BHSS Basketball

State champs receive awards

2011-04-12T15:08:00.005-04:00

By Rex Kirts

South won the state basketball championship as a team, and all who played were honored by word or trophy at the season-ending banquet Sunday.
Also, all were treated to an extremely well done, comprehensive poem of praise by Martha Holmes, wife of coach J.R. Holmes.
Senior Darwin "Dee" Davis, Jr. came way with a ton of hardware, including the B-Man award voted on by the players. Davis and senior Spencer Turner were the Captains.
Davis leaves with two state championship rings, as does Turner. Both were named to the all-Conference Indiana team this year.
Career-wise, Davis is No. 1 on the South list in assists with 417, No. 2 in 2-point field goal percentage at 61 per cent and the No. 3 scorer with 1,306 points. Counting his freshman year at North, Davis has 471 assists and is the No. 3 career scorer in Monroe County with 1,582 points.
In all of Holmes' 29 years of coaching at South he's never had anyone win the season 2-point field gial percentage award, the 3-point percentage award and the total percentage award, but Davis did it this year. He hit 59 per cent on 2s, 41 per cent on 3s and 52 per cent on all shots.
In addition to his shooting, Davis led in scoring with 606 points (21.6 average) assists with 159 and steals with 67.
Turner led in free throw percentage this season with 85 per cent and finished high in three career categories. Heis No. 3 all-time in free throw percentage at 85, No. 4in scoring with 1,234 points and No. 5 in 3-point percentage at 42.
Turner also owns one other distinction: having the lighting system changed in the gym because of him. He liked to come in early before school and shoot, and early in his career he depended on Holmes, who also gets to school early, to turn on the lights in the gym. Instead of always having to do this, Holmes installed an automatic system in which the lights come on by the motion of people walking in the gym.
Senior Desmond Marks won the rebounding award with 176 and the blocked shot award with 16.
The Sixth Man award was shared by senior Alex Forney and juniors Michael Bower and Trae Washington. The Defensive award was shared by seniors Joey Forney and Ben Stowell. The Mental Attitude award selected by Holmes was shared by seniors Alex Forney, Gabe Hull and Aaron Binford.
Joey Forney won a blanket for winning eight letters in his career, getting them in football and baseball besides basketball.
It was another historic year for the Panthers, who went 26-0 two years ago to win the state champioonship, becoming only the 12th team to go unbeaten.
This year's team was 26-2, the past four years South is 94-5. The seniors finished 48-0 at home for their varsity careers, and the Panthers won 53 straight regular season games until losing in the Hall of Fame Classic to Center Grove in double overtime. They later reversed that loss with a win over Center Grove in the regular season.
It was a senior team with eight seniors and a veteran staff led by Holmes, who was in his 41st year of coaching overall.
The Panthers won their fourth straight Conference Indiana championship and had a great tournament run that included a win over highly regarded Indianapolis North Central in the semistate. They beat Kokomo in the championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
In addition to seniors Davis, Turner, Marks, Stowell, Joey Forney, Alex Forney, Hull and Binford and juniors Bower and Washington, varsity members included Dustin Utley and Kyle Dugan.

Panther notes, after the championship

2011-03-30T21:18:00.004-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Good things happen to teams after winning the state basketball championship in Indiana.
The 2008-09 South championship team was honored by the state legislature with a visit to the State House in Indianapolis. The same thing will happen to the 2010-11 Panther champions. The visit is set up for Monday.
Also on the agenda for coach J.R. Holmes' team is a visit to elementary schools which feed into South. That is being arranged.
Other notes: During post-game festivities in 2009, Holmes gave his state championship medal to his father, Cocky. This year, J.R. gave medals to his brother, Mike, and son, Jon. J.R. has a medal, too, but he had to buy it. The IHSAA permits schools to buy extra medals . . . On the Monday after Saturday's victory over Kokomo, Panthers Spencer Turner, Aaron Binford, Trae Washington, Michael Bower, Kyle Dugan, Aareone McCoy, Keaton Hendricks and Isaiah Gooch decided they hadn't had enough basketball and were in the gym shooting.

Davis IBCA all-state, Turner honorable mention

2011-03-29T08:32:00.002-04:00

Point guard Davis has been named all-state by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Wingman Spencer Turner is honorable mention. The IBCA is the first all-state out.

