TERRE HAUTE —
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.
A 6-foot-8 senior forward, O’Leary used his versatility to connect on 12 of 19 attempts from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range while also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
O’Leary was not a one-man show, however, as teammates Calvin Blank (18) and Ross Sponsler (11) also put up double-figure point totals.
“It was a great team win,” North coach Todd Woelfle emphasized afterward. “The other guys were setting up [the top scorers] with different things. We defended very well. It was the most complete game we’ve played the entire season.
“We talked about before we left the lockerroom that we wanted to be tough… I think we came out with a lot of energy and we were ready to play. Guys were really locked in. We just played really well.”
Playing their final home game of the season, the Patriots jumped ahead 5-0 on a 16-foot jumper by Blank and a 3-pointer from the left corner by O’Leary. A 10-foot jumper and a looong trey by O’Leary padded their cushion to 15-6 midway through the first quarter.
The Loyola-Chicago-bound O’Leary already had 13 points by the time North took a 20-9 advantage into the second frame.
“Matt was hot and we went to the hot hand,” Woelfle told the Tribune-Star. “The other guys were smart enough to realize that he was shooting the ball extremely well. They did the things to set him up. Our point guard, Nate Jahn, handled the ball. Ross Sponsler had a great game. I’m very happy for Ross and Matt to get a big MIC win in their last home game here at Terre Haute North.”
“My teammates were doing a great job of getting me open and I knew that I had to bring a lot of energy after we had that double-overtime game Thursday [against Bloomington North],” O’Leary mentioned. “I was definitely feeling it the whole game today, so that’s always nice.”
Midway through the second period, a 7-0 run — consisting of a 3 by Blank, a reverse layup by O’Leary and an inside bucket by Austin Lewis — increased North’s margin to 31-14.
The Patriots didn’t feel much pressure until the middle of the third quarter when Center Grove rattled off seven unanswered points to pull within 38-29 and later 41-33.
But North saved its best for the final eight minutes, outscoring the Trojans 23-11 to squash any comeback hopes.
Joe Reed finished as Center Grove’s top scorer with 21 points. But the Trojans didn’t help themselves by shooting 16 of 53 from the field (30.2 percent) and 3 of 17 from long range (17.6 percent).
Meanwhile, North went 11 of 23 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc, although Woelfle credited more than good shooting for his team’s offensive effectiveness.
“We moved the ball well,” he pointed out. “We cut hard today and, as I said, this was our most complete effort of the season.
“Hopefully, the real North Patriots showed up today. That’s the way that we need to play for the rest of the season if we want to be successful.”
CENTER GROVE (46) – Vorhies 3-5 2-2 8, Benkert 0-2 2-2 2, Reed 8-21 5-8 21, Wright 2-5 0-0 6, Brown 3-9 0-0 7, Nathan 0-6 0-0 0, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Bryant 0-3 2-3 2, Fernandes 0-2 0-0 0, Wozniak 0-0 0-0 0, Crowder 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 FG, 11-15 FT, 46 TP.
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (69) – O’Leary 12-19 4-5 34, Lewis 2-4 0-0 4, Blank 7-10 1-2 18, Sponsler 2-10 5-6 11, Jahn 0-3 0-0 0, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Grady 1-2 0-0 2, Vickers 0-0 0-0 0, Dillahunt 0-0 0-0 0, Hart 0-0 0-0 0, Low 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 FG, 10-13 FT, 69 TP.
Center Grove 9 10 16 11 — 46
Terre Haute North 20 12 14 23 — 69
3-point shooting — CG 3-17 (Wright 2-5, Brown 1-4, Fernandes 0-1, Vorhies 0-2, Bryant 0-2, Reed 0-3), THN 11-23 (O’Leary 6-9, Blank 3-3, Sponsler 2-7, Jahn 0-1, Davis 0-1, Lewis 0-2). FG Pct. — CG .302, THN .490. 3-pt. FG Pct. — CG .176, THN .478. FT Pct. — CG .733, THN .769. Rebounds — CG 27 (Reed 8, Nathan 5), THN 37 (O’Leary 8, Grady 6, Blank and Sponsler 5). Steals — CG 6 (Vorhies and Brown 2), THN 7 (Grady 3, O’Leary 2). Turnovers — CG 10, THN 11. Blocks — CG 1 (Vorhies), THN 2 (Lewis 2). Total fouls — CG 14, THN 17. Fouled out — none.
JV — Center Grove 46 (Joey Lenkey 10), North 37 (Patrick Hart 9).
Next — North (16-4 overall, 2-3 MIC) will play Friday at Carmel. Center Grove (11-6, 2-4) will visit Mooresville on Tuesday.
High School
O'Leary pours in career-high 34 for Terre Haute North
- High School
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New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
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Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
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West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
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South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
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Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
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PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
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Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
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North Vermillion avenges losses
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Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
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South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
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Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
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Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
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North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
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Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
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Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
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Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
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North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
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Robinson takes regional softball crown
Robinson’s Maroons came from behind in the last two innings Saturday to defeat top-seeded Newton 3-2 and win the Illinois Class 2A Lawrenceville Regional.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Terre Haute South baseball sweeps, takes second place in MIC
Terre Haute South rallied for a tie in the bottom of the seventh and won the game in the bottom of the eighth in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball Saturday, coming behind for a 3-2 win over host Lawrence North.
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