Saturday, January 29, 2011

Pike ran a lot faster, jumped a lot higher, shot a lot better

By Rex Kirts

South didn't have the tools to compete in the track meet at Pike Friday night, and it came up a little short in basketball, too.
Pike ran a lot faster, jumped much higher and shot quite a bit better to earn what has become a rare distinction - a Conference Indiana victory by anyone over South. Pike's 80-74 win ended the Panthers' conference winning streak at 29.
The defeat leaves South with a 14-2 record going into next Friday's conference game against visiting Columbus North. Pike is 13-2 and takes over the CI lead at 5-0. South, winners of the last three conference championships, and Franklin Central are 4-1.
The game was similar to some others the Panthers have played this season. They jumped out to a lead, 26-12 at the first quarter, but couldn't hold it. This time, after getting behind by double digits, they couldn't rally to win.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW they can play any better," South coach J.R. Holmes said of Pike.
Pike attacks the basket in a hurry. "In the Marion Coounty tournament," said assistant coach Kyle Simpson, "they averaged 11-14 seconds per possession."
Holmes said, "We played hard, but they were more athletic than us. But I thought we battled them. They're good. They played great."
Pike simply jumped over South for rebounds and took off on fast-breaking blurs like Kentucky thoroughbreds. The Red Devils owned the boards, 33-26, and shot .609 to .433 for South, which went stone cold in the second and third quarters.
After a brilliant offensive display in the first quarter, the Panthers couldn't find the basket from outside the next two periods. And when they got inside with the ball the Red Devils swatted them
"We had eight layups blocked," Holmes said, a slight smile on his face. These Red Devils aren't big, but they can jump.
"They started making big shots," South senior Dee Davis said of Pike's rally after the first quarter. "Sometimes you can't stop it.
"But I'm proud of my guys. We played hard."
Pike Senior guard Marquis Teague is headed for Kentucky, but it will not be a surprise if he stays only one year before heading to the NBA. He dominated this game like seldom seen.
THE PANTHER DEFENSE had no answer for the 6-2 Teague. He dropped in long 3s, went to the hoop for layups and pullups and an impressive slam and made life miserable for the Panthers. He made great passes inside, and more than once he would be surrounded in the paint by three Panthers and dump the ball to the baseline for layups by teammates.
Teague scored 25 points, smooth-shooting junior R.J. Hunter 20 and sophomore guard Zavier Turner 16.
Davis was impressed with Teague, saying, "He led his team." But he liked others, too. "All of them played great."
The Devils really showed their punch in the third quarter. South still had the lead at halftime, 33-31, but that disappeared quickly in the third quarter. While South was missing its first six or seven shots of the period Pike was hitting nine straight and took a 58-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
South hung in there and crept to within three points, 77-74 with 0:33 left, but the rally ended.
WHILE PIKE took control in the third quarter, Holmes felt the second quarter was where his ball club let things get away. "They got four dunks in the second quarter when we didn't get back on defense a couple of times and had a couple of mistakes," he said.
The Panthers were led offensively by the 1-2 punch of Davis and Spencer Turner. Davis scored 29 points for the third time this season and Turner had 23. But the next best was six each by the other starters, Desmond Marks, Joey Forney and Ben Stowell, who hit a combined 7 of 29.
Overall, Holmes felt his team played fairly well. On this night, though, Pike was too good.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Holmes wins 500th as Panther coach

