TIPTON — As Carroll boys basketball coach Jeff Hodson developed his scouting report for Guerin Catholic heading into the Cougars’ opening round Class 2A regional tilt Saturday, of the things he noted, he paid particular attention to one facet of the game.
The Golden Eagles, by Hodson’s estimation, played very well with the lead. With that in mind, he knew that a quick start for his club would be of paramount importance.
Just what Hodson didn’t want to see unfolded right before his eyes, as the Cougars suffered a slow start and fell behind 10-2 through the opening minutes of the contest.
And, although Carroll fought back to tie the game early in the second half, Hodson felt that his team never truly recovered in a 70-60 setback, bringing an end to the campaign for the Cougars.
“The first quarter just killed us,” Hodson said of his club, which trailed 16-6 after the first eight minutes. “We made a few runs, but we just never could get over the hump.”
The slow start came as a result of a Guerin zone defense that limited the Cougars to one field goal in its first five attempts through the first five minutes of the contest.
A pair of Tim Ruby treys and a trio of post buckets from fellow reserve Riley Johnson enabled Carroll (13-11) to close to within two on two occasions in the second quarter, but Guerin (15-10) was able to extend the lead back to seven, 34-27, by the half, aided by a pair of triples from Wilson Denari.
Carroll never led, but five consecutive Golden Eagle turnovers to start the second half allowed the Cougars to start the third period on a 7-0 run.
“You take it one possession at a time [at that point],” Hodson said. “You want defensive stops, and then you have to come back down. But, there were times where we had runs going, and we would give up a crucial offensive rebound to them, and they got scores out of it. That happened throughout the game, and was a thorn in our side.”
Freshman Eric Miller’s 3-pointer from the left wing knotted the score at 34 with 4:04 to go in the third.
Guerin retaliated with an 11-0 surge, highlighted by a pair of putbacks by Danny Town and another by Denari.
Carroll pulled to within seven by the end of the third, 47-40, but Guerin’s advantage swelled to as much as 14 in the fourth quarter as the Cougars were forced to gamble and foul. The Cougars were out-rebounded badly in the loss, 45-20, and gave up 19 offensive boards.
Senior Kyle Geheb paced Carroll with 14 points, while Riley and Seth Johnson both added 10 points and Noah Allen followed with nine.
Denari led Guerin, who put four in double figures, with 15.
Carroll won its third straight sectional title this season, the first three sectional crowns in the history of the program.
Hodson took a moment Saturday to reflect on how “blessed” he feels to be leading Cougar basketball.
“These young men have put a lot of time and effort in in the summer, and anything I ask them to do, their parents are right there with us,” he said. “If a coach has the support of the parents and the kids, and they are believing in what you are trying to do, then you can get a lot of things accomplished. That’s what’s happened.”
Southwood upsets Luers
Guerin Catholic moved on to play Southwood in the regional final Saturday night. The Knights shocked Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, 70-68, in the morning semifinal of the Tipton Regional, a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
Deshaun Thomas, likely Mr. Basketball for 2010, scored 34 points to lead Luers in his final high school game.
He finished his career with 3,018 points, making him third on the all-time scoring list in Indiana. He was one point away from tying Marion Pierce (3,019 points) for second all-time.
Damon Bailey scored 3,134 points in his prep career, and is Indiana’s all-time leader.
Local Sports
Related Photos
Discussion
HOOPS: Slow start sinks Cougars’ regional hopes
Guerin Catholic turns back Carroll in semifinal round.
- Local Sports
-
-
McCutcheon tops Logan, wins 3rd straight sectional crown
One thing Logansport’s girls basketball team didn’t want to do against the powerful McCutcheon Mavericks was to fall behind by double digits in Saturday night’s Class 4A Logansport Sectional championship game.
-
Warriors top Zebras to win sectional title
It may have not been a David-vs.-Goliath type matchup, but it was well worth the price of admission for all in attendance.
The Winamac Lady Warriors jumped on Rochester early and held on for a 52-49 win giving them the title of Class 2A Sectional 34 champions.
-
3 area grapplers advance to state
Many of northern Indiana’s finest wrestlers gathered Saturday at Merrillville High School for semistate action. Thirteen area grapplers had advanced out of regional competition and were looking to punch their tickets to the state finals next week.
-
Berries cruise past Raiders, set up title game showdown
Hoosier Hysteria promises to be alive and well when the young and talented Berries (20-3) go up against the senior-laden two-time defending sectional champion McCutcheon Mavericks (19-3), ranked No. 8 in Class 4A, in tonight’s Logansport Sectional championship game. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
-
Comets topple Vikings to reach title game
With an increase in wins this season, the Lady Comets of Caston have taken another step in making this a very memorable season by defeating North White 38-30 during semifinal action Friday at the North White Sectional.
-
Slow start dooms Cass in loss at Wabash
After knocking off Class 2A No. 11 Oak Hill earlier in the week, Wabash’s girls basketball team proved once again white it is the defending sectional champion Friday night.
-
Winamac throttles North Newton in sectional play
Winamac’s girls basketball team defeated North Newton 61-35 Friday at a Class 2A North Judson Sectional.
-
Defending state runner-up Kokomo edges Logansport
For the second straight game Logansport’s boys basketball team went toe-to-toe against one of the state’s best teams for 32 minutes.
-
Hot-shooting Kings throttle Comets
Lewis Cass’ boys basketball team was on fire offensively in a 90-50 rout of Eastern in a Mid-Indiana Conference boys basketball game here Thursday night.
-
Comets bomb away on Squires in rout
After Caston’s boys basketball team lost consecutive games to Logansport and Carroll in early December, the Comets proceeded to rattle off 11 wins in a row.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