At South, it's a team production

2011-03-28T20:13:00.019-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Ben Stowell and Desmond Marks carved their niche in South basketball history Saturday, together with state champion teammates Dee Davis, Spencer Turner and Joey Forney.
They joined Trae Washington and Michael Bower and Alex Forney from this team and David Blackwell and Jake Mulinix and Marcus Etnier from the 2009 state champions to prove, again, that basketball is a team game.
They proved it takes more than the usual statistical leaders to win championships, that role players and bench players are absolutely vital to success.
It's a team game, and that includes coaches, too. In this case, head coach J.R. Holmes and assistants Criss Beyers, Kyle Simpson, Aaron Parker, Doug Waltz, Heath Howington and Matt Seifers.
THE 56-42 CLASS 4A state title win over Kokomo represented a masterful artwork of offensive balance, and defensive prowess, for the Panthers, who finished the year with a 26-2 record. The scoring totals are 14 for Marks, 13 for Davis, 11 for Stowell, 10 for Turner and 6 for Joey Forney. Davis and Turner have been the main 1-2 scoring punch all season. This is the first time for Marks to lead the scoring, and it was necessary because Kokomo was pushing the Panther 3-point shooters far away from the basket, so his inside presence was needed.
Marks, as he has done most of the season, led the rebounding with eight. He simply came up big and strong all the way around. He was a man inside.
"We played as a team," Marks said. "We did all during the tournament. We came together and won some games."
Kokomo gave Marks little respect inside, concentrating its defense on the perimeter. "I had to be as aggressive as possible in order to help the team," Marks said. "Dee told me after the first possession to take it to the basket because the middle was open."
Marks, Holmes said, got the Panthers started. Prior to him hitting a couple of shots the Panthers were missing from the outside.
All year Stowell has drawn the defensive assignment on the opponents' best guard, and he has done a commendable job handling things. Against Kokomo, he latched onto 16-point scorer D.J. Balentine like a bulldog and never took his teeth out. Balentine was completely out of synch and scored just eight points, making just 3 of 14 shots.
HOLMES SAID probably the biggest key to victory was Stowell's defense on Balentine, along with Marks' getting the Panthers started offensively." We wanted to deny Balentine completely and make the other guys shoot it," Holmes said.
Instead of focusing on himself, Stowell labeled it a team win. "I can't take credit for the win," Stowell said. "We've been playing together since the second grade or before. You couldn't ask for a better group of guys to be with."
But you did do OK on defense, didn't you, Ben? "I did a pretty good job of denying him the ball. I think I got into his head and got frustrated."
And, Stowell added of winning the state championship, "This is one of the coolest things I'll ever do."
Not just Stowell individually but South's defense from a team standpoint was well planned and executed, too. Kokomo hit just .293 overall and made only 1 of 16 3-point shots. South had trouble with Kokomo's defense, also, hitting .429, but the Panthers made 15 of 20 free throws to partially offset the troubles hitting from out.
All week long the Panthers practiced its blocking out on rebounding, but they couldn't contain the quick-jumping Wildkats the first half and ended up being out-rebounded, 36-30, for the game.
Rebounding was about all Kokomo could do right offensively in the first half, however. South led 22-18 at halftime, and nearly all Kokomo's points came on offensive rebounds.
Holmes saw too many wild shots at the start and too much board dominance by Kokomo early.
THE PANTHERS REGROUPED the second half, however, but by game's end Holmes said he "was glad to get the game over." The feeling was no doubt enhanced by South being on top.
Davis is the straw that stirs the drink for South, and he showed some typically brilliant moves against Kokomo. He had some trouble hitting the basket in the first half, but he picked it up and was available for hero work at crunch time.
"I had too much energy the first half. I was more relaxed in the second half. I hit the 3 to start the second half, and that started me off. I was ready," Davis said. "But it was a team effort.
" Asked how this title compared to the one in 2009, Davis said, "This year is my senior class. Des did a terrific job, and Stowell has been waiting for this his whole life. Ben has been waiting on this all week. He locked Balentine up."
Davis finished as the third-leading scorer in Monroe County boys' history with 1,582 points.
Turner, who concluded his high school career with 1,234 points, capped his evening by winning the Trester award, which is the prestigious award given by the IHSAA for mental attitude, grades and citizenship.
"Unbelievable," Turner said of it all. "These are the greatest kids and the best coaching staff in the state. I'm just honored."
Turner said the key to winning was South's overall defense and Stowell shutting down Balentine.
TURNER HIT a couple of 3s in the first half, and Davis, Forney and Stowell knocked down big 3s in the second half. "It was tough because their defense was so tight on us," Turner said.
Forney, as always, battled hard inside and found it tough to get much done there. "It was a rough night for me," Forney said. "After I realized I wasn't getting the calls I wanted I kicked it back out."
The 3 Forney swished in the second half was a welcome one. "I had a good feeling on the 3 when it left my hand," he said.
The Panthers won because "we had a will to win," Forney said. "We've been playing together so long and wanted it. We wanted it more than the other team."
The victory validates the success of the program under the 29-year leadership of Holmes. The Panthers have the best winning percentage in the state the last 17 years, and their 94-5 record of the past four years qualifies South for dynasty consideration.
"I don't think that's ever been done before," Holmes said of 94-5. "And two state championships."