By Rex Kirts

A couple of long-range basketball history marks were set Tuesday at J.R. Holmes' court at South.
The Panthers (14-1) beat Columbus East, 91-61. For Holmes, in his 29th year as the South head coach, it was his 500th win with the Panthers. He's 500-171 (.745).
Overall, this is his 41st year of coaching. His combined record at Tunnelton, Mitchell and South is 643-289 (.689).
There was a cake afterward to celebrate No. 500.
Senior Aaron Binford had reason to celebrate, also. It's not often that the team's student manager gets to score in a game, but Binford did in the fourth quarter.
It was a bomb, a 3-pointer, and was his first career points. The crowd went wild. Afterward, he even autographed a program.
DURING THE WEEK Binford is a manager, but he's been dressing for all the games and has gotten in a few.
What does winning 500 mean to Holmes?
"Old," he said. "I've been at it a long time. I've been blessed with good players, good assistants, a good wife who understands the coaching thing and some good administrators.
"Any time you stay 29 years in coaching at one school you're fortunate."
Staying 29 years at one school also means you're winning. For the last 16 years, South has the best winning percentage in the state, which includes 26-0 and the state championship in 2008-09.
Holmes played everybody against East, which is struggling a young team and missing two of its starters. The Panthers led 23-16 and by halftime had the game salted away with a 49-25 lead.
"AT HALFTIME we turned them over 17 times and we had only one," Holmes said. "I was just pleased that we played hard and got on the floor and helped the helper."
That was on defense. Offensively, the Panthers took the ball to the hole a lot and got several fast breaks, many coming after steals.
Dee Davis started early hitting 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to lead South. Desmond Marks scored 18 from all over the court, Spencer Turner 13 and Joey Forney 10.
The game was a warmup for Friday's major Conference Indiana clash at Pike. They are the only teams left with unbeaten records in conference play, with two league games remaining after it.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

1,000 for Davis and Turner at South, 499 for Holmes

By Rex Kirts

Saturday was a big numbers night for seniors Dee Davis and Spencer Turner.
In the 63-56 win over Franklin Central in South's gym, both became 1,000-point career scorers for the Panthers.
Davis had already achieved 1,000 in the combined total of his freshman year at North and the points at South since then. He had 999 at South going into Saturday and added 11 to help beat Franklin Central. For his career he has 1,286.
Told he hit the 1,000 mark, Davis joked, "You mean they didn't stop the game?"
Turner needed six points for 1,000 but didn't know it. "I had no idea I was close to 1,000," he said.
Turner scored 14 points, going 7-7 at the free throw line.
The victory was the 499th at South for coach J.R. Holmes. He can get 500 Tuesday in the home game against Columbus East. He is 499-171 in 29 years at South.
For his 42-year career at Tunnelton, Mitchell and South, Holmes is 642-289.

13-1 but 'no life, no energy'

By Rex Kirts

Maybe, J.R. Holmes agreed, South's problem is too much confidence.
Instead of playing with a sense of urgency and visible intensity, the Panthers just completed a weekend doubleheader with a lacklustre victory at Martinsville and a struggling win against Franklin Central at South.
They are 13-1, so there's no denying their ability. But it often seems they show up with an attitude like, "We know we're going to win."
Dee Davis called it "lackadaisical" after Saturday's 63-56 battle with Franklin Central.
For sure the Panthers have a relaxed and completely confident look, and confidence is a good thing. But Holmes is concerned about whatever it is that's causing his team to perform, at times, a little below par.
"I'm disappointed," he said. "We have no life. We can't seem to stand prosperity."
Several times the Panthers took control of the FC game, only to let the visitors come storming back. This has happened at other times this season.
IN A SEE-SAW first half, the Panthers trailed 29-26 at halftime. They trailed 7-0 to start the game and then rang up 12 straight points. Later on they let FC go on a 15-2 run but had a 15-4 run themselves in the second half.
"I had nothing to say to them at halftime," Holmes said."If they have no enthusiasm, no energy . . . I can't make them play."
"We just didn't come out with energy," said Davis, who fouled out late. "I finally made a jump shot." Franklin Central did a good job of taking away Davis' driving, but he hit two big 3s in the second half.
Dominance of the boards and good free throw shooting (19-24) enabled South to win the game. It was a struggle because FC is a good team with great speed and great coaching.
And they won because they can turn it on offensively at key times. There isn't a whole lot wrong with their offense.
It's defense, burdened by lack of overall speed, that causes trouble. The offense is frequently put in a position to win the game, and that's difficult on nights when the shooting is cool.
"WE COULDN'T stop them," Holmes said of FC. "We had no help on the help side. It looks like they've never been coached."
Dribble penetration, especially by swift point guard Jason Riley (17 points), hurt South all night, and it's something the Panthers are likely to see Friday at Pike by star guard Marquis Teague. There were defensive woes the night before at Martinsville, too.
"We have no energy," the Panther coach reiterated. "I don't have the answer."
He concluded, "But, it's a highlight of your career to beat a team coached by Mark James."
Despite the problems, there were many good things. One of them was a win in Conference Indiana to keep the Panthers perfect in the league, and it came before a team that was also unbeaten in the conference. Now there are just two unbeatens (4-0) left, South and Pike.
The win was the 28th straight in the conference and the 41st straight at home. The Panthers host Columbus East on Tuesday in a makeup game before going to Pike on Friday.
Among the other good things to happen against FC was the play of Ben Stowell. He was in the doghouse because of his defense Friday night, but he did a solid job on Kyle James on Saturday, holding him to five points.
"I TRIED TO STEP UP my intensity on defense," Stowell said. "I didn't want to give him any open looks and wanted to keep him from going to his right."
Stowell delivered on offense, too, scoring 14 points. He was 4-for-4 on 3-point shots, one of them a biggie with 5:05 left to put South ahead by five, 54-49.
All five starters scored in double figures and accounted for all South's points. Spencer Turner also had 14 points, Joey Forney 13 and Davis and Desmond Marks 11.
Forney and Marks also had eight rebounds and Turner six.
"I thought Joey Forney played good all night," Holmes said. "Stowell played pretty well, and Des. The second half we got the ball inside (to Marks).
Turner's 3-point shooting was off (1-5), but he was 7-7 at the free throw line.
"They put James on me," Turner said. "He's a really good ball player. I've played against him since the second or third grade, and he knows what I can do. He guarded me hard.
"I think their kids got a little tired at the end. And we just hit some shots."

