By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – In a highly anticipated early season showdown between No. 1 and No. 2 Dec. 6, it was Class 4A second-ranked Marion that was in control early at 4A No. 1 Lawrence North. The defending state runner-up Giants had the tempo where they wanted it, and a strong inside game was the reason Marion held an 18-15 lead with 4:08 left in the first half.
Then the Giants inexplicably switched to an outside-only game, launching six consecutive errant 3-pointers while missing the front end of the bonus and turning the ball over once against the Wildcats before a surprisingly tame crowd on Indianapolis’ far-northeastside.
That was the opening that coach Jack Keefer’s ’Cats needed. Utilizing its double advantage of height and athleticism in 6’9” towers senior center Stephan Van Treese and junior forward Dominique Ferguson, Lawrence North went on a devastating 40-15 run over the next 11:36 to make a late rally by Marion insignificant in a 70-58 victory.
The win represented a nice bounceback for LN (3-1), which had been knocked off the night before at 4A No. 12 Terre Haute South in a 50-44 Metropolitan Interscholastic clash. Whereas the Wildcats shot only 36 percent from the field (16 of 45) Friday, they were a torrid 58 percent (28 of 48) against Marion.
That sweet shooting included an insane stretch from 93 seconds before halftime through the first 49 seconds of the fourth quarter where the Wildcats hit 16 of 23 attempts – a scorching 70 percent – in piling up 38 points in only 10:22.
“You’ve gotta give credit to our guards for finding Van Treese (21 points) and Dominique (20) in the paint,” said Keefer, whose team has another showdown on deck with 2A top-ranked defending state champion Fort Wayne Luers looming Dec. 13 in the Circle City Classic.
Or, as fifth-year Marion coach Joe Luce put it: “They’re a good high school team with a lot of individual talent, but we kinda broke in that third quarter.”
Indeed.
Marion went scoreless for 6:13 over the second and third periods, while Lawrence North hit 10 of its first 13 shots in the third quarter after closing the opening half on an 11-0 run to lead 26-18 at the break.
Here’s a breakdown of LN’s 11-0 sequence:
• Ferguson layin
• 3-pointer from 6’3” senior guard Larry Smith
• Driving basket from 6’5” sophomore forward Ryan Taylor (the third LN player to reach double figures with 10 points)
• Taylor’s falling-to-the-floor putback of his own driving miss
• Ferguson 3-pointer
When the Wildcats came out in the third quarter and hit their first four shots (Taylor drive, Taylor bank, Ferguson jumper, Ferguson bucket in the paint), you knew it was not Marion’s night.
“We’ve won a lot of games in four years, but sometimes it takes two steps back to take a step forward,” Luce said. “It’s a tough lesson, and we’ll find out about ourselves from this.”
After falling behind 58-35, Marion rallied furiously in the late stages behind 6’6” senior forward Scott Wood (a game-high 33 points) to cut the gap to 66-56. But only 24 seconds remained in the game, and the contest ended with a three-dunk flourish from Van Treese, Marion 6’5” senior center Mikel Brigham (the other Giant in double digits with 12 points), and Ferguson.
The only drawback from this blowout for LN? Free throw shooting.
The Wildcats had exposed a potential Achilles’ heel in the Terre Haute South loss by going 7 of 16 (44 percent) from the stripe. Against Marion, things didn’t get any better as LN went a woeful 8 for 19 (42 percent).
A clearly pleased Keefer wasn’t too concerned, however, following his 559th career victory.
“It’s one of those things that works itself out,” the 33rd-year coach said.
Then again, when you’ve got the Louisville-bound Van Treese turning missed freebies into points – he corralled a late Ferguson miss and put it back to ice this game after scoring two similar buckets the night before – you can afford to relax.
“An offensive rebound on a free throw is one of the hardest things to do,” Van Treese said. “I just knew I had to get it.
“I always want the ball. Last night we lost because we couldn’t score inside.”
Definitely not the case on this night.
Marion (1-1) also is scheduled to play in the Circle City Classic at Southport. The Giants will face 3A No. 8 Indianapolis Howe Academy at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the LN-Luers game is set for 8:45 p.m.
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