Panthers ready for championship game

2011-03-25T11:44:00.014-04:00

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.

Panthers ready to get after it

2011-03-24T13:16:00.003-04:00

By Rex Kirts

The preparation is finished and the preliminaries disposed of. South's basketball players are ready for the main attraction.
Ring the bell, come to the center and, once again, bring your toughness.
One of the great venues for high school basketball in the country, the Indiana state championship, is ready to crown a new king. It will be South (25-2), the unbeaten champion just two years ago, or Kokomo (23-2).
They meet Saturday about 8:30 p.m. in the class 4A title game at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where coach J.R. Holmes' Panthers defeated Fort Wayne Snider in the finals in 2009.
SOUTH STARTS FIVE SENIORS and is coming off a big semistate victory over Indianapolis North Central, a win which undeniably boosted their confidence aplenty.
"Ready to go," smiled center Desmond Marks, a first-year starter along with guard Ben Stowell. Forward Joey Forney is starting for the second year, and wingman Spencer Turner and point guard Dee Davis are four-year starters.
They are part of a program that is 93-5 the last four years and 48-0 at home on the J.R. Holmes court.
"We're looking pretty good," Stowell said of his outlook for the big game.
"Ready to go," said Turner, never at a loss for words. "The whole team is ready to go."
"I'm just excited about being on the floor," Forney said. "Two years ago I didn't dress. I'm just hoping we play well and get a win out of it."
Davis was the MVP of the championship game in 2009, but by Wednesday of this week he hadn't gotten round to serious contemplation of the matchup with Kokomo.
"I HAVEN'T thought much about," Davis said after a hard practice. "His thoughts had mostly concerned the week's practices.
Of 2009, Davis recalled being "really nervous before the game. But I knew what my job was, and that calmed me down.
"During the game I didn't get tired. I had a lot of energy, never got winded. Afterward, there was just the celebration."
"I remember everything (about the 2009 game) like it was yesterday," Davis said. "Having (Jake) Mulinix and (David) Blackwell coming through (two average free throw shooters who each hit two clutch free throws at crunch time).
THIS WEEK THE PANTHERS' FOCUS has been on Kokomo and not on last week's very satisfying win over North Central. But they admitted getting a confidence boost from beating the Indy school.
"I think it did, definitely," Davis said. "We have a lot of heart on this team."
Heart and toughness and coaching and talent and chemistry and basketball savvy. Just look at where those things have taken South, not just this year but for many years now.

Holmes says Kokomo 'like us'

