Panthers ready for championship game

By Rex Kirts

"We're ready to play," South coach J.R. Holmes proclaimed after Thursday's practice. "We'd just rather have the bigger trophy," one that matches the trophy from winning the state championship two years ago.
The Panthers practiced well this week and are ready to take on Kokomo in Saturday's class 4A state title game at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The game will start about 8:30 p.m. It was a little later than that in 2009 when the Panthers completed a 26-0 season in the state title win over Fort Wayne Snider. The start of the 4A game was delayed because the class 3A title game went two overtimes.
South is 25-2 and fresh off a confidence-building win over Indianapolis North Central in the semistate. Kokomo is 23-2 and savoring late game-winning shots in ther regional and semistate.
Assistant coach Aaron Parker said Kokomo is "every bit as good as any team we've played all year. We're going to have to play well."
PARKER IS CONFIDENT the Panthers, with five senior starters, will do that. "Our kids just have a different look in their eye. Determination, I guess."
Determination and, Holmes believes, an advantage of being in the championship game just two years ago. Point guard Dee Davis and wingman Spencer Turner started in that game, and other Panthers were there as spectators. Davis was the game's MVP.
Davis has backed up the MVP with a senior season averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He's headed to Xavier on a college Division I scholarship.
Turner has a Division I scholarship, too, to Belmont. He's averaging 16.3 points per game, is second in rebounding at 4.9 and tied with guard Ben Stowell in assists at 2.3.
The other starters are forward Joey Forney with a 9.5 scoring average, Stowell at 8.4 and center Desmond Marks at 7o.7. Marks leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 and Forney, who has a baseball scholarship to Xavier, third in rebounding at 4.3.
"I LIKE THE WAY we practiced this week," assistant coach Kyle Simpson said. "It's been pretty intense. I liked our focus, especially coming off the win over North Central. We ought to be (focused) - we're all seniors."
At the Kiwanis banquet Wednesday in Indianapolis, where all the state teams are honored, Holmes said this team of seniors wanted to get through the regular season and get to the tournament. They've had good effort all season, he noted, but the focus has been better after a sub-par game in the sectional against North.
All in all, however, Holmes said the Panthers have been pretty good.
Long-time assistant coach Criss Beyers has a good feeling about the team's prospects.
"I think we're ready to play," Beyers said. "I think it will be a good game. They (Kokomo) are well coached and athletic. They're a great offensive rebounding team.
"I like where we're at, though. I like the way we've practiced. If we play like we're capable of I like our chances."
SOUTH BEAT KOKOMO in a summer tournament, so each team has a working knowledge of the other.
"We can't give up offensive rebounds," Parker said. "They score half their points on offensive rebounds. They get five guys going to the basket."
Parker said the Wildkats "look every bit as quick as North Central. They're a team that knows their roles and not a man steps out of it. They understand what it takes to win."
Kokomo does a lot of things defensively. Offensively, it is led by junior point guard B.J. Balentine, the only Wildkat averaging in double figure scoring at 16.2.
"Everything goes through Balentine," Holmes said. "They're streak shooters. What they do is rebound it - they really crash the boards."
THE PANTHERS got a preview of a good rebounding team last week. They blocked out well and beat North Central on the boards, 32-25.
North Central didn't have many opportunities at rebounds, though, since South shot 59 per cent from the field.
Against Kokomo, Holmes said, "We'll have to handle their pressure, handle their man-to-man and keep them off the boards. We've got to attack their defense."
South's pre-game ticket sale was about 2,700. Single session tickets should be available at the gate for $15.