INDIANAPOLIS
Isaiah Drew scored the first points of Wednesday night’s boys basketball game by knocking down a 3-pointer 21 seconds into the game.
It proved to be a sign of things to come for the Greenwood junior.
Making his first start since earlier in the season, Drew, a 5-foot-10 guard, drilled six treys to lead the visiting Woodmen to a 60-38 romp of Perry Meridian.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Drew finished with a game-high 20 points. In the frontcourt, Greenwood (9-3) received solid efforts from seniors Eric Moenkhaus (14 points) and Jeffrey Reynolds (five points, 14 rebounds).
“I have a lot of respect for coach (Brent) Keck. He does a great job with his offenses, and his teams cut so hard and so well,” Woodmen coach Joe Bradburn said. “We tried to change things up a little bit tonight and try to mix our defenses to keep them off-balance.
“Overall, I thought our guys did a great job of staying focused. I thought we played a more complete game than what we have been playing. It was maybe our most complete game of the year from start to finish as far as concentrating and playing together.”
Drew, who finished 6 of 9 from behind the arc, said the rims seemed wider the more shots he made.
Three of his triples occurred during the third quarter when Greenwood pulled away from a 30-23 halftime lead to quickly end what suspense remained. The Woodmen outscored the Falcons 19-4 in the third, with Moenkhaus tacking on six points of his own.
Drew was starting in place of senior point guard Max Raker, who’s been ill.
“We have a large group of seniors who have been able to lead us on and off the court. I just step in and do what I can,” said Drew after shredding Perry Meridian’s 2-3 zone. “We just try to practice inside-out and get open looks for all of our shooters.
“After the first couple went in, it started looking pretty promising for me. I don’t think it matters (who starts) for us. We’re just one big team that doesn’t care who gets the glory. Max was sick tonight, so they needed me to step up and fill that role.”
Moenkhaus’ second triple of the first half came from the left wing with only seven-tenths of a second remaining in the second period for the seven-point Woodmen lead.
Greenwood led the majority of the opening half, the exceptions being early in the second quarter after five consecutive points from freshman swingman Jayden Taylor. Two free throws by Drew and a Moenkhaus trey pushed the visitors ahead for good.
The Falcons, who start three freshman, were led by senior Gabe Patterson with 12 points. Taylor added 10 and a team-best six boards.
The Woodmen return to Mid-State Conference play on Friday when they travel to Decatur Central for a girls/boys doubleheader.