2011-03-22T20:07:00.008-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Kokomo coach Brian McCauley said. "We have some really good basketball players."
South coach said the same thing in a different way. "They're a lot like us. They all can play, and everybody guards you."
The South coaches also compared Kokomo favorably to Fort Wayne Snider, whom South beat in a struggle for the 2009 state championship.
So it sort of looks like Saturday's class 4A state basketball championship game could be a tight one. South comes in at 25-2, Kokomo's Wildkats at 23-2.
These teams actually know quite a bit about each other because they met in a tournament at Carmel in the summer. South won when it held Kokomo scoreless in the fourth quarter.
"It was a struggle," Holmes said.
THE PANTHERS played without Joey Forney in that summer game, and Kokomo was without a forward, too, 6-3 senior Parker Salinas, who averages 7.7 to Forney's 9.5.
Kokomo features junior point guard D.J. Balentine, who averages 16.2 points per game. He's the only scorer in double figures, but six others average at least 6.5, giving the Kats real good
offensive balance.
Kokomo has good average size and is similar to Indianapolis North Central in that it scores a lot of points on offensive rebounds.
The Wildkats have shown they can win with any style. Against a pretty good schedule they were scoring a lot early in the season. Opponents have slowed the ball against them in the regional and semistate, and they handled that, too. They have clutch players, also, with two different players hitting late game-winners in the regional and semistate finals.
"We're playing really well right now," said McCauley, 32, in his fifth year with a 72-41 record.
"I'M PLEASED with our defense and our offensive execution. We beat a very good Munster team (Munster had been undefeated) in the semistate. We defended well and made plays on offense when we had to."
South had met several great point guards this season, and Balentine is another.
"He's extremely skilled," McCauley said. "He's a good passer and good shooter, a good combination. He has outstanding hands on defense.
"Balentine draws a lot of attention, so that opens things up for the other players. We wouldn't be here if we didn't have others. We have outstanding balance."
TICKETS AND TRAFFIC: Tickets are on sale at South. They are $15 for the two games at night and $25 for all four games at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (South and Kokomo will play about 8:30 p.m.).
South fans are urged to avoid taking highway 37 all the way to I465, where there can be a bad traffic backup because of road construction. Instead, take Southport Road or Epler Road and go east to highway 31. Go north and it takes you right to Conseco.
KOKOMO NOTES: The Wildkats are in the finals for the first time in 50 years, since winning its only title in 1961 . . . They have won more sectionals than any other school, 71. Lafayette Jeff and Vincennes are second with 68 . . . McCauley's second cousin is David Cooke, the American Idol winner in 2008.
OTHER NOTES: The only previouis meeting between Bloomington and Kokomo teams was in the 1919 state tourney quarterfinals, with Bloomington winning, 23-14, on the way to the states championship . . . Bloomington and Kokomo are among the 15 charter members of the IHSAA in 1903. The others are Anderson, Alexandria, Eaton, Fairmont, Goshen, Huntington, Indianapolis Manual Training, Indianapolis Shortridge, Marion, Noblesville, North Manchester, Salem and Wabash.

