Lawrence North Wildcats (Indianapolis, IN)

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IndyStar

2/4/06

February 4, 2006

lawrence north 68, carmel 49
Unbeaten Wildcats foil strategy du jour

CARMEL, Ind. -- Theories on how best to attack Lawrence North have varied throughout the year, but one is getting repeated lately.

The idea, essentially, is to try to pull 7-foot center Greg Oden away from the basket on defense, slow the game and hit 3-pointers.

Carmel coach Mark Galloway used that approach Friday night, and his squad played the state's top-ranked team about as well as anyone for a half before the Wildcats' defense and talent turned a close game into a 68-49 victory at Carmel High School. The Greyhounds' tactics were similar to what Center Grove tried Jan. 28, staying close for a while before falling 76-55.

"I guess the theory is, you keep the ball long enough and we won't score as much," said Oden, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 2:39 to play.

Carmel trailed just 25-21 at halftime, but Lawrence North held the Greyhounds to two 3-pointers and three free throws for the first 11 minutes of the second half, taking a 52-30 lead.

"All of us coaches are copycats. We find something that works and we go with it," Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer said. "They watched film and saw something they liked.

"He's got some good guards, and I thought he used his guards well. His big guys handle the ball well, so he inverted things and got Greg and our 'bigs' away from the bucket."

Lawrence North senior point guard Mike Conley scored a game-high 20 points to go with six assists and five steals.

Lawrence North (17-0, 5-0 Metropolitan Interscholastic) pushed its winning streak to 33 games. The Wildcats improved to 26-0 in conference games during the Oden-Conley era. They have two conference games remaining, both at home, against Ben Davis on Thursday and Terre Haute North on Feb. 24.

After the game, there was such a crush of autograph seekers, security kept them outside the hallway leading off the court to the locker room areas.

When Lawrence North headed out a back hallway, children and adults with pens in hand raced up the gymnasium stairs and through the door to where the Lawrence North bus was waiting.

Oden and Conley, who have signed with Ohio State, were playing on the day the NCAA infractions committee that will decide penalties for the Buckeyes began meeting. The meeting is scheduled to end today. An announcement of penalties for violations committed under former coach Jim O'Brien isn't expected for three to five weeks.

On the chance the Buckeyes are on probation after this season, Oden and Conley can sign with another school due to an out clause offered by Ohio State.

"I'm not concerned," Conley said. "I'm going to look at it, but I'm not thinking about it as much as people think."

Oden shot 6-for-7 from the field, hitting two jumpers from a step behind the free throw line and another along the baseline.

"I'm practicing it, it's just a matter of me shooting it," Oden said. "It went down and that gave me a lot of confidence. The past two games, coach Keefer just told me, 'You've got to shoot it if you want to score.'

"On the baseline, (the defense) knows where I'm going to be. You hit the shot, and it opens things up like it did in the second half."

Carmel (11-5, 2-3) shot 4-for-7 from 3-point range in the first half, 7-for-18 for the game. Senior guard Brett Finkelmeier led the Greyhounds with 17 points.

"We can take some positives from this," Galloway said. "They may go down as one of the best teams ever. They're No. 1 in the state. They're ranked nationally. They have the best player in the country, and you look at Conley and know his dad was an Olympic gold medalist, so right away, the odds are stacked against you."

Lawrence North10151528--68Carmel516820--49
Lawrence North -- Owen 4-8 2-3 10, McDonald 1-4 4-4 7, Conley 8-12 4-5 20, Windham 4-5 0-0 8, Oden 6-7 4-5 16, Jones 0-0 2-2 2, Weigel 0-0 0-0 0, Read 0-0 0-0 0, VanTreese 1-1 0-2 2, W. Smith 1-2 0-0 1, Bibbs 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 25-39 17-23 68.
Carmel -- Finkelmeier 4-12 6-6 17, Moore 2-7 0-0 6, Kelly 1-2 0-0 2, Schneider 1-2 6-9 8, Kirages 1-4 0-0 2, Douglass 2-7 0-0 6, Murray 0-0 0-0 0, Huffman 0-0 0-0 0, Zaudtke 0-0 0-0 0, Brewer 4-7 0-2 8. Totals: 15-41 12-17 49.
3-point shooting -- Lawrence North 1-3 (McDonald 1-2, Conley 0-1), Carmel 7-18 (Finkelmeier 3-6, Moore 2-3, Douglass 2-5, Schneider 0-1, Kirages 0-2, Brewer 0-1). Rebounds -- Lawrence North 30 (Oden 11), Carmel 19 (Schneider 6, Brewer 6). Assists -- Lawrence North 11 (Conley 6), Carmel 6 (Moore 3, Schneider 3). Turnovers -- Lawrence North 12, Carmel 15. Total fouls -- Lawrence North 18, Carmel 19. Fouled out -- Oden. Technicals -- Owen.