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The defense was destructive at Edgewood

By Rex Kirts

Dee Davis and Ben Stowell were nothing but destructive on defense at Edgewood Friday night.
Long-time Panther fan Bill Forney, Joey's grandpa, likes to yell "steal it" when the Panthers are on defense, and Davis and Stowell did just that. In the first half alone Davis had five steals as he picked the Mustangs' pockets.
Lots of the steals were quickly converted into layups.
Stowell had the primary job of defending Edgewood's fine point guard Alex Narey. Stowell did the job so well that Edgewood had trouble running its offense.
South's offense, meanwhile, encountered considerably less opposition and was able to function smoothly, almost effortlessly. One good pass to an open man was followed by another and then another.
"WE HAD 22 ASSISTS on our 32 baskets," South coach J.R. Holmes said. Ball movement was often spectacular, and people movement was good as always.
Altogether, it was just a neat performance by the Panthers (11-1) against a team they expected more difficulty against. The product was better than the final score of 71-52 indicates.
Once again Davis was worth more than the price of admission. In addition to his six total steals, he scored 26 points and had five assists.
Stowell had eight points and four steals. Joey Forney scored nine points and dealt out five assists. Spencer Turner had 13 points and seven rebounds and Desmond Marks eight rebounds and six points.
That's five people doing their fair share.
"Defensively we just took them out of a lot of things they wanted to do," Holmes said. "We had the one-foul rule on Narey - whenever someone got their first foul someone else guarded him. I don't think he was looking for his shot early.
"I thought our pressure pushed them out a little."
Edgewood showed no such pressure. The Mustangs committed only seven personal fouls, and the Panthers shot only one free throw.
HOLMES AGREED Davis totally disrupted Edgewood. "He's so quick. He anticipates well and sets guys up."
The bench had a couple of nice moments in this ball game. Michael Bower and Trae Washington made a few outstanding passes in the fourth quarter, and Dustin Utley scored five points.
The Panthers have another doubleheader weekend coming up. They travel to Martinsville on Friday and resume Conference Indiana play at home on Saturday against Franklin Central.
South, Franklin Central and Pike are tied for the conference lead with 3-0 records.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Forney, Panthers growing

