The Press-Dispatch
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B-6 Sports Wednesday, Februar y 21, 2018 The Press-Dispatch By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net A 12-point first-quarter deficit proved too much to overcome as the Pike Cen- tral High School boys' bas- ketball team dropped a 54- 41 loss at Forest Park on Fri- day, Feb. 16. The Rangers outscored Pike Central 15 -3 during the first period, when the Chargers missed all seven of their field goal attempts – including two tries from be- yond the three-point arc – while going 3-for-4 from the free throw line and turning the ball over four times. "That hurts," Chargers head coach Hunter Elliott said. "We missed some free throws in the first (quarter), I thought we missed a couple of lay-ups in the first (quar- ter), and we missed some good looks from three in the first (quarter). It's just one of those things where we can't come out flat. We have to come out and play four quarters." Pike Central would get no closer than seven points the rest of the game while fall- ing to 9 -10 overall and 4-3 in the Pocket Athletic Confer- ence. "That first quarter, they were playing harder than us and they wanted it more than us," Elliott said. "They kind of came out and jumped on us early. We weren't ready, and we didn't respond very well." Forest Park, which im- proved to 17-4 overall and 6 -1 in the PAC, scored the game's first four points – on baskets by freshman Curt Hopf and senior Sam En- glert – before Pike Central senior Bryant Nalley hit the second of two free throw at- tempts to make the score 4- 1 with 4:55 left in the open- ing period. Back-to-back baskets by Englert and sophomore Isaac Uebelhor would ex- tend the Rangers' lead to 8 -1. Then, after Nalley hit a pair of free throws, a three-point play by Hopf sparked a 7-0 scoring run that gave Forest Park a 15 -3 lead heading in- to the second period. The Chargers would out- score Forest Park 8 -4 at the start of the second quarter – on three-pointers by senior Cameron Henson and junior Christian Benson and a bas- ket by senior Breyton Book- er – to close to within 19 -11 with 3:43 left in the first half. Following an exchange of baskets, Rangers senior Col- lin Hochgesang hit a jumper to extend Forest Park's lead to 23-13 with 2:49 remaining in the second period before a three-pointer by Benson – off of an assist by Nalley – slashed the deficit to 23-16. However, a free throw by Hopf at the end of the first half and a basket by senior Noah Fleck at the start of the second half would stretch the Rangers' lead to 26 -16. A fter a basket by senior Kaleb Claridge pulled Pike Central to within 26 -18, bas- kets by Uebelhor and Engler – sandwiched around a free throw by Nalley – gave For- est Park a 30 -19 lead with 5:59 left in the third period. Following a basket by Claridge that cut the Rang- ers' lead to 30 -21, Forest Park scored three consecu- tive points – on a basket by Englert and a free throw by senior Daniel Lusk – to take a 33-21 lead. Pike Central would close to within 10 points three times – at 33-23, 35 -25 and 37-27 – before turning the ball over on its first four pos- sessions of the fourth quar- ter as the Rangers extended their lead to 44-27 with 5:59 remaining. "Several of those were just travels, where they don't steal it or anything like that – we just turn it over un- forced," Elliott said. "It's one of those things where we have to be strong with the ball and we have to be able to handle that pressure by applying it right back." Forest Park would ex- tend its lead to as many as 18 points – at 48 -30 and 50 -32 – before cruising to a 14-point victory. Nalley paced Pike Cen- tral with 15 points while al- so leading the Chargers in rebounds (5), assists (3) and steals (3). Benson, meanwhile, came of the bench to hit three of six tries from beyond the three-point line to finish with nine points. "I think a lot of Chris- tian and I keep telling him, 'We need you, we need you to be aggressive'," Elliott said. "Tonight, he came out and he was aggressive. He wasn't scared. He took it at them. He made some mis- takes but, at the same time, he was taking the shots when they were open and being aggressive, and that's what we need him to do." Junior Judah Leathco hit a pair of three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to net six points. Booker and Claridge tossed in four points each. For the game, Pike Cen- tral made 13 of 31 field goal attempts – a 41.9 percent av- erage – and hit eight of 11 tries from the free throw line while turning the ball over 17 times. Englert led Forest Park with 14 points while Lusk and Uebelhor added 11 points each. Uebelhor also had game-high totals in re- bounds (6) and steals (5). For the game, the Rang- ers made 24 of 45 field goal attempts – a 53.3 percent average – and hit six of 13 tries from the free throw line while turning the ball over 11 times. Forest Park also had 23 re- bounds – including 10 of the offensive varsity – while the Chargers had 11. "They were a little more physical than we were," El- liott said. "I feel like our first-shot defense has been really good all year, and the difference for us between winning and losing games has been if we finish with a rebound, and tonight we didn't do that." "To even have that many offensive rebounds, they're missing the shots first. If we go get that rebound, then it's our ball, we have posses- Pike Central High School senior Breyton Bookr (right) looks around a Forest Park defender for an open teammate during varsity boys' basket- ball action on Friday, Feb. 16. Booker scored four points in the visiting Chargers' 53-41 loss. Ed Ca- hill photo Pike Central High School junior Christian Ben- son (12) takes a shot at the basket during varsity boys' basketball action at Forest Park on Friday, Feb. 16. Benson scored nine points in the visiting Chargers' 53-41 loss. