Class 4a: Lawrence North 54, Bloomington S. 36
Unbeaten Wildcats win date with destiny
Team play carries day as Oden scores season-low 8 points
Greg Oden considered Saturday's victory an illustration of how good Lawrence North is.
The 7-foot center scored a season-low eight points, but Mike Conley and Damian Windham led a charge that carried the top-ranked and unbeaten Wildcats to a third consecutive state title game.
Conley scored a game-high 18 points and Windham added 16 as the Wildcats beat Bloomington South 54-36 Saturday afternoon in a Class 4A semistate game in front of a full house at Southport High School.
"My teammates stepped up and did a great job," Oden said after Lawrence North held the Panthers to 29 points below their season average. "We almost won by 20 with me scoring eight points. That means the next team we're going to play knows it's not just me.
"They've got to worry about everybody else on the court."
The Wildcats take a 28-0 record and 44-game winning streak into the Class 4A state title game at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Wildcats play Muncie Central (20-5) in a rematch of last year's title game won by Lawrence North 63-52 behind a Class 4A title game-record 29 points from Oden.
Lawrence North is attempting to join Franklin (1920-22) and Marion (1985-87) as the only teams to win three titles in a row and match the state-record winning streak (45) set by Oscar Robertson-led Crispus Attucks 50 years ago.
The Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today and would be the first Indiana team to finish there.
Behind the Ohio State-bound duo of Oden and Conley, both four-year starters, Lawrence North is 23-1 in the postseason the past four years.
Facing multiple defenders and foul trouble, Oden took on the role of drawing the defense and allowing his teammates to score. He played only 19 minutes while picking up four fouls, shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line to go with seven rebounds. He missed the third shot, ending his string of consecutive field goal attempts made at 29.
Averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds, Oden drew so much attention, the Wildcats were able to run things for other players, including a spectacular alley-oop to Brandon McDonald behind the players guarding Oden in the post.
"We knew from the beginning Greg was going to be a target and they'd try to foul him out early," said Conley, who played both right-handed and left-handed while battling a sore left hand. "We practiced for it. Damian, Brandon, Q (Qadr Owen), a lot of people stepped up, even with Greg out of the game."
The Wildcats held Bloomington South (21-6) to 26 percent shooting.
Oden, called for his second foul 35 seconds into the second quarter, said he didn't want an offensive foul to take him off the floor completely.
"I know they flop," Oden said. "Me being aggressive -- I'd rather give the easy pass and my team gets two points rather than me get the fifth foul."
Bloomington South (21-6) scored its fewest points in six years, since a 74-30 loss to Bloomington North in the 1999 sectional.
"Everybody had to step up," Windham said. "I never thought we'd win by nearly 20 with Greg getting single-digit points."
A few minutes after the game, Oden was surrounded by television cameras and reporters. One reporter from Columbus, Ohio, asked what he had to say to Ohio State fans who expect him to score 30 and see he gets just eight.
"I hope," Oden offered diplomatically, "they say he's a three-time state champion."
Lawrence North 54, Bloomington South 36
Lawrence North15151014--54Bloomington South119106--36
Lawrence North -- Owen 3-5 0-0 6, McDonald 2-5 0-0 4, Conley 7-11 4-11 18, Windham 7-12 2-3 16, Oden 3-5 2-2 8, Jones 0-1 0-1 0, VanTreese 0-1 0-0 0, W. Smith 0-1 0-0 0, L. Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Weigel 0-0 0-0 0, K. Thomas 1-1 0-0 0, Read 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-42 8-19 54.
Bloomington South -- Chappell 3-6 3-4 9, Holmstrom 5-14 3-4 15, Root 0-6 0-0 0, Forney 3-9 0-2 6, Brown 0-3 0-3 0, Deinlein 0-2 0-0 0, Walters 2-6 0-0 6, Sutor 0-4 0-0 0, Webber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-50 6-13 36.
3-point shooting -- Lawrence North 0-4 (McDonald 0-3, Conley 0-1), Bloomington South 4-19 (Holmstrom 2-8, Walters 2-5, Deinlein 0-1, Root 0-4, Sutor 0-1). Rebounds -- Lawrence North 35 (Oden 7, Windham 6), Bloomington South 32 (Forney 7, Chappell 6). Assists -- Lawrence North 10 (Conley 3, Owen 3), Bloomington South 6 (Root 3, Forney 3). Turnovers -- Lawrence North 5, Bloomington South 8. Total fouls -- Lawrence North 14, Bloomington South 21. Fouled out -- Chappell.Inside
Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317)-444-6183.
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