By Chris May
Contributing Writer
PENDLETON — Round 2 of the Indiana All-Stars versus the Junior All-Stars June 21 could not have been more different from their first meeting as the teams went not one â?¦ not two â?¦ but three overtimes before deciding the contest, 118-111, in favor of the Indiana stars.
After a June 15 dud at Washington that was decided by halftime, this game at Pendleton Heights High School finished late into the evening.
After 55 minutes of play, Juniors center Greg Oden (Lawrence North) finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, and four assists (and a blocked shot with :03 left in regulation to force the first overtime), but his younger teammates were unable to slow down the Indiana All-Stars in the final extra period.
The star of the night for the Indiana All-Stars was Lapel graduate Jason Holsinger, who went for 22 points — all after halftime — on 7-of-8 sharpshooting from 3-point territory. For the Evansville-bound guard, it was a chance to play in front of numerous family and friends just minutes down the road from his hometown. In fact, it seemed that Holsinger received a louder ovation than any other, rivaled only by the applause for his teammate, Pendletonâ??s own Nick Rogers, and Oden.
The Junior All-Stars, determined to improve upon that 30-point loss at Washington, jumped out to a strong start and led 15-4 just 4:23 into the game, aided by eight straight points from Lawrence Northâ??s Mike Conley. The Indiana All-Stars then went on a 9-2 run, and from there the teams played fairly evenly until the half, when the Junior All-Stars held a 39-34 lead.
The second half remained competitive as the lead changed hands seven times in the final 10 minutes, with neither team grabbing an advantage of more than five points. That said, the Indiana All-Stars led by five with 1:10 left before Juniors Grant Leiendecker (Homestead) and Jamil Tucker (Gary West) converted on a trifecta and dunk on consecutive possessions.
The Indiana All-Stars had a late look, driving to the basket before Mr. Oden rejected a shot into the All-Star bench, leading to the first overtime all tied at 81.
A pair of 3-pointers continued the excitement in the next two overtime periods. Leiendecker made another big play when he hit a 3 with nine seconds left in the first OT to make it 93-all and head it to a second overtime. Indiana All-Star Brandon McPherson (Lawrence North) then sent it to the third extra session after his long ball tied it at 102.
Hometown coach Joe Buckâ??s Indiana All-Stars pulled away in the third overtime, though, getting another McPherson 3 and Holsingerâ??s sixth 3-pointer on their first two possessions. They took the win after outscoring the younger squad 16-9 in that overtime.
Aside from Holsingerâ??s 22, four other Indiana All-Stars posted double-figure scoring efforts — McPherson with 18, Richmondâ??s Dominic James with 17, Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller (Washington) with 15, and Darren Cloud of Evansville Reitz with 11.
Behind Odenâ??s 29 points, a trio of Junior All-Stars reached double digits — the soft-shooting 6â??9â? Tucker finished with 18 points (and seven rebounds), point guard Conley had 15, and Chris Kramer (Huntington North) scored 11.
The charity was bountiful among the Indiana All-Star squad as four players finished with four or more assists, with Josh Mayo (Merrillville) leading the way with a half-dozen. As a team, the Indiana All-Stars had an unheard of 29 dimes on 38 field goals and a nearly two-to-one assist-turnover ratio of 29-16.
The Juniors, on the other hand, handled the ball well, committing just 12 turnovers in those 55 minutes of play. Led by the 12 boards of Luke Harangody (Andrean), they outrebounded Team Indiana, 56-48.
The series concludes with the third and final meeting between the squads June 23 at Richmond High School.
Think being an Indiana All-Star is all about playing basketball? Think again â?¦
While their action on the hardwood is the most visible thing to folks around the great state of Indiana, the Indiana All-Stars have been busy with plenty of other off-court activities. Included among the annual All-Star duties and missions are making appearances with underprivileged children and fulfilling plenty of autograph sessions, but many All-Stars also have begun their college studies.
Take, for example, Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller of Class 3A state champ Washington. Zeller, who graduated as valedictorian of his class, already has cracked the books for his academic career at Notre Dame. Luke was in class June 22 at South Bend following the exhibition versus the Junior All-Stars just the night before.
His summer school courses? Microeconomics and Introduction to Shakespeare.
â??I didnâ??t get to pick them,â? Zeller zinged.
For Zeller, it is his first day of courses in what will be a short week; he is missing classes June 24 because of the All-Star activities.
Summer school and summer workouts are very popular among college coaches, allowing incoming freshmen to meet their fellow frosh and hopefully build chemistry while working out with some of their elder teammates.
On the girls side, Tara Miller and Kim Roberson already have begun coursework at Indiana, and Miss Basketball Jodi Howell will be at Purdue as soon as the All-Star festivities are finished.
Things sound particularly tough, though, for Brown County graduate Mara Freshour. Freshour was selected to the All-Star team after missing the latter portion of the basketball season with an injury, and she will not play June 25 against Kentucky at Conseco Fieldhouse. But despite not playing these two weeks, she has chosen to stick around the team and help out. Mara, who is headed for Florida State to play, will drive her possessions to Tallahassee with her mother June 26 after All-Star duties are completed.
Another big-time program recruit, Cassie Kearns, will get some time off. Kearns said she will report July 8 to Storrs, Conn.; before beginning work with coach Geno Auriemma at UConn, Kearns will enjoy vacation time in Florida.
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