Call Star Reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317)-444-6183.

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2/9/06

Showdown for state champs
BY BILL SKOWRONSKI
STAFF WRITER Lawrence North (Ind.) basketball team has been showcased on ESPN2 three times for good reason. Seven-foot, 255-pound senior center Greg Oden was the first junior since LeBron James to be named Parade Magazine's High School Player of the Year in 2005.
Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena will be sold out for good reason Saturday as Lawrence North takes on Glenbrook North.
Coach Jack Keefer's Wildcats are the two-time defending Indiana High School Athletic Association state champions, 17-0 overall, 6-0 in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference and the No. 1 team in the nation, according to most publications. Oden, who is ticketed for Ohio State next season, is considered by many to be the best high school basketball player in the country and fellow Buckeye-recruit Michael Conley, Oden's teammate, isn't far behind.
Though Lawrence North and Glenbrook North (20-1 overall, 8-0 in Central Suburban League North) have never played each other and neither coach knows a whole lot about the other team, everyone anticipates an exciting night of basketball. The Wildcats have outscored opponents this season by 409 points, posting a 24.1-point average margin of victory. No team has come closer than 13 points.
"We're basically a fast break team," said Keefer. "If there's no break, we find Oden underneath."
The formula seems simple and the results are undeniable. Oden is currently averaging just below 25 points and just above 10 rebounds per game. Though explosive offensively, Oden's larger presence is felt defensively and as the team's leader.
"They're super kids so it's not a huge chore to keep them down to earth," Keefer says. "They work hard on their game, come in at 6 a.m. and work on their moves, then practice at night.
"It'll be a big game for us and I'm sure they're looking forward to it. But they keep themselves under wraps and they don't lose focus."
Although the Wildcats boast a great traveling fan base and phenomenal game atmosphere from their student section, Welsh-Ryan Arena figures to be mostly Glenbrook North fans who are anxious to see if the Spartans can unseat the nation's reigning top team.
If anyone thinks the defending Illinois Class AA state champions will back down from the challenge, they'd better think again.
"Maybe other teams might be intimidated, but we're not going to be," said Spartans coach Dave Weber. "We want to represent the state of Illinois, so there is a little bit of a pride factor. They're going to have to play a good game to beat us."
Glenbrook North is not used to being the underdog after bringing another dominant CSL North championship season to a close this month. The team is led by Duke-recruit and area standout Jonathan Scheyer who is supported by a cast including Zach Kelly, Matt Shamis, Tyler Cullitan and Jon Radke. For once, it will be the Spartans who are preparing for the marquee name instead of their opponent.
The Spartans, who also host Maine East Friday, recently picked up their second consecutive CSL North title with a 83-42 win Friday night at Niles North. Scheyer led all scorers with 31 points, while adding six rebounds, six steals, four assists and two blocks.
The City-Suburban Showdown at Welsh-Ryan Arena begins at 6:15 p.m. Saturday with Proviso East facing Warren. The Glenbrook North-Lawrence North game will begin at approximately 8 p.m.
Bill Skowronski can be reached at bskowronski@pioneerlocal.com.

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2/10/06

LAWRENCE NORTH 81, BEN DAVIS 71
Oden scores 38 in closest win

Senior center Greg Oden scored a career-high 38 points and Class 4A No. 1 Lawrence North survived its closest game of the season, beating visiting Ben Davis 81-71 Thursday.