South 'bit their toenails off,' will play for state title again

2011-03-19T21:18:00.012-04:00

By Rex Kirts

When former South coach Bill Springer, now in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, really liked the toughness of a team, he would say, "They'd bite your toenails off."
Saturday night in the class 4A semistate at Southport, the Panthers (25-2) bit the toenails off Indianapolis North Central, 76-66.
Now they'll be playing for the state championship for the second time in three years (they won in 2009), taking on Kokomo (23-2) Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
They'll be doing because J.R. Holmes, the Panther coach of 29 years, knows a lot about how to make teams tough and how to set them up for a ball game. He had to toughen the Panthers up after a lacklustre sectional performance against Bloomington North, and he had to change some things to counter North Central's physical superiority in speed.
SOUTH'S PLAYERS listened, learned and executed. North Central had numerous outstanding individuals, but South had a little more in the team department and enough toughness to win.
And the Panthers aren't too bad individually, either.
They have the remarkable Dee Davis, who scored a career high 31 points, including 20 in the first half as he dazzled NC's defenders with moves around the hoop. Davis hit 12 of his 16 shots to lead a team that shot 59 per cent for the game. He also had four rebounds.
They have the resilient Spencer Turner, who scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half. He made a living at the free throw line, going 12 of 13 for the game and 7 of 8 in the fourth quarter. Frustrated by NC's expected tight defense, he kept working and got free to drain a couple of 3-point baskets in the second half. He pulled down six rebounds, too.
The Panthers also have Joey Forney, who takes some lickings and keeps on ticking. He had six points and seven rebounds this night.
THEY HAVE Ben Stowell, who scored eight points, and Desmond Marks, who had three points and four rebounds and didn't play nearly as much as usual because he had the flu recently.
They have sub Michael Bower, who played a lot in place of Marks and had four points and five rebounds.
"Dee did what Dee does," Holmes said. "Dee was good at the start, and Spencer was good as the game went along. And we got some baskets from Stowell, Bower, Forney.
"Our kids showed some moxie. We planned on going at them, challenging them. We came here as men and are leaving as men."
Speaking of his 20-point first half, Davis said he "was just trying to help my team win. I felt like I had to turn my game up." That took some doing because NC was pounding on him pretty good and guarding him with fresh players.
"We had a lot of energy," Davis said. "We knew we needed only one more to make the show. We wanted to be aggressive, get them in foul trouble.
"I don't think this is a surprise. We just came in prepared. We didn't get to play them last year."
South's defeat in the regional last year left it one game short of playing North Central in the semistate. North Central went on to win state.
TURNER, WHO went hard to the basket more than usual, said he didn't start feeling good about the Panthers' chances to win until "there was about two minutes remaining, once they started fouling more."
The Panthers won, Turner said, because it had heart. "The hustle plays, all the loose balls. Switching to the zone helped us a lot."
North Central came in with a couple of big regional wins and had to feel good about itself, with a potent and fast-moving offense. Forney said South's win was not a surprise, though.
"We felt like we could compete with them. We rebounded well. We had a lot of turnovers but handled the ball at the right time and hit our free throws (21 of 25)."
Stowell said, "Pretty awesome," of the victory. "It's well deserved for all these guys. When everyone knows his role and executes, good things happen. We knew we had to play as a team."
THE KEY, MARKS SAID, "was being tougher than them. This shows we can play with anybody." Another key was keeping NC off the boards, Marks said. North Central got some putbacks but also missed a bunch of them.
"We knew Johnson and Smith would get their points, so we had to keep them (the others) off the boards."
Bower said South won because of "the discipline part of it. North Central was on the court arguing with each other.
"We knew all week we could play with them. It was not a matter of being scared or intimidated." South had a lot of trouble taking care of the ball, turning it over 22 times to 11 for North Central (22-3), but made up for some of that by out-rebounding NC, 32-25.
It was North Central's great ability to cause turnovers that forced Holmes to alter his offense slightly. He wanted the Panthers to attack NC straight ahead and not go east-west with the ball. He also cut down on the number of sets the Panthers run. The strategy succeeded in drawing a lot of fouls, and three NC starters fouled out.
DEFENSIVELY, SOUTH started with man-to-man, but the second half saw a lot of zones, including some 2-3, some triangle-and-two on NC stars D'Valuntes Smith-Rivera and Ronnie Johnson, some box-and-one. Most of the first half, North Central was out of synch offensively but stayed close, South leading 34-32, by capitalizing on turnovers.
When the clock reached zero and South was ahead, it was the culmination of a good plan coming together.
The third quarter is a good example of South doing what it needed to do to win. North Central rallied to take the lead a couple of times, but each time South took NC's best shot and counter-attacked. It was gladiators at their finest.
With 1:06 left in the quarter, Turner hit a 3-pointer for a 52-49 lead, and South led the rest of the way.
SIBLING NOTE: South assistant coach Kyle Simpson had a few mixed feelings afterward. "It's hard when my brother Jeremy is on the losing side," Kyle said. His brother is a freshman coach at North Central.

