THE WINDING ROAD TO A NE8 TITLE
It looks us a long time ago to get here, but we now have Northeast 8 boys basketball conference champions.
In the preseason, we weren’t really sure what to make of this conference. Due to team success in recent seasons, Leo was the favorite in most circles. Behind that, everyone had their differences of opinion. Bounce thought that Bellmont would be right in the mix, projected by me to finish third with Columbia City in fourth. While I think we all knew they could be near the top of the conference, there were some unproven commodities in both places. Consider them now proven.
The week wasn’t easy for either Bellmont or Columbia City, but at the end of the day they each got a piece of the pie with a share of the conference crown.
Bellmont took on DeKalb on Thursday and even though the Barons aren’t a top half of the conference team this season, they haven’t been an easy out for most teams. The Braves had to rely on a last second free throw from Kord Fuelling to surpass the push of DeKalb. Jack Scheumann scored 13 points as Bellmont has won their first conference title in boys basketball since 2005 in the old NHC.
On Friday, Columbia City hosted Leo to decide if they could share the crown or if the boys from Decatur got to claim it all for themselves. And Leo fought hard, looking to play spoiler while also giving themselves some needed momentum with the postseason looming and the Lions playing shorthanded. The Eagles, to their credit, did a good job adapting to the Leo zone in the second half. In the opening two frames, Leo looked stout in their 2-3 trapping zone, forcing Columbia City into some uncomfortable shots and locking down the inside where Landon Ruoff helped cut off scoring opportunities. The two teams exchanged a lot of baskets in the second half, but Columbia City did a good job of starting to break down how to get the ball near the rim while they had more success too on the perimeter.
Brady Hartman again led the Eagles with 19 points and Matt Mulligan had 14, but the way Landon Richmond stepped up with 14 points and three steals was the epitome of the Eagles season. They have stayed comfortable and confident with their rotation that includes those three, Aiden Denning, Cayden Kauffman, Stratton Fuller and Owen Marshall. The Eagles last had a conference title in the first year of the NE8, in 2016.
Leo was led by Jackson McGee‘s 20 in loss. And while the Lions didn’t get to play spoiler, I think they should have some of that previously mentioned momentum to try and grow on their last three regular season games.
Columbia City did beat Bellmont in a dramatic 57-54 game but the conference does not break ties in records, which is why the two will share the title.
The rest of the conference, like the top, has been wild. New Haven, a preseason contender favorite, has had a shockingly down year. Leo has been up and down and East Noble has had strong successes a year earlier than many expected. Needless to say, the NE8 has been unpredictable but we do not finally have our co-champions.
REGIONAL SATURDAY
The area has three Regional champions who will head to next weekend’s two-game semi states with the hopes of advancing to a state title game. Better yet, we have teams in Classes 4A, 3A and 2A that will have the chance to represent the 260.
In 4A, Homestead was dominant in their morning win over McCutcheon while Snider fell to Noblesville.
The Spartans opened up 14-8 in the first and never looked back despite shooting 29.2 percent in the first half. McCutcheon shot just 18.5 percent in the first half and 31.6 in the second half while Homestead really fell into a comfort zone, led by 15 point from Myah Epps and 4-of-7 three point shooting (12 points) from Whitney Ankenbruck.
Noblesville was able to close Snider out on the free throw line and Meredith Tippner‘s 4 of 6 from that line were huge as was a late offensive rebound for the Millers off one of those misses. After a dominant shooting first half, Snider wasn’t able to find as much success in the second half of the 43-40 loss. Jordyn Poole finished her career with a team high 14 points and Tia Phinezy had 10 points, 9 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
In 3A, it was Norwell who wow’d their way to victory along with a Kennedy Fuelling milestone against Benton Central, while Woodlan‘s Cinderella-esque story ended against powerhouse Hamilton Heights.
Fuelling came into the game with 1,578 points and needing just 14 to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. She finished the game with the record for career points and has set a new standard in a program that has kind of been THE standard of its own over the last 15-20 seasons.
Vanessa Rosswurm led Norwell in their win with four of Norwell’s nine three point makes while Fuelling finished with 15.
Alyssa Anderson and Taylor Kneubuhler each finished with eight points in Woodlan’s 55-31 loss. Anderson’s development and emergence as a sophomore gives the Warriors a really exciting piece for the future while Kneubuhler has spent two seasons as one of the most underrated players in the entire area.
