December 17, 2005
Ben Davis 57, Warren Central 53
Giants come up huge on the offensive boards
Ben Davis' 16 offensive rebounds lead to 16 points vs. Warren Central
Ben Davis' boys basketball team doesn't have a lot of size, with just two starters standing 6-5. But the Giants have a lot of players crashing the offensive glass, which was the difference Friday night in a 57-53 win at Warren Central.
Trailing 33-28 with 5:40 left in the third quarter, the visiting Giants outscored the Warriors 18-1 over the next 6:52, opening a 46-34 lead. Ben Davis needed nearly every point of that lead to escape with a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference victory.
The Giants (4-1, 2-0 MIC) scored eight points on offensive rebounds during the run. For the game, they outrebounded the Warriors 29-23, getting 16 offensive rebounds that resulted in 16 points. Clark Williams scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Giants, including five off the offensive glass, while guard Rodriguez Sherman added seven rebounds (four offensive). Seven Giants' players had offensive rebounds.
"We talk all the time about how while we may not be the tallest team, certainly we can use our quickness to our advantage," Ben Davis coach Scott White said. "We did that tonight. Everybody seemed to come up with a big offensive rebound, and those give you opportunities you don't necessarily expect to get."
Warren Central (2-1, 0-1) had given up just 10 second-chance points in its first two games.
"It came down to toughness things," Warren Central coach Scott Heady said. "They got too many offensive rebounds because we didn't block out well. They got to more loose balls than we did, and we didn't get to the foul line because we didn't challenge them by taking the ball to the basket. It was all about toughness."
Despite their lapse in the third quarter, the Warriors still fought back in the game. Guards Walter Offutt and Marcus Thomas combined for 17 fourth-quarter points, and when Thomas converted a three-point play with 16 seconds left, Warren Central trailed just 53-49. But Williams and teammate Jordan Horner (11 points) each hit two free throws to keep the Warriors at bay.
Defense dictated the first half, when both teams went on impressive runs.
It ended with the Warriors on top 24-23. After Warren Central's Josh Jones hit his second 3-pointer of the first quarter, giving his team a 13-11 edge, Ben Davis held the hosts scoreless for the next 4:52 to open an 18-13 lead.
Warren Central turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter, lost the ball on two of its first three possessions of the second quarter and still trailed 23-18 with 2:41 to go in the half. But forward Kendall Harvey got free inside for a basket, and teammate David Smith worked his way into the paint for two short jumpers, the second giving Warren Central the lead heading to halftime.
Ben Davis turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 16 minutes.
Ben Davis1492113--57Warren Central13111019--53
Ben Davis -- Horner 3-6 2-2 11, Jackson 2-5 0-0 5, Williams 6-11 4-5 17, Sherman 5-11 0-0 11, Tate 0-4 0-0 0, Asberry 0-0 0-0 0, Hardy 1-4 0-0 2, Burnett 2-6 2-2 7, Sturghiss 2-4 0-0 4. Totals: 21-51 8-9 57.
Warren Central -- Smith 9-15 0-0 20, Harvey 1-2 0-0 2, Offutt 4-9 0-0 8, Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 4-10 5-5 14, Jones 2-2 0-0 6, Robinson 1-4 1-2 3, Rogers 0-3 0-0 0, Buggs 0-3 0-0 0, Lewis 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 21-50 6-7 53.
3-point shooting -- Ben Davis 7-20 (Horner 3-6, Sherman 1-5, Jackson 1-3, Burnett 1-3, Williams 1-2, Sturghiss 0-1); Warren Central 5-15 (Thomas 1-5, Smith 2-3, Jones 2-2, Offutt 0-2, Buggs 0-2, Lewis 0-1). Rebounds -- Ben Davis 29 (Williams 10); Warren Central 23 (Smith 7). Assists -- Ben Davis 8 (Sherman 4); Warren Central 9 (Offutt 3). Turnovers -- Ben Davis 18; Warren Central 16. Total fouls -- Ben Davis 11; Warren Central 13. Officials -- Tom Rohr, Mike Stotters, Mark Hoppen.
|