By Rex Kirts

After playing and practicing three sports almost non-stop, Joey Forney took a complete break from basketball and football last summer to concentrate on baseball.
Having first announced for a college Division I baseball scholarship for Duke, he switched to Xavier after Duke withdrew its offer. He played on the highly competitive and much-traveled Bulls team out of Indianapolis, and the opposition was tougher than regular high school teams
What did he learn?
"I definitely struggled," Forney said. "I had a pretty solid (spring high school) season and then started playing against great players. The speed of the game picked up.
"As far as pitching, my speed was perfect to hit home runs off of."
And he learned a valuable lesson in the importance of control.
"I HAD TO PLACE my breaking ball, which I hadn't had to do. When I'd get behind in the count and had to throw the ball down the middle, it would hop over the fence. It was brutal. I wasn't the best player around."
Now that he understands the requirements at higher levels, the experience is something Forney can build on.
But that's in the spring, when the snow leaves. At the moment he's trying to improve on the basketball court with the Panther team that's sailing along at 11-1.
"I need to play better on defense," he said. "I pride myself on that."
Forney had one memorable defensive effort this season, holding Jeremy Hollowell of Lawrence Central to five points. Hollowell is considered a Division I prospect.
In addition toperforming well on defense, he wants to anticipate passes better, rebound better, knock down open shots and get easy putbacks.
TO GET ALL THIS DONE, Forney has been in a catch-up mode this season because he didn't put in his usual time during the summer.
"Zero," he said.
Coach J.R. Holmes doesn't like his players to skip the summer, but Forney did some catching up in the fall open gyms, where he shot the ball well and got back into the roundball flow. That was helped along because he gave up football, where he was the quarterback. He did have a shining moment during the football season, being crowned homecoming king.
The Panthers, according to Forney, are "definitely growing. We still have some growing to do, on the defensive side and shooting for four quarters. That will come. We've just got to focus on the fundamentals."
Growing is something Forney did, especially after he got comfortable in the offense. He's averaging eight points a game and shooting 46 per cent from the floor. He's third on the team in rebounds behind Desmond Marks and Spencer Turner.
"I GAINED A LOT of confidence after the Jeffersonville and Carmel games," Forney said. "I feel I can score and help Dee (Davis) and Spencer."
He got aggressive and busted loose for 13 points in the fourth quarter against Carmel.
"I saw coach Holmes, and he was about to take the starters out (against Carmel), and I guess I got a little selfish and started jacking them up," he laughed.
Confidence was gained during open gyms, too. "I got in the groove," Forney said. "I had some open gyms where I almost amazed myself (with his shooting). I think that gave me a lot of confidence that I could step up and help Dee and Spencer.
"And Ben Stowell did, too. And Desmond."
UsuallyForney is seen with a smile, and he's clearly having fun on the court.
"I said my freshman year I was only playing basketball to have fun," he grinned. "I've been playing with these guys since I was a little kid. It's just fun to get out there and play."
There's fun in challenges the second half of the season. Like the first half, the schedule is full of several tough tests.


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Turner and Davis drill North, Bower tough off the bench

