By Brandon Jones
Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS â??? When the final buzzer sounded at Conseco Fieldhouse this past spring and Muncie Central was on the losing end of the Class 4A state championship game, few people predicted a return trip for the Bearcats in 2005-06.
And why would they? Central lost seven seniors from that 27-2 semistate championship squad.
So far this season, however, Muncie Central has been proving its doubters wrong as the Bearcats rattled off eight consecutive wins to start the season and have rocketed up the state polls.
The Cass 4A No. 3 Bearcats would really find out where they stood as they traveled to Indianapolisâ?? Westside Dec. 30 for a battle with 4A No. 4 Pike as two of the stateâ??s top powers faced of.
Pike entered the contest at 5-1, the only loss being to Conference Indiana rival Bloomington South on the road.
The Red Devils and Bearcats wasted no time in living up to the hype of their rankings as they put on an offensive clinic in the first period of play.
Upon winning the tip, the Red Devils went on to score the contestâ??s first five points to take an early 5-0 advantage just over a minute in. The Red Devils continued that hot shooting behind junior Jeff Teague (eight points in the quarter) and senior Reece Cheatham (six points).
The Red Devils were taking advantage of an early zone defense employed by Bearcats coach Matt Fine.
Cheatham and Teague were forced into scoring roles early as Pike point guard Tony James picked up two quick fouls and was forced to be a spectator for the remainder of the period.
Muncie Central kept pace thanks to some hot shooting of its own. The Bearcats senior point guard Ben Botts was scorching from the floor in the gameâ??s first quarter as he came off a series of screens and drained some nice outside shots and mid range jumpers. He led the Bearcats with nine points in the quarter and after one period of play Pike held a 20-16 advantage.
The pace of the game slowed in the second period as both teamsâ?? pressing defense was creating havoc for the opposition. Teague, known as one of the teamâ??s play makers, picked up his second foul midway through the second quarter and he and Cheatham were shut out (zero points) in the second period.
Muncie Central failed to capitalize on coach Larry Bullingtonâ??s Red Devilsâ?? mistakes. The Bearcats could not get the ball inside to their big men and were taking many outside shots that seemed forced. Muncie Central kept the contest close behind junior Tom Freemanâ??s seven points, while Botts added five in the period.
With Teague and Cheatham on the bench, the Red Devils were forced to look elsewhere for scoring. Sophomore Cordell Passley and senior Curtis White provided the much needed answers for Pike as they came on the bench to hold off a rally by Muncie Central. The Bearcats could get close, but could not get over the hump as they cut the lead to one point on two separate occasions.
The halftime score was 31-29, with Pike holding the lead.
Muncie Central got over that preverbal â??humpâ? in the gameâ??s third quarter. Teague kept Pike afloat as he scored seven of the teamâ??s 11 points in the period. But the third quarter belonged to the visiting Bearcats. Muncie Central tied the contest for the first time since the opening tip and went on to take its first lead of the ballgame on Freemanâ??s jump shot to make the score 39-38 with 3:10 remaining in the period.
The Bearcats used a series of back door screens and cuts to give themselves easy opportunities at the basket. However, they failed to convert on separate occasions which would have extended their advantage. Muncie Central never trailed again in the period and held a 44-42 lead with eight minutes remaining.
As the fourth quarter began, Bullington elected to take advantage of his teamâ??s athleticism and employ full court pressure. While this tactic did create some turnovers for Bullingtonâ??s squad, it also resulted in numerous fouls, meaning free throw opportunities for the Bearcats.
Muncie Central was now in the bonus with 5:11 remaining, and was in the double bonus just a minute later.
Pike went cold on the other end as the Devils did not score a field goal for the first 2:55 of the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Muncie Central was beating the press and getting to the foul line on the other end. In fact, a three-point play by senior Terry Jenkins extended the Bearcats lead to seven points with just 4:48 remaining.
That is when Pike, and Jeff Teague in particular, went to work.
â??When things got tight for us in the last quarter,” Bullington said, “Jeff wanted the ball in his hands.”
And he got it.
The junior scored seven of his game-high 22 points in the final period as Pike got closer and closer.
The Red Devils went on an 8-0 scoring run to retake the lead at 54-53 with just over two minutes remaining. After a three-point play by Botts on the other end gave the Bearcats a 56-54 lead, Teague again went to work as he scored on the other end to knot the game up at 56-56 with just 1:44 remaining.
After a Central miss at the other end, Pike senior Curtis White scored his 11th point of the evening and easily his biggest two points on the night to give Pike a 58-56 advantage with just 1:08 left.
What happened next is a blur to me and those in the crowd. The officials, who both coaches would later say were inconsistent all evening, got involved heavily. After a foul that forced Freeman out of the contest, little used senior center LaMarqus Coatie came into the contest for Central to shoot a pair of free throws. Coatie connected on one of the two attempts and the lead was cut to one point at 58-57.
At the other end, Pike was playing the stall game as Bullington understood that the Bearcats would have to create a turnover or foul. However, neither would take place as a questionable 5 second call forced Pike to turn the ball over to Muncie Central with 28 seconds remaining.
At least the officials kept their consistency. At the other end, Central was setting up for a potential game winning shot. While some contact was made by two players of the opposing teams, a foul was not called. Rather a traveling violation was the call on the Bearcats. Muncie Central would be forced to give possession of the basketball right back to the Red Devils.
Forced to foul, Central did just that. The Bearcats elected to foul Tony James and the senior knocked down both free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining. That gave Pike a 60-57 advantage and Central was forced to go the length of the court in under 4 seconds.
Botts got a good look from about 35 feet out, but the attempt was no good, and Pike had escaped with the 60-57 win on its home court.
Cordell Passley and Curtis White each added 11 points for Pike (6-1) to go along with Teagueâ??s 23. Botts led Central (8-1) with 20 points, while Jenkins added 15 and Freeman 11.
So what do you think? Share your thoughts in our forum.
Processing your request, Please wait....