Overcoming North Central's quickness a must

2011-03-18T17:16:00.013-04:00

By Rex Kirts

North Central's quickness on defense concerns J.R. Holmes the most.
Well, its offensive firepower isn'tbad, either. So is the way it attacks the offensive boards.
And . . . in other words, NC has a lot of weapons to throw at South in Saturday's semistate.
But, as Holmes said, "We're not bad."
South (24-2), the team with the best winning percentage in the state the last 16 years, is in the semistaste for the fourth time in the last six years. North Central (22-2) is the defending state champ. On paper, it's another good Hoosier Hysteria matchup.
Two years ago South beat Franklin Central in the semistate on the way to a 26-0 state championship. Three years ago South lost to North Central and the dynamic Eric Gordon, who scored 21 points in the first quarter to lead the Indy school to victory.
WHEN THE TEAMS clash at 3:30 p.m. at Southport High School, North Central will again feature outstanding perimeter players. Prior to Gordon last year, guard Jason Gardner helped beat a great South team in overtime in 1999. This year, NC is led by guards D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Ronnie Johnson.
Smith-Rivera scored 37 points in the regional championship game. In the first game of the regional against Pike, he didn't play, but Johnson took over and keyed the win with 25 points, 21 in the sescond half. Smith-Rivera didn't play because he threw a punch in the sectional, and the IHSAA suspended him for a game.
"North Central is unbelievably athletic," Holmes said. "They put so much pressure on you."
To stay competitive, Holmes said, his club will have to rebound defensively, stop the fast break and beat the pressure.
North Central has been beaten by Pike and Lawrence North. Pike hit the basket very well, and LN's 7-foot center dominated inside.
South can hit the basket, too. In the regional it shot 52 and 53 per cent in wins over New Albany and Castle. The Panthers rebounded well, but NC's Panthers are better on the boards than New Albany and Castle.
"We'll have to shoot the ball really well," Holmes said. "Joey (Forney) and Desmond (Marks) will have to get some baskets inside.
"WE'VE GOT TO BEAT their run-and-jump (defense). Spencer (Turner) can't get too frustrated."
North Central has done a good job defensively on taking away the best offensive players of the opposition. Holmes expects NC to be all over Turner and try to deny his outside shots.
"They're the best defensive team we've seen," Holmes added. "Their quickness concerns me. Transition defense is important, and defensive rebounding."
South, of course, hasn't gotten to 24-2 without weapons of its own. It starts five seniors, two of whom, Dee Davis and Spencer Turner, started on the state championship team in 2009. Davis was MVP in the title game win over Fort Wayne Snider.
Davis is a concern for any defense. He's an outstanding penetrator and hits the 3-point shot at 42 per cent. His averages are 21.6 points and 5.6 assists.
Turner is a long-ball theat averaging 16.1.
DAVIS AND TURNER get solid help from Forney (9.7), Ben Stowell (8.5) and Marks (7.8). Forney and Marks dominated the boards in the regional, and Forney was very effective defensively against Castle's big man, holding him to 14 points under his average.
South's bench also played an important role in the regional. Juniors Trae Washington and Michael Bower and senior Alex Forney contributed key minutes.
The winner advances to the state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis next Saturday. It will play the winner of the Munster-Kokomo semistate for the championship.
PANTHER NOTES: Forney has had an impressive defensive season. He held three college Division I players, Jeremy Hollowell of Lawrence North, Hanner Perea of LaPorte LaLumiere and Alex Stutz of Castle, to 5, 4 and 8 points . . . South's crowd at the regional ins Seymour was twice Castle's at night. As of Friday just before noon South had sold about 940 tickets to the semistate, and that's with many students away for spring break.

Can't do what South has done without bench help

2011-03-15T18:14:00.012-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Alex Forney, Michael Bower and Trae Washington are the latest examples in what has become a major force in South basketball.
That's outstanding contributions from players off the bench.
Without it the Panthers probably wouldn't have gone undefeated and won the state championship two years ago. David Blackwell, Marcus Etnier and Jake Mulinix were absolutely essential in getting the team to the finals and then beating Fort Wayne Snider in the title game.
The relief job of Bower and Washington was the key in the Panthers' regional title game win over Castle last Saturday. When Dee Davis went to the bench in the third quarter with four fouls, Washington, Bower and Ben Stowell hit shots to not only stop Castle's momentum but extend the lead from six points to 12 going into the fourth quarter.
WITH THAT CUSHION, the Panthers dominated the fourth quarter and won by 19 points.
Sitting the bench requires patience. It also requires concentration on the action because the subs are expected to know what's required when they're called.
But in the case of this year's team, which is 24-2 going in the semistate Saturday against North Central, the subs understand why they are sitting. And it's OK.
"When we're winning, the kids in front of us are better, so it's not so hard," said Forney, a senior who's prized for his understanding of how to play the game.
Forney and juniors Washington and Bower go hard in practice, and they do it knowing their game minutes will probably be limited. None of them feel cheated, though, none feel that practicing hard should guarantee game minutes.
"I might as well do the best Ican," Forney said. He pushes those ahead of him. "But they're not worried about me taking their job. They're better offensively."
At the start of the season Bower, the starting quarterback in football, knew he'd be a sub in basketball, and he never flinched at the prospect.
"I SAID TO COACH HOLMES I didn't care as long as I can help the team. I can try to bring energy, and that's fun."
Bower brings a ton of energy. He's non-stop and bats away lots of balls and gets loose balls and rebounds. He's also strong on defense.
"Since I was growing up in sports I was told to go as hard as I can," Bower said. "Get every loose ball, every rebound, try to play defense as best as I can.
"I always loved watching Marcus (Etnier) when he played with Matthew (Bower's older brother). Marcus was kind of my mentor my freshman year in football. So I've learned a lot from him.
"In practice you just go as hard as you can. If you're not going to play many minutes you can still make the team better."
The main purpose of Washington, a multi-purpose football player, is to take over the point when Davis comes out. Davis, a Mr. Basketball candidate, doesn't come out much.
"IT WOULD BE HARDER (sitting the bench) if I wasn't behind Dee," Washington said. "He is creative on the go. Guarding him in practice youi think you've seen everything, but you see something you've never seen before. It's rough guarding him."
Obviously, sitting the bench hasn't created chemistry problems with the trio.
"We've been around each other a long time," Washington said. "We're always smiling and laughing. It's awesome.
"Coach Holmes always makes us work hard, but we have a lot of fun. It's great. It's the most fun I've had playing basketball in a while."
The Panthers struggled in the sectional opener against North, and that was a wakeup call for them. Practices became more intense during regional week, and the Panthers played tough in the wins over New Albany and Castle.
"WE WEREN'T RELAXED sectional week," Forney said. "We were just relieved to get it over with. We thought teams might try slow-downs against us, but in the regional, we knew teams were going to play us straight up."
They know North Central (22-2) will come at them hard and with great speed.
"North Central is obviously talented," Bower said. "We've just got to go out there and play our game, focus and do what we've been doing."
South has been in the semistate four of the last six years. Saturday's class 4A game will start about 3:35 p.m. at Southport High School in Indianapolis.