Oden shot 14-for-17 from the floor, including eight dunks, and 10-for-11 from the free throw line to go with 17 rebounds and five blocked shots.

The Wildcats (18-0, 6-0 Metropolitan Interscholastic) have won 34 in a row.

The Wildcats were winning by an average of 24 points per game. No team had come closer than 13 this year.

Clark Williams scored 29 points for Ben Davis (11-6, 4-3).

Ben Davis11181926--71Lawrence North16153119--81
Ben Davis -- Asberry 0, Sherman 7, Tate 12, Jackson 13, Williams 29, Gomes 2, Horner 2, Hardy 4, Glenn 2. Totals: 25-51 13-14 71.
Lawrence North -- Owen 6, McDonald 10, Conley 11, Windham 10, Oden 38, L. Smith 0, Jones 0, Weigel 0, W. Smith 3, Thomas 0, Read 0, VanTreese 3, Henderson 0. Totals: 31-55 15-26 81.

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IndyStar

2/11/06

Lawrence North braces for Illinois' finest
Glenbrook N., Duke recruit Scheyer pose big challenge

CHICAGO -- Jon Scheyer is called the pied piper of high school basketball around this city, and it stands to reason. Wherever he plays, the fans follow.

"It's a circus, but it's really fun," the 6-6 Duke-bound guard from Glenbrook North High School said this week. "I enjoy it a lot. I'm not taking anything for granted. I enjoy signing autographs and doing things around town to give back."

Scheyer will share the spotlight tonight when his team faces 7-foot senior center Greg Oden and Lawrence North in the second game (9 p.m. EST) of the McDonald's City-Suburban Showdown. The doubleheader at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena has been sold out for more than a week.

The game pits Illinois' most heralded player and defending big-school state champion against the nation's most heralded player and Indiana's defending big-school state champion.

Lawrence North (18-0 and on a 34-game winning streak) is ranked No. 1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated. Glenbrook North (20-1 prior to playing Friday night) is No. 12.

Scheyer has been a household name in Illinois for two years thanks to a closely followed recruiting battle and an amazing run to last year's Class AA state title.

Scheyer narrowed his choices to Illinois and Duke before choosing the latter. Even though Illinois coach Bruce Weber's brother, David, is Scheyer's head coach at Glenbrook North, Scheyer grew up a fan of Chris Collins, a Glenbrook North star who played for Duke and is now an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski.

"I had a great connection with coach Collins," Scheyer said.

Scheyer's performance in last year's state tournament cemented him in Illinois lore. He scored 134 points in four state tournament games as Glenbrook North won its final three games by double figures.

While Glenbrook North was good last year, most observers doubted a team from Northbrook, a wealthy suburb on Chicago's posh North Shore, could win a title.

The Scheyer buzz grew even louder this season when he scored 52 points -- including an eye-popping 21 in 75 seconds -- in his team's only loss, an 85-79 setback at Proviso West that snapped a 35-game winning streak.

Scheyer leads his team in scoring (32.1), assists (4.1), rebounds (5.8), steals (70) and blocked shots (21).

"He has such great intangibles," David Weber said. "He knows how much time is on the clock, knows what the score of the game is. He makes is teammates better and all of that is what makes him so special."

The talk in Chicago about this game, though, is about Oden. When Wednesday's news conference was opened up for one-on-one interviews, all of the two dozen or so Chicago television, print and radio reporters headed toward Oden.

Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer wasn't asked any questions for so long he struck up a conversation with Gurnee Warren guard Marcus Lewis, whose team plays Illinois-bound center Brian Carlwell and Proviso East in the first game.

Carlwell was humbled in a 72-59 loss to Lawrence North in December at Southport High School, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds to Oden's 31 and 16. He was asked if it would help Glenbrook North to borrow him for tonight's game. "I don't think so," said Carlwell, who called Oden "the best player I've ever faced."

"I've heard about him since seventh grade, but he's more than what you expect," Carlwell said. "When you hear about big men and hear they're good, you expect maybe he's got a good post move or he's good defensively.

"You don't think someone will put it all together and have a complete game. I think he has that."

