Braves too much for Cougars

BY DAVID CAMPBELL
For the Daily Journal

Indian Creek buried Greenwood Christian Academy under an avalanche of first-half 3-pointers and rolled to a 72-53 win in the opening round of the Johnson County Boys Basketball Tournament Tuesday at Whiteland.

Senior Jared DeHart led the way for the Braves, knocking down four of his team’s eight first-half treys as Indian Creek turned an early 9-5 deficit into a 16-point lead at the half.

Greenwood Christian, which trailed by as many as 23, cut the lead to 13 midway through the fourth but got no closer as Indian Creek cruised into the semifinals.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

“Indian Creek, honestly, they just punked us,” Greenwood Christian coach Jonny Marlin said. “They wanted things more, they hit more, they were more active. For us to be successful, that’s what we’ve got to do, and we didn’t. I thought Indian Creek played really well tonight.”

Early on, it was Greenwood Christian (6-6) that was the aggressor. The Cougars quickly jumped out front and still led 12-11 before the Braves began to heat up.

DeHart got the ball rolling with a 3-pointer and added two others before the first quarter was over. But he wasn’t the only Brave to find his range, with Zach Pugh hitting a pair of triples and Trevor Ankney adding one for a total of six in the quarter.

That hot shooting carried over to the second, but GCA couldn’t keep pace. The Braves (9-3) ripped off a 13-0 run, part of an overall 18-4 second quarter, and held a 38-22 lead at the half.

“I thought they were the aggressor early, and then we hit a few shots and got the game going faster,” Indian Creek coach Drew Glentzer said. “This is an easy game at times when you hit shots. The kids did a good job of running stuff.”

DeHart finished with 26 points to lead all scorers, getting 18 of those points in the first half. Pugh ended up with 14.

Quentin Steele scored 13 points and Kegan Owen and Champ McCorkle scored 12 each for Greenwood Christian.

Indian Creek will now face host Center Grove in the second semifinal Friday. That game is scheduled for a 7:45 p.m. start.