Contributing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS â??? The number 42 was all over the place Feb. 23 on Indianapolisâ??
northwestside.
Not only was
it the margin of victory that Class 4A No. 6 Pike had in its 87-45 thumping of 4A
No. 10 Warren Central, but it is now the new school record for points. Thatâ??s thanks
to senior Jeff Teague, who scored 42 points in just under three quarters of play.
â??I just kept
getting my shots to fall,â? Teague said. â??We were getting open and getting easy buckets.
â??I was feeling
it.â?
Teague wasted
no time getting started, hitting a 3-pointer on Pikeâ??s first possession. He scored
the first 13 points for the Red Devils (18-4) on his way to 22 of Pikeâ??s 25 first-quarter
points.
Shooting at
a blistering 80 percent (16 of 20) for the game, the Wake Forest-bound guard hit
nine of his first 10 shots.
After the lead
hit double digits with a minute remaining in the first quarter, the outcome was
never in doubt. The only thing left to decide was the margin of victory.
â??We just talked
about being aggressive and playing our game,â? said Pike first-year coach Billy Wright.
â??We got off to a great start. We are very fortunate to beat them â??? they are a quality
opponent.â?
Defense played
a huge key in the game as Pikeâ??s pressure â??Dâ? never allowed Warren Central (15-6)
to get comfortable.
â??Our guys just
continued our rotations like we talked about,â? Wright said. â??We got the guys with
the athletic ability to do it, and we want them to work on offense.â?
Teague continued
his torrid pace in the second quarter by scoring eight more points, including a
thunderous one-handed tomahawk slam after a steal.
At the half,
Teague had outscored the Warriors 30-22.
â??Heâ??s playing
very efficient,â? Wright said. â??Heâ??s doing it with confidence and within the flow
of the offense.
â??Heâ??s not forcing
anything, and he put on a show today.â?
Halftime did
little to cool Teagueâ??s hot hand as he scored eight points in a 10-0 Pike run that
saw the lead grow to 31 points. The question then became would he break David Gaddisâ??
27-year old record of 41 Red Devil points in a game.
He answered
that with 1:45 left in the third on a double-pump jumper. Teague would leave 15
seconds later to a standing ovation from the Pike faithful.
The fourth
quarter was a formality, with many of the fans already clearing out. For awhile,
it looked like Teague might outscore the Warriors all by himself.
But a 3-pointer
by Warren Centralâ??s Jarrin Forte ended that conversation.
After the game,
Warren Central coach Scott Heady didnâ??t know how to sum up his teamâ??s effort.
â??I am really
lost for words,â? Heady said. â??Teague got going and we couldnâ??t stop him, but he
hit tough shots.
We got a ****
kicking that we arenâ??t used to getting, and I take full responsibility as the coach
for not getting my team ready to play. Hopefully we can regroup for next week.â?
For Pike, it
was yet another statement game right before the state tournament. Last week, the
Red Devils upset once-beaten Franklin Central 59-54.
â??I think right
now we are playing good basketball, playing four quarters,â? Wright said. â??Things
are finally coming together, the kids are in a groove, and itâ??s fun to watch when
they are playing that way.â?
Senior Kyle
Riley added 16 for the Red Devils, while Forte and Josh Jones each had 10 points
for Warren Central.
So what do you think?
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