Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS â??? North Central (Indianapolis) guard Eric Gordon missed his
first free throw of possibly the countryâ??s most monitored senior season Nov. 22
in the Class 4A top-ranked Panthersâ?? opener at Pike.
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Unfortunately for the 4A No. 2 Red Devils, the Indiana
University-bound Gordon made his last 21 free throws en route to a game-high 36
points as North Central simply outslugged Pike, 77-73, in a back-and-forth, soldout season-opening thriller.
The 6â??4â?, 212-pounder also went 6 of 9 from the field,
including 3 for 3 from 24 feet and beyond, as North Central survived a frenetic
final six minutes. Six-foot-8 senior center Adnan Hodzic also posted a stellar
pre-Thanksgiving performance, going a perfect 9 for 9 from the field on his way
to 20 points for coach Doug Mitchellâ??s Panthers.
Wake Forest-bound senior guard Jeff Teague stayed nearly
step for step with Gordon, going 13 of 27 and pouring in 33 points while never
leaving the floor as Demon Deaconsâ?? coach Skip Prosser looked on from a spot
behind the Pike band.
Teague was joined in double figures by senior guard Kyle
Riley, who had two monstrous fourth-quarter dunks among his 17 points, and senior
forward Phil
Collins with 11.
North Central never trailed after falling behind 6-5, but
the Panthers also never enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout a stellar
contest. After a 3-pointer by North Central senior guard Devin Hunter put the
Panthers up 61-54 with 6:09 to go, Pike responded with a 7-0 burst over the
next 45 seconds to knot it up at 61 and set the stage for a fantastic finish.
Paramount among the Red Devilsâ??
lightning-fast run to pull even was Rileyâ??s thunder dunk off a fast break that
got started when Gordon lost the ball among multiple Pike defenders. The Red
Devils â??? playing their first game in the post-Larry Bullington regime under new
coach and former Indiana All-Star from Richmond Billy Wright â??? constantly
harassed Gordon whenever he had the ball, and the ploy worked to the tune of
seven â??E.J.â? turnovers.
But in the old be-careful-what-you-wish-for vein, that
pressure also resulted in numerous trips to the foul stripe. And following that
first miss, Gordon made Pike pay in a most Steve Alford-esque way.
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