By Jeff Luzadder
Contributing Writer
LAFAYETTE ââ?¬â?? Former Purdue menââ?¬â?¢s basketball player Dave Barrett made his Indiana high school head coaching debut at alma mater Lafayette Central Catholic a successful one Nov. 26, rallying the host Knights in the second half of a 66-49 win over Lebanon.
With Class A fourth-ranked Central Catholic trailing the Tigers by eight with 3:58 to go in the third quarter, it looked like Barrett�s first coaching win might have to wait until Game 2. But the Knights came back to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, and LCC pulled away as Lebanon missed its first 12 shots of the period, including seven 3-point attempts.
Lebanon coach Tom Johnson, also in his first game as the Tiger general, credited Central Catholic’s second-half pressure defense in the half court, which made it difficult for his team to get any good looks at the basket, as the difference in the game. Central Catholic also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Lebanon by a 39 to 29 margin.
Central Catholic had six different players score during its 17-0 second-half run. Will Hubertz led the Knights with 17 points and had eight rebounds, while T.J. Thieme collected 12 points and four rebounds. Senior guard Tyler Brand, meanwhile, got all of his 13 points in the second half.
The Tigers (0-2), who were coming off a 46-43 loss at Hamilton Heights to open the season, were led by junior guard Justin Brand�s 16 points, including 10 in the first quarter. Senior guard Josh Whitlach scored nine of his 11 points in the second quarter.
Central Catholic now heads into the 3rd annual J & C Hoops Classic at Lafayette Jefferson’s Crawley Center Nov. 28-29 to face county rival, Class 4A 23rd-ranked McCutcheon (1-0), in Game 1. Lebanon, meanwhile, will host Crawfordsville Dec. 2.
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