By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
CRAWFORDSVILLE – Purdue recruit D.J. Byrd scored 24 points as Class 3A 15th-ranked host North Montgomery pulled way from 4A No. 21 Noblesville in the final three minutes of a 54-46 victory Nov. 21 in the season opener for both schools.
The victorious Chargin’ Chargers led most of the way before Noblesville tied it at 42 on a 3-pointer by sophomore Leland Brown. But North Montgomery went on an 8-2 run and knocked down eight of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
“Our defensive intensity was great, and we’re gonna have that every game all year,” Byrd said amid a midcourt post-game celebration. “For Noblesville, they wanted to come all the way here and get a win.
“So it was great for us to step up and pull it out.”
The muscular 6’5”, 205-pound Byrd – only a junior – was joined in double figures by seniors Kyle Calder and A.J. Sutherlin, who each scored 13 points. Senior forward Raymond Burks, who posted a double-double, was the lone Noblesville player to reach double digits with 20 points, 16 of which came in the second half.
“With the Burks kid beatin’ us up inside, we said ‘Hey! Let’s not feed the bear,’ ” said seventh-year North Montgomery coach Scott Radeker.
After North Montgomery had pushed a 23-20 halftime lead to seven on Byrd’s gorgeous left-handed reverse layup and a baseline jumper from senior Lucas Galloway following a steal by Calder, Burks went to work. The 6’3 forward scored three straight buckets on close-range shots to keep the Millers close at 30-26.
Following a double-pump baseline jumper by Byrd and a Calder fast-break layin off his own steal got the lead back to 34-26, Burks answered with a three-point play on a putback (one of his 11 rebounds) and subsequent free throw. Finally, his turnaround jumper in the paint finished the Millers’ scoring with 28 seconds left in the period, allowing Noblesville to stay within three at 40-37.
And although Burks opened the fourth-period scoring with yet another layin, the Chargers adjusted defensively to push the ball to the perimeter. By the time Burks got his next (and final) bucket in one final layin with 1:36 to play, North Montgomery was in the double bonus.
The final straw for the visitors came on their next possession, after Byrd had hit one of two free throws to give the Chargers a 51-46 lead. It was a possession from **** for the Millers, who failed to score after the ball went out of bounds, twice … senior guard Michael Jones missed a three … the ball went out of bounds again … and senior guard Grant Rogers was forced to foul after he was stripped going up for a 3-point attempt.
All told, the empty effort drained 44 seconds off the clock and resulted in a pair of free throws from Calder that all but sealed it.
“It felt like it was about a three-minute possession,” said Radeker, who coached for eight years at Noblesville, seven of them under current Millers mentor David McCullough. “That was huge because it was a five-point game and it could have been a one-possession game.
“Our kids needed a game like this, moving up to 3A. Win or lose, we were gonna learn a lot from it.”
Forced to go outside, Noblesville misfired on five of its six 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. While Burks ended up 9 of 15 from the floor, the rest of his teammates went only 10 of 27, including a frigid 2-of-16 effort from downtown.
All game long, all eyes were on Byrd, who finished 7 of 12 from the field (including 3 of 5 from 3-point distance) and 7 of 9 from the foul line. Yet it was an inauspicious beginning for the future Boilermaker, who picked up his second foul with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Banished to the bench, Byrd was forced to re-enter just three minutes later after North Montgomery opened the second stanza with three missed shots and a turnover. The move paid almost immediate dividends as Byrd drained a wide-open 18-footer off the break, then made a gorgeous assist from the baseline on the next play despite being triple covered.
It was, in fact, a perfect second quarter for Byrd as he nailed a three and hit a pair of free throws while managing to avoid his third foul. Despite a couple stretches where he forced the action just a bit, it was an impressive opening performance for the North Montgomery catalyst.
“I could have made some better decisions on some shots, but I had a lot of energy,” Byrd said.
Next up for North Montgomery is the HoosierAuthority.com “Friday Night Legends” game Nov. 30 at county rival Southmont. Noblesville, meanwhile, hosts Indianapolis Washington Nov. 24.
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