In 2A, Bishop Luers beat Lafayette Central Catholic with Miley Wareing taking her turn to step into a major offensive role, while the young Fremont Eagles fell short despite a high level effort against a majorly favorited Lewis Cass.
Wareing has had flashes all season of showing strong work, but her 24 points in the win were huge to push this Luers team on. Bishop Luers has been on the verge of greatness at times this season and they are peaking at the right times. Annika Davis added 13 in the win.
Fremont played respectfully well against a 21 win Lewis Cass team, falling 37-25. There is a lot of excitement for Fremont, who will return their three top scorers after trailing Cass by just one point at halftime and holding them six points under their season scoring average.
PRAISE TO SNIDER
While the Panthers were not the only team to see their season end on girls Regional Saturday, I feel like there should be a separate spot here for them.
The Panthers’ play has spoken volume for them throughout the season and did again on Saturday. The reality is, there were just some shots that didn’t fall in the loss to Noblesville and that is its own bitter pill to swallow.
But what stood out if a very positive way was their potential foul trouble during the third quarter. With Ciara Sims already at three fouls come halftime, the Panthers saw Johnea Donahue pick up a third foul in the quarter as well and all signs were that coach Reggie Tharp was going to have to go to his bench and play a portion of this major game without one of his two top seniors.
The announcers of the game prepped it, every viewer was prepared for it. And Tharp didn’t do it.
Instead, the Panthers trusted in each other, a trust that has been built up and adjusted through this senior class’ time with the program. It hasn’t been the smooth sailing that Snider would want. They went through a coaching change, some transfers in and out and the first month of this season without interior dominant Tia Phinezy, the D1 volleyball prodigy who was focusing on her other sport. But in the end, the Panthers trusted each other, they didn’t break down and they didn’t point fingers. Even in postgame media, they didn’t alter who they were.
Snider, especially the class of 2024, has succeeded wildly. And while there will be no shot at a state title for one of the best groups of players the program has ever seen, Snider deserves to praised for what they’ve done, but more importantly who they are.
THE NECC ROLLS ON
Lost in the shuffle has seemed to be how crazy the NECC has been at the top. Fairfield has dominated for the most part, including winning the conference tournament title, but a shocking regular season loss on January 26 to West Noble has opened things back up.
The Falcons currently share the lead in the conference with Lakeland at 7-1 in the NECC with two conference games remaining. Fairfield still has Churubusco and Central Noble remaining while Lakeland has Prairie Heights and Angola still on their slate. Westview isn’t out of the conversation either, sitting at 7-2 in the NECC with a game remaining against Fremont. 6-2 Central Noble isn’t technically out of it but their loss to Lakeland hurts; the Cougars still play Fremont and Fairfield.
Fairfield had a really strong three win week, led by Mitchell Miller. The senior guard started the week with 13 in a 55-27 win over Bethany, while Carson Smith scored 16.
Fremont gave Fairfield a good push in their Friday meeting, especially compared to the NECC Tournament game that saw Fairfield run out to a major early lead that the Eagles couldn’t counteract. Fresh off a win against Eastside where Corbin Beeman set an assist record for the team and Ethan Grimm scored 21 points, the Eagles pushed Fairfield. The game was back and forth, but one thing never waived and that was Miller’s effort as he scored 30 points and Fairfield pushed in the fourth quarter to win 74-66.
The Eagles also beat Elkhart Christian on Saturday.
The other team at the top of the NECC, Lakeland, also had an important week both in and out of conference. On Tuesday, the Lakers scored 12 straight points to end the game in a 61-56 win over Goshen while Nate Keil scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half.
On Friday, the Lakers held off Central Noble as Keil again iced the game away at the free throw line and finished with 18 points in the win.
OTHER BOYS NOTES
Cannen Houser had two big SAC games this week for Carroll, scoring 23 against North Side and 20 against Northrop, both in wins….Will Jamison of Homestead made his season debut Tuesday in a loss to Wayne, scoring less than a minute into the contest….Fremont‘s Corbin Beeman set a program single game assist record with 16 on Tuesday in a win over Eastside….Warsaw closed Saturday’s win over Westville on a 25-5 run to win by 15….Isaac Schultz hit 1,000 career points for Adams Central on Friday in a win over South Adams….Random shoutout to the Blackhawk Christian boys 8th grade team who finished their middle school careers this week with a three year record of 52-0.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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