Oden is coming off a 38-point, 17-rebound performance in Thursday's 81-71 victory over Ben Davis. Lawrence North led by just two points at halftime, but Oden had an 18-point third quarter, even making two technical foul free throws.

Still, he wasn't happy with his team's performance, and that may mean Glenbrook North is catching an angry opponent.

"It's not just about Saturday, it's about the rest of our season," Oden said. "Usually it takes a team a loss, but hopefully it just takes this game so we can wake up and start playing better."

Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at (317)-444-6183.

Wildcats 18-0 and counting . . .

Lawrence North (18-0) is closing in on a perfect regular season, which would make the Wildcats unbeaten at home and in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference in the Greg Oden-Mike Conley era. But their final four regular-season games present some tests. Here's a look:

TONIGHT
GLENBROOK NORTH
The defending Illinois big-school state champion is 20-1 (entering Friday's game) and has a prolific scorer in 6-6 Duke recruit Jon Scheyer. Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan arena (capacity 8,117) is sold out and is certain to favor the home-state school.

FRIDAY
AT BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
The Panthers (15-3) have beaten Pike, and coach J.R. Holmes has won more than 500 games. Lawrence North lost 60-55 in its past trip to South on Feb. 17, 2004. The crowd in Indiana University's hometown likely isn't going to be kind to Ohio State-bound Oden and Conley.

Feb. 21
VS. PIKE
The Class 4A No. 2 Red Devils (14-2) played the Wildcats to their second-closest game, 73-60, in the Marion County Tournament and have a host of athletes. They're averaging 95 points over their past five games.

Feb. 24
VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH
The Patriots (13-5) don't look like much of a threat because they haven't beaten the better teams they've faced. But coach Jim Jones has won more than 650 games.

The sectionals start Feb. 27.

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2/11/06

Tribune Staff Reporters Bob Sakamoto and Brian Hamilton Break Down the Big Game

By Bob Sakamoto and Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune

Feb. 11--The outlook

Look for Lawrence North, No. 1 in the nation, to dump the ball in early to 7-0 Greg Oden as he exploits the mismatch against 6-7 Spartans center Zach Kelly. If Glenbrook North collapses in to help Kelly, Mike Conley and Brandon McDonald can hit the three-pointer. The Spartans will look to establish a slower tempo and make the Wildcats work on defense by chasing Jon Scheyer through myriad screens. When Lawrence North overplays Scheyer, the Duke signee will set up Matt Shamis and Tyler Cullitan for threes.

The predictions
Final score: Lawrence North 75, Glenbrook North 70
Scheyer's total points: 47
Oden's total points: 24

Bob Sakamoto.

GLENBROOK NORTH

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IndyStar

2/12/06

Lawrence North 79, Glenbrook North 61

Wildcats pounce on Illinois' best

Lawrence North holds 6-6 Scheyer in check; Conley's play leaves strong impression

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The anticipation for Saturday's showdown was all about Greg Oden vs. Jon Scheyer

The talk afterward was all about the Lawrence North duo of Oden and Mike Conley.

Oden had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Conley added 24 points and spearheaded a defense that held Scheyer in check in the Wildcats' 79-61 victory over Glenbrook North.

"Oden, obviously, his size is a factor, but Conley is the best player we've seen," Glenbrook North coach David Weber said after the marquee game in the McDonald's City-Suburban Showdown. "We had no answer for him. It was a show. We'd play off him, and he'd hit the 3. We'd go out, he'd penetrate.

"(Oden) is a lot like Chamberlain with the shot-blocking ability. I think he can play in the NBA right now. I really think he can. And I think Conley is making his steps."

The ballyhooed showdown between Oden, the reigning national high school Player of the Year, and Scheyer, a star 6-6 guard headed to Duke, drew 8,494 with standing-room-only admission -- more than the listed 8,117 seating capacity for Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The match-up created such a fervor people started lining up at 10 a.m. for the 80 standing-room-only tickets that remained. While the first game of the doubleheader was going on, scalpers were getting $100 for the $12 tickets.

After the game, it took a uniformed police officer and several event staff worke