By Rex Kirts

During the pre-game warmups, Spencer Turner drained shot after shot. His game face was steely.
"He had been tellling me he was ready to go," Dee Davis said. "He puts in a lot of work."
In South's last game, its only loss of the season to Center Grove, Turner hit 2 of 13 on 3-point shots. Friday night against North he hit all seven 3s, a couple of them from "way downtown."
Turner scored a career high 29 points and Davis matched his career high of 29. Their combined total of 58 outscored North as South won the Conference Indiana matchup, 86-55, before a packed South gym. Three-fourths of the crowd were Panther fans. Some fans were turned away at the gate and missed seeing South win for the 10th straight time in the city series.
While South's shooting show was spectacular, the Panthers got some production from several players.
Davis, hitting 9 of 14 shots and 4 of 6 on 3s, had eight assists in addition to his points. Desmond Marks didn't see the ball much because of the shooting domination by Turner and Davis, but he had nine rebounds as South dominated the boards, 38-22, Joey Forney had eight points and six rebounds. Michael Bower's defensive play off the bench was tremendous, and he chipped in seven points.
AS DOMINATE as the final score was, it took a rally from a 17-17 tie at the end of the first quarter to get to the 31-piont victory.
"North-South jitters," Davis said of the first quarter play. "We had a tough time containing Damon Brown, then we started playing defense and picked up the tempo."
When the Panthers started to take control, they shot out into dominance qujickly.
They outscored North by 15 points in the second quarter for a 42-27 halftime lead. Turner went crazy on 3-pointers and was part of a four-point play. Fouled while Forney made a basket, Turner added two free throws for a 36-24 lead in the second quarter.
Turner went one better in the third quarter, converting a five-point play. He was fouled while making a 3-pointer. He missed the free throw but followed it for a rebound basket and 47-29 lead.
Going 2 for 13 on 3s and 3 of 14 overall last week didn't please Turner.
"I WAS A LITTLE UPSET from the last game," he said. "I was in the gym four or five hours a day this week (shooting). Hard work does pay off." His overall shooting was 10 of 11.
Asked what South did to break away after the first quarter, Turner said, "We got really hot and made a huge run. We worked the ball around well and got wide open shots."
"Spencer has spent a lot more time in the gym the last week," Holmes said.
Another thing the Panthers did well was hold the ball for the last shot at the end of the first three quaarters and hit all three times. Davis got a 3 to end the first and third quarters and Bower a steal and layup to end the half.
"We just started working together," Bower said of the pullaway, "and finding the open man who was hot.
"Every year against North it seems Spencer gets deeper and deeper on his 3s. I was rebounding for him during pre-game - I knew it was going to be a good night."
Marks said the Panthers had to come back after the doujble overtime loss to Center Grove. "We wanted to show everybody we could come back strong."
COACH J.R. HOLMES felt the key part of the game was the second quarter when the Panthers extended the lead from nine to 15 points with Davis, Turner and Marks on the bench because of foul trouble.
"We went on a key run and that kept them (North) from feeling they could get back in the game," Holmes said. "Damon Brown went out, and we pressured them and went up 15."
Holmes liked what was happening in the third quarter, too
"The kids found each other," Holmes said. "They were calling plays for each other to get the ball to the guys who were hot." The Panthers shot 54 per cent on all shots and 55 on 3s while North hit 35 and 33.
Bower can create a lot of havoc with his defense, which he did against North.
"HE PLAYS HARD," Holmes said. "When he was denying Damon the basketball that hurt North's effectiveness on offense."
A point of emphasis coming in was to limit North's offensive rebounds, and that succeeded because it had only four.
"North likes to put their heads down and drive, and we didn't want to send everybody to help and let them get offensive rebounds," Holmes said.
Holmes felt the pace of the game was in South's favor, and he liked the emotion in the gym and the big crowd.
The primary goal, he said, was to get a conference win at home. The Panthers are 10-1 overall and 3-0 in the league, tied with Franklin Central and Pike for the conference lead.
South's next game is Tuesday at home against Columbus East. East is coached by former Panther Brent Chitty.
South has won 40 straight home games and 27 straight in Conference Indiana.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Stowell filling his role

