PREP ROUNDUP: Braves, Patriots split in Indy

Feb. 4—Trips to the Indianapolis suburbs on Saturday resulted in a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks in high school basketball games involving Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.

The Patriots trailed most of the way at Decatur Central but outscored the Hawks 18-8 in the fourth quarter to come away with a 50-45 win.

The Braves, on the other hand, led most of the way at Plainfield only to be outscored 22-12 in the last eight minutes and lost 64-55 to a potential sectional opponent.

Cam Fennell hit six 3-pointers and had a game-high 22 points for North, while Kavish Reddy added 10. Braden Walters had seven points and Bryce Renn had six — a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth-quarter comeback.

"A big road win for this group," coach Todd Woelfle said after North's 13th straight win. "It was a very physical game and our guys showed some real toughness in the fourth quarter after being behind nearly all game.

"We had some guys step up asnd hit timely shots late, and Cam Fennell draining six 3s put us in a position to win," he continued. "Another tremendous defensive effort to allow us a chance to win it in the fourth [quarter].

"Good teams find different ways to win. There's plenty to correct, but we're getting better."

North is now 16-3 and hosts Robinson on Tuesday. Decatur Central is 9-7 and plays Warren Central on Friday.

At Plainfield, the visiting Braves led 15-11 after a quarter and were still up 43-42 heading into the last eight minutes. But Plainfield's 6-foot-8 Noah Smith had 18 of his game-high 22 points to help the Quakers rally.

"The kids played hard," coach Maynard Lewis reported. "We've just got to learn to win down the stretch."

Just four Braves were in the scoring column, with Zay Baker getting 21 and Josh Morgan 20. Treva Branch added nine and Chris Herrin six.

Now 8-9, South hosts West Vigo on Tuesday. Plainfield, 13-6, is at Greenwood on Friday.

—Newton 63, Marshall 49 — At Marshall, Ill., Bentley Delp had 17 points, R.J. Mattas 14 and Payton McGuire 10, but the Lions lost a Little Illini Conference game Saturday to the visiting Eagles.

Marshall is now 11-14 and plays Tuesday at La Salette Academy.

—South Putnam 55, Riverton Parke 52 — At Mecca, the visiting Eagles closed out the game on a 7-2 run to nip the Panthers in a nonconference contest Saturday.

Pierson Robins had 23 points and Carson Cox added 12 for Riverton Parke, now 3-14. The Panthers play Friday at North Vermillion.

South Putnam, 6-10, is at Greencastle on Thursday.

—Linton 72, White River Valley 24 — At Linton, the host Miners hit 10 3-pointers Saturday and remained the only unbeaten team in the SouthWestern Indiana Athletic Conference.

Jamison Fields had 19 points, Paul Oliver 17 and Conner Daily 13 for Linton, now 13-4 and 5-0. The Miners host North Daviess in a crucial makeup game Tuesday.

Max Hostetter had nine points for WRV, now 6-11 and 0-5. The Wolverines are at Shakamak on Tuesday.

Girls basketball

—Linton 43, North Knox 36 — At Bicknell, Bradie Chambers scored 32 points Saturday night as the Miners knocked off the top-ranked Warriors.

Linton takes a 19-6 record to regional play next Saturday, while North Knox finished 25-2.

In Friday semifinal games at the Class 2A North Knox Sectional, Chambers and Sydney Jerrells combined for 28 points and Alyvia McKee scored the last four clinching points as Linton beat Paoli 46-40. The Rams finished 11-13.

Also on Friday, North Knox beat No. 2 South Knox 56-45. The Spartans finished 23-2.

—Parke Heritage 43, Greencastle 32 — At New Market, the Wolves got revenge Saturday night for a championship-game loss a year ago and will take a 23-3 record into regional play. The Tiger Cubs finished 12-14.

On Friday, Parke Heritage survived a 65-61 challenge by Southmont at the Class 2A South Putnam Sectional. Emma Simpson had 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and seven steals for the Wolves and Addilee Jenkins had a game-high 20 points with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Addison Jenkins added 10 points and freshman Addie Ramsay hit two clutch free throws. Southmont finished 14-9.

In the other Friday game, Greencastle beat Riverton Parke 43-29 as the Panthers finished 6-18.

—North Central 33, Shakamak 26 — At the Class A Bloomfield Sectional, the Thunderbirds ended Shakamak's best season ever Saturday and moved on to next week's regional. North Central is now 17-10 while the Lakers finished 18-7.

North Central's Jalyn Davidson became the school's all-time assist leader by handing out 10 in a 57-36 win over Clay City. Davidson entered the championship game with 399 assists, breaking the record of 393 by Courtney Williams. ClayCity finished 9-15.

In the other semifinal game, Shakamak beat Bloomfield 37-27 to end the Cardinals' 3-22 season.

—Illinois pairings — Illinois girls basketball regionals begin Feb. 10, with Wabash Valley teams involved at several sites.

In Class A, Casey and Martinsville will play at the Bethany (Okaw Valley) regional. Martinsville, seeded ninth, will play the home team on Feb. 10, while fifth-seeded Casey hosts 11th-seeded Villa Grove that day. Top-seeded Tuscola, ranked eighth in the state, plays the winner of the Martinsville game, while Casey could advance to play fourth-seeded Shiloh.

Chrisman hosts its own Class A regional and will host 10th-seeded Heritage on Feb. 10. The Cardinals are the eighth seed.

In Class 2A, Marshall is the eighth seed at the Lawrenceville Regional and hosts 12th-seeded OPH on Feb. 10. A victory by the Lions would give them a game against third-seeded Teutopolis on Feb. 12.

Robinson is the top seed at the Fairfield Regional and won't play until Feb. 12 against the winner between 10th-seeded Flora and fifth-seeded Newton.

Paris is the third seed a the Monticello Regional and also doesn't play until Feb. 12 against the winner between seventh-seeded Monticello and 12th-seeded Saginaw Valley.

Regional championship games are Feb. 15 except for the Chrisman Regional, which is Feb. 16.

Class A regional champions from the Valley play at the Moweaqua Sectional on Feb. 20. All three Class 2A regionals mentioned feed into the Newton Sectional, also beginning Feb. 20.