawn for high school softball sectionals
The IHSAA announced Thursday its pairings for the 2013 sectional softball tournament slated for May 20-25.
Regionals will take place May 28. -
North boys make it three consecutive Vigo County golf titles
Terre Haute North made it three in a row in Vigo County boys high school golf championship action Wednesday at Hulman Links.
The Patriots shot 161 to edge Terre Haute South with 165. West Vigo carded 222. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Wolf homers as North baseball wins 16th game
Terre Haute North erupted for seven runs in the third inning on its way to routing visiting White River Valley 14-1 in 41⁄2 innings of high school baseball Wednesday afternoon at Don Jennings Field.
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Northview's Carter strikes out 19 in 10-inning win against South Vermillion
Northview’s Taylor Carter and South Vermillion’s Daphne Dunegan locked into a 10-inning all-star softball pitching duel Tuesday night at Northview High School.
Unfortunately, one of them had to lose. -
PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP: South Vermillion 4-0 in WIC after 4-3 win at Northview
Jordan Branz won his ninth game of the season, scattering six hits over eight innings to lead South Vermillion to a 4-3 victory at Northview in a Western Indiana Conference battle.
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Thompson going into Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame
Former Terre Haute North High School standout Anthony Thompson is the newest member of the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame.
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