Semistate tickets on sale now

2011-03-14T22:42:00.002-04:00

Tickets for Saturday's class 4A semistate at Southport are on sale at South now. The $7 tickets are on sale Tuesday in the main office from 12-3 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 8-11 a.m., 12-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-12 noon.
South will play Indianapolis North Central about 3:30 p.m. The class 1A semistate between North Daviess and Indianapolis Metropolitan starts at 1 p.m., so fans attending the South game will find parking a problem.

Panthers define 'team effort,' in Final Four again

2011-03-13T14:45:00.012-04:00

By Rex Kirts

In a crisis situation, juniors Trae Washington and Michael Bower hustled off the bench and saved South's season Saturday.
Leader Dee Davis went to the bench with four fouls late in the third quarter. The Panthers' lead had shrunk to six in the regional championship game against Castle. It was a perilous time for the Purple.
Washington, Bower and Ben Stowell calmed the fear, however, and because each scored in the final minutes of the quarter South's lead rocketed back up to 12 by the end of the period.
It was the key moment in what became a 68-49 win and helped send South (24-2) to the Final Four for the fourth time in the last six years.
THERE WAS ANOTHER singular key moment in the game, Spencer Turner's 60-foot basket to end the half. Castle had crept back to within four points, but Turner's launch returned momentum to South heading into the second half with a 37-30 lead.
Castle put up a stiff fight until very late. The Panthers had no such challenge from New Albany in the morning game, being dismantled, 53-37, as 25-point scorer Davis got great board help from Joey Forney and Desmond Marks.
Davis said, that while he would rather have been on the court, he was "excited" about seeing Washington, Bower and Stowell contribute in a big way at a crucial time.
"I was thinking I didn't need to go back in if they kept playing that way," Davis grinned. "I was happy to be a cheerleader.
"This (winning the regional) was a great experience. I've been here before, but I'm happy. This does not get old."
Davis started on the Panther team two years ago that went undefeated and won the state championship. He was MVP of the state finals game as a sophomore.
TURNER SAID his 60-foot basket to end the half against Castle was "all God" and felt the Panthers played well. He appreciated the production off the bench, too.
"Trae came in and played tremendous," Turner said. "It's tough, with a lot of pressure. He hit that pull-up jumper with five seconds left in the third quarter. And Bower got numerous rebounds and that layup."
Washington said, "We knew we had to make plays" with Davis sidelined. "Michael stepped, and Ben.
"I just tried to make up a fourth of what Dee does because he's too tough to replace."
Bower thought the whole thing was awesome.
"We just tried to do what our role is, what the coaches say," Bower said. "So awesome."
Stowell, who finished with nine points against Castle, said, "We just tried to fill the void of the guy who runs the show."
Marks had 10 rebounds and nine points against Castle.
"We won. It's a good feeling,"Marks smiled. "Trae stepped up, and Bower. And Stowell is unconscious most of the time (with his shooting). They did exactly what we needed them to do."
SOUTH JUMPED OUT to quick leads and kept up the pressure by scoring quickly at the start of the other quarters in both games. The Panthers played with the lead all day. They rebounded well and played outstanding defense throughout.
Solid, solid, solid.
Individually, Davis continued to prove why he's one of the best basketball players ever from Bloomington, scoring 25 and 18 points. Turner threw in some long, long 3s and scored 17 in the title game.
But it was the team thing that will remain in memory for a long time.
"Somebody else has to step up besides the two big guns (Davis and Turner)," Panther coach J.R. Holmes said. "This morning we had 19 rebounds from Des and Joey, and tonight Trae, Bower and Ben stepped up. Everybody had a contribution to it."
And, like most Holmes-coached teams, there is resiliency and scrappiness, to go along with great ball movement and people movement.
Castle turned up the defensive pressure late with a trapping defense. Davis, the primary ball handler, was on the bench. The Panthers had some trouble at first but and adapted and prevailed.
"THERE WAS SOME TOUGHNESS down the stretch, once we got organized against their trap," Holmes said. "It was a good effort for us."
Another key to the win over Castle (22-3) was the defensive strategy. Instead of the strong, 6-5 Marks taking on 6-8 Eric Stutz, it was surprising to see the 6-4 Forney on him.
"We did that because Stutz goes out on the floor. He's a good 3-point shooter,"Holmes said. So Forney, who is more mobile than Marks but still strong, got the job.
"I was pretty nervous," Forney said of his assignment. "He has a lot of skills, and in warmups he was hitting 3s from the volleyball line. I just tried to contain him."
Stutz averages 22 points, but Forney and friends held him to eight before Stutz fouled out. Forney scored nine points.
Defensively, South had a great day, limiting New Albany to 31 per cent shooting and Castle 44.
The Panthers will take on Indianapolis North Central (22-2) in the semistate Saturday about 3 p.m. at Southport High School in Indianapolis.

