Braves squander lead then run past Woodmen

In less than five minutes, the Indian Creek boys basketball team watched the double-digit lead it had spent more than a half building evaporate completely.

The Braves regrouped in plenty of time to get it back.

Having weathered a ferocious Greenwood rally in the third quarter, Indian Creek roared back with a 13-0 run in the fourth, clearing the way for a 48-39 home victory Tuesday night.

With the victory, the Braves close the regular season with a 14-8 record.

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“Sectional kind of atmosphere; both teams were really just grinding,” Indian Creek coach Drew Glentzer said. “I was just happy to send our seniors out, that they got to send it out with a victory.”

Jared DeHart hit a pair of early 3-pointers to give the Braves an 8-2 lead with 3:35 left in the first quarter. He added four more points before the end of the period and hit another 3 in the opening minute of the second to stretch it to 15-6.

DeHart scored 17 of Indian Creek’s first 19 points to help his side take a 22-12 advantage into halftime. The senior finished with a game-high 22.

After Isaiah Lacey scored the first basket of the second half to make it a 12-point game, Greenwood (14-7) tightened up its defense and put together a 16-1 run that spanned the final six and a half minutes of the third period. That surge was capped by consecutive 3s from Braydon Kincaid and Isaiah Drew that put the Woodmen in front for the first time at 28-25.

The visitors didn’t stay ahead for long. Jace Russell twice tied the game up with buckets for the Braves, and DeHart connected from long range with 4:36 left to put Indian Creek back ahead to stay at 33-30. Zach Pugh also hit a 3 to keep the run going, and Lacey scored six of his nine points in the final 3:08 to help ice it.

“They came out in the second half and kind of took control and made more plays than we did,” DeHart said. “Toward the end, we turned it back on, guys made plays and stepped up. That was good for us.”

Lacey and Russell scored all of their combined 16 points after halftime and helped extend a handful of late possessions with key offensive rebounds.

“We knew in the second half they were going to double Jared and do some things to take the ball out of his hands,” Glentzer said, “and I thought our kids responded well.”

Kincaid and Drew each had nine points to lead the Woodmen, who had their five-game losing streak snapped.

Greenwood wraps up its regular season Friday at New Palestine, while Indian Creek is off until it plays Tri-West next Tuesday in the first round of the Class 3A Beech Grove Sectional.