By Rex Kirts

When Matt Carlino left for college a year early the "help wanted" ad was posted.
Cancel the ad. Ben Stowell has earned the job.
This was not a chance happening, the fact that Stowell was ready to step in. Stowell's capability was known, and coach J.R. Holmes had prepared him last year to be a contributor to this year's team. Carlino leaving early simply meant Stowell had a shot at starting instead of being a super sub.
The 6-1, 170-pound Stowell eased into his role this year. But in last week's Hall of Fame Classic championship game against center Grove he improved a couple of levels with a 24-point performance in the two-overtime thriller.
THE BIG NIGHT came in South's first loss of the season, but it showed the extra scorer Holmes has been looking for is on the roster. The Panthers (9-1 going into Friday's game against North) can now occupy the entire court with someone who can put the ball in the basket.
Holmes used Stowell about two quarters of every jayvee game last year in hopes he would develop a scoring mentality. He did, becoming accustomed to putting the ball up.
"He's pretty athletic, more than you imagine," said Holmes, who noted he was second in the state in tennis doubles his junior year. "He can shoot the ball. We obviously need him on that one wing to be able to score and play."
Spencer Turner is on the other wing, Dee Davis on the point and Desmond Marks and Joey Forney inside. Davis averages 22.5 points per game, Turner 15.7, Stowell 9.8, Marks 9.2 and Forney 8.8.
Holmes would like a little more consistency from Stowell. Prior to the 24-point game he had just four in the afternoon win over Warsaw. "There's no reason for him scoring just four points," the coach said.
STOWELL SAID he's been playing basketball "as long as he can remember." He didn't start playing tennis until his freshman year but moved up quickly, placing second in the state in doubles with Matt Acton as a junior and making it to semistate this year with Matt Helm.
A help in both sports is his intelligence. A 4.0 student, Stowell was Academic all-state in tennis this year. He's headed to Indiana University and is thinking of becoming a lawyer.
Stowell claims his big game against Center Grove came because the Trojans were keying on Davis and Turner.
"I was just patient, and the shots came," he said. "Toward the fourth quarter and overtime my shot started to feel better, and I wanted the ball more."
At the start of the season Stowell had to search for his role on the team, as did Marks. They had to fit in with returning starters Davis, Turner and Forney. "I was told I needed to play defense and just be a role player," he said.
BUT IT BECAME CLEAR another scoring threat was needed, and Stowell obliged.
He has drawn some major defensive assignments, including Nic Moore of Warsaw, Duncan of Evansville harrison and Ramey of Southport. Moore, with both Stowell and Davis guarding him, scored 34.
"I thought Moore would be like any other player who's supposed to be good," Stowell said. "But . . . he's the best player I ever played against."
He's had good practice going against outstanding players right in his own gym, having guarded Jordy Hulls and Dee Davis. "They're both really good," Stowell grinned.
He's approaching the city game with a routine attidude."We'll play our game and try to take care of business," he said.

Monday, January 3, 2011

9-1 a good start; schedule challenging ahead, too

By Rex Kirts

In the first half of the season, South's opponents combined for a 53-26 record. Three of them, Bedford, Terre Haute North and Warsaw, suffered their only loss to South.
Against that schedule, coach J.R. Holmes gladly accepts the Panthers' 9-1 record.
Naturally, he wouldn't have turned down 10-0, either. But Center Grove is no slouch (8-2) and proved it by knocking South off in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic.
In double overtime.
And coming from behind at the end of regulation and the first overtime to stop the Panthers' 53-game regular seasson winning streak.
THE PANTHERS will try to start another streak Friday when it hosts city rival North.
Actually, the Panthers still have a couple of winning streaks intact. Still active are long winning streaks at home (39) and in Conference Indiana (26). One other streak is alive Friday - South has beaten North nine straight times.
Though winning big, South hasn't been quite as dominating this season as in recent years. Part of that is the schedule, part a little less overall quickness, part a little less height. The shooting is down just a bit, too, and there have been lapses of several minutes that have let the opposition rally.
But 9-1 is outstanding. Good basketball savvy, an ability to get tough when needed and good balance have been the driving forces.
It helps having a player the caliber of Dee Davis, of course. He's averaging 22.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game. The senior point guard worked a lot on his 3-point shooting in the summer and has improved tremendously, hitting 45 per cent of them and 56 per cent overall.
SPENCER TURNER'S 3-point shooting fell to 33 per cent after a 2 of 13 performance against Center Grove, but he's sveraging 15.7 for the season. Turner started slow on 3-pointers last year, too, but picked it up the second half.
The rest of the starting unit is contributing well. Ben Stowell jacked up his average to 9.8 with a career best 24 points against Center Grove, Desmond Marks has been steady at 9.2, and Joey Forney averages 8.8.
That's a solid starting five production, and it needs to be because there is minimal scoring from the bench.
"We're doing some things well," Holmes said, "to stay in games. We have surges of defense to stay in games." And the offense does a little surging of its own frequently.
Two things the Panthers can do the rest of the way is improve on the perimeter on both defense and offense. They are hitting 34 per cent on 3s to 41 for the opponents.
South is busy coming out of the holiday break, playing three games in eight days. After North, the Panthers host Columbus East on Tuesday and travel to Edgewood next Friday.