Braves cruise past Yellow Jackets

DAILY JOURNAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Behind the strength of sharp outside shooting and strong defense, the Indian Creek girls basketball team breezed to a 71-41 against visiting Morristown on Tuesday night.

The victory was Indian Creek’s fourth straight and improved its record to 8-1.

More importantly, the win gave the Braves a 3-0 mark in the Mid-Hoosier Conference and kept them tied with Southwestern (Shelby) for first place.

“This was a good game for us in a couple of ways,” Indian Creek coach Dan Burkman said. “Defensively, Morristown was sagging and giving us the shots. We also moved the ball well and shot for a high percentage.”

Indeed, the Braves shot 67 percent in the first half.

Apart from an occasional turnover, the Braves made few mistakes. In addition, they not only had advantages in experience and depth, but they utilized patience and speed to wear down the Yellow Jackets (4-5).

Thanks to the solid offensive and defensive efforts, the performance marked the fifth time this season that Indian Creek won by a margin of 20 or more points.

On the night, the Braves connected on eight three-point shots to effectively put the game away in the first half. This gave Burkman plenty of opportunities to substitute and try out different combinations on the court.

Indian Creek took less than a dozen shots in the third quarter and only scored eight points after hitting 25 and 23 in the first two quarters.

Indian Creek did not attempt a 3-point shot in the second half.

But Burkman continued to liberally rotate players, emptying the bench and giving everyone a chance to get in on the act.

“We went through the playbook,” Burkman said. “It was good for us, and especially good to get our younger players some experience.”

Four players scored in double-figures for the Braves.

Senior Candace Danz led all scorers with 17 points. Sophomore Addie Rund and freshman Caitlyn Snyder each had 12 points.

Freshman Katie Burkman had 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Yellow Jackets were led by Allison VanKirk’s 10 points.

Up next for the Braves is a visit to Class 2A No. 5 Covenant Christian on Saturday afternoon.

Burkman said that while he wasn’t looking past Morristown, he indicated the date with Covenant Christian was all but circled on the calendar.

“I have done my homework on (Covenant Christian),” Burkman said. “We used this game as a means to get ready for them.”