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central Middle School sixth grade boys' basketball coach Bob Col- lins gives instructions to his team at halftime of the Chargers' win over North Posey at the Southridge Shootout this past weekend. The Chargers beat Northeast Dubois 38-14, Southridge 40-18, North Posey 48-23 and Evansville Memorial 55-34 to advance to the championship game, where they lost a hard-fought game to Evansville North 40-24. Submitted Photo Chargers drop 54-41 loss at Forest Park PCMS 8th grade boys' basketball team places second in season-ending tournament The Pike Central Middle School eighth grade boys' basketball team ended its season with a 58 -20 loss to host Haubstadt in the cham- pionship game of the South Gibson Invitational Basket- ball Tournament on Satur- day, Feb. 3. The contest was original- ly scheduled to be played on Thursday, Feb. 1. Howev- er, it was postponed when classes in Pike County were canceled due to inclement weather. Carson Brindle led the way for the Elites with 15 points, while Brady Al- len added 10 points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. No individual scoring in- formation for the Chargers was available. Pike Central 28, North Posey 26 Ashton Evans and Ashton Stafford scored eight points each to lead the Chargers to a 28 -26 victory over North Posey in a semifinal match- up on Tuesday, Jan. 30. Alex Clark and Sway Pollock added four points apiece while Caleb Zaz- zetti rounded out the scor- ing for Pike Central with two points. "I am very proud of my boys," Chargers head coach Chris Collins said. "It was a hard-fought game and my boys never backed down. They showed me they have heart and the will to want to win the game." Jake Will led North Posey with eight points, while Will Weatherholt tossed in five points. PCMS 8th grade girls' basketball team places second in season-ending tournament Kaybree Oxley scored 17 points and Karsyn Flowers added 15 points to lead the Tecumseh Middle School eighth grade girls' basket- ball team to a 47-21 victo- ry over Pike Central in the championship game of the South Gibson Invitational Basketball Tournament on Monday, Feb. 5. The contest was orig- inally scheduled to be played on Thursday, Feb. 1, at Haubstadt Communi- ty School. However, it was postponed when classes in Pike County were canceled due to inclement weather and moved to Tecumseh. "We couldn't play Sat- urday because Tecumseh was playing in a volleyball tournament, so the game was held on a Monday at Tecumseh," Lady Chargers head coach Eric Knight said. "That really hurt us. It gave them a home court advantage and also gave my girls five days to think about it, and it showed. We were too worked up and played timid." A fter the two teams bat- tled to a 9 -9 tie at the end of the first quarter, Flowers scored eight points and Ox- ley added seven as the La- dy Braves outscored Pike Central 17-5 in the second period to take a 26 -14 half- time lead. "We played great in the first quarter," Knight said. "The defense was getting after it and we were look- ing to drive. Then the press came and we played on our heels the rest of the game." Tecumseh would stretch its lead to 34-20 at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Lady Char- gers 13-1 in the final peri- od. "Tecumseh started the second half in a full-court press and didn't call the dogs off until the last buzz- er sounded," Knight said. "They played hard defense and really got after deny- ing the ball." Hailey Parker led Pike Central with five points in the season-ending loss. Mallory Hunt and Kya Sul- livan netted four points each while three players – Sophie Carnahan, Alli Holder and Kya Leighty – tossed in two points apiece. Albany Ashley and Ashton Catt had one point each. "Tecumseh's full-court press was the difference in the game," said Knight, whose team turned the ball over 23 times. "We had a very hard time break- ing it down. It was one of those games that seemed like nothing went our way. Shots were not falling and we had way too many turn- overs." "I am very proud of my team for the hard work and time they put in this year," Knight said. "I know the final score of the champi- onship game didn't show it, but the girls have im- proved a lot and have been a great team to coach and watch play." Pike Central 31, North Posey 6 Kya Sullivan scored a game-high 13 points to lead Pike Central to a 31- 6 victory over North Posey in the semifinals on Tues- day, Jan. 30. Sullivan scored four of her points during the first quarter – when the Lady Chargers jumped out to an 8 -0 lead – and then added nine more in the second pe- riod as Pike Central took a 19 -2 halftime lead. "She came out hot and was knocking down her jumpers, while also tak- ing care of the ball," Lady Chargers head coach Er- ic Knight said of Sullivan, who saw limited action during the second half. "I restricted her playing time because of a sore ankle she is still dealing with." A fter outscoring Pike Central 4-2 in the third pe- riod to pull to within 21-6, the Lady Vikings were shut out 10 -0 during the fourth quarter. "North Posey took us down during the regu- lar season by five points," Pike Central head coach Eric Knight said. "The first time we faced them, we ran a slow-down offense and tried to hold the ball a lit- tle. Our plan for this game was to run and gun." "The girls did a really good job of running and gunning, and not commit- ting very many turnovers," Knight added. "As a team, we have seven turnovers, and that is something to brag about. That is really good for that style of ball." Sophie Carnahan add- ed seven points in the win- ning effort, while five La- dy Chargers – Albany Ash- ley, Ashton Catt, Mallory Hunt, Kya Leighty and Hai- ley Parker – tossed in two points each. Hannah Wood- ford rounded out the scor- ing with one point. Hunt also had a game- high nine rebounds as Pike Central outrebounded the Lady Vikings 34-19. "I have to get Mallory Hunt player of the game honors again," Knight said. "She was a great impact on the score. Posey would not get into an offense and could not get the ball down low – every time she stole it or deflected it. She real- ly worked hard in the paint and really threw Posey off all game." "Kya Leighty stepped up and took over point guard for us; she is also real- ly good handling the ball and running the offense," Knight continued. "Ash- ton Catt and Hailey Parker came in the game and also played very well. They both played with heart and hus- tle. Any time the ball came near them, they came up with it." Kaylee Bender, Haley Lowe and Jenna Rhine- burger scored two points each for North Posey. It's Saturday morning, and since Rena took the kids to a birthday party, it's just me and my to-do list. First on the list is cutting firewood, which brings me to my shop bench to sharpen my saw. Burning wood for heat re- quires a solid commitment to work. Forget sitting on the couch watching college bas- ketball on a Saturday after- noon. You'll be in the woods kneeling on the cold wet ground. The chain-saw you're hanging onto will shower you with a steady flow of sawdust and exhaust fumes. You'll feel the damp earth against your skin as it soaks through your pants. And if you've got some age on you, you'll be careful not to strain too hard and ag- itate that spot in your lower belly your doctor told you is probably a small hernia. When you're done for the day, you'll feel good about the work you've done as you sit by the wood stove enjoying the fruits of your labor. But you know that the wood you cut to- day will soon be used up and you'll be at it again. Your work is never done. Like King Solo- mon in the Book of Ecclesias- tes, you realize that while you walk the earth, your days of toiling under the sun will nev- er end. The best you can do is work hard and enjoy it. Looking up from my bench, I see several small birds in the crab-apple tree next to the garage. Often in winter, songbirds will feed in small groups. But this group is large. At least 20 brown birds crowd the branches of the tree. I put my file down and de- cide to take a closer look (my way of enjoying my work) and walk outside. The birds make a low chirping noise. It's a constant buzz of sound that I'm guessing they use to let each other know that they're safe and happy until a threat comes along to change their tune. They hop to the ends of the small branches and pull dried berries from the tree. On the backs of their heads is a tuft of feathers and I can see yellow tips on their tails. The birds are cedar waxwings. Cedar waxwings are found commonly but infrequently (due to their group behavior) in southern Indiana. They are almost always found in small groups. In the winter, they feed on berries, often feed- ing on ornamental shrubs and trees in backyards. They are a fun bird to watch as, usual- ly, when you see one, you're guaranteed to see several. Later that day when I'm do- ne cutting wood, I head back to the cabin where it's warm and dry. Rena and the kids are back so the great-room is once again filled with noise and mo- tion. "Dad, can you untie my shoes? " Eli asks. I walk over and pull his shoes off. "That's mine," Eva shouts at her little sister, Esther. Soon a squab- ble breaks out over a party fa- vor, resulting in Esther giving way to tears and sobbing. Re- na ends the crying by prom- ising nap time all around if things don't calm down. "What did you do today? " she asks me. "Oh, sharpened my saw and cut some wood. And, oh yeah, did some bird watching, too." PATOKA VALLEY OUTDOORS By Sam Whiteleather Working hard while bird watching See DROP on 7