Beyers moving up to varsity assistant

2011-03-09T19:09:00.007-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Criss Beyers is moving up the corporate ladder, and taking a pay cut.
The veteran of three decades of coaching basketball at South, Beyers has spent much of that time as the JV coach. Starting next year, he'll be a varsity assistant under J.R. Holmes and take a small pay cut in the process.
"It's time for one of the younger guys to coach the JVs," Beyers said.
The younger guys on the staff are Aaron Parker, Kyle Simpson, Matt Seifers and Doug Waltz with the vasrsity-JV and Heath Howington and David Alexander with the freshmen. Parker and Simpson have been around for more than 10 years, as has Waltz, and Seifers played for Holmes.
SOUTH'S VARSITY has the best winning percentage in the state the last 16 years. The JVs have been strong, too, and continued that success with the varsity.
Like Holmes, who will be in his 30th year as the Panther head man next year, Beyers is demanding. His teaching style is direct, and it gets results.
Beyers' No. 1 highlight as JV coach came his first year, when the team went 17-3. That was also his first year coaching with Holmes.
"That team had Billy Beggs, Brad Jackson, David Archer, Randy Perine, and Steve McDay played some," Beyers said.
"Probably the No. 2 highlight was when we beat Lawrence North when both of us were undefeated," he added.
Also, the Panther reserves won 43 straight games in the mid-1990s, with two straight unbeaten seasons.
BEYERS LIKED THE WAY this year's team finished up. It started 5-5 but won its last nine to wind up 14-5. "We had eight freshmen and four sophomores this year," he said.
Of course, the biggest overall highlight of Beyers' coaching career at South came when the Panthers won the state championship in 2009. Also ranking high was their first sectional in the Holmes' era in 1985.
Another highlight came during his five-year tenure as the head girls' coach. That was the sectional championship in 1994-95 by the Erica Henrich-led team.
Beyers has done a lot in his career. Besides work with the boys' and girls' basketball teams, he coached golf and is a major force in state AAU basketball. He runs the Addidas AAU Classic in Bloomington and the big Addidas AAU tourney in Indianapolis.
"The Indianapolis tourney is one of the premier tourneys in the country," Beyers said. "Last summer we had over 400 college coaches there and 221 teams."
South is Beyers' primary focus, obviously, and he enjoys the opportunities.
"THE BEST THING here at Bloomington South is that J.R. lets you coach," Beyers said. "And coaching with him on the varsity he really wants and listens to your output. I couldn't be at a better situation."
Beyers graduated from North in 1975 and Indiana University in 1982. He had worked at several jobs, including once as the Community Corrections director.
But what he's done mostly is coach, and coach well.

All agree, team play is the key

2011-03-06T12:14:00.024-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Everyone agreed, team play is the best way.
Team play had gone into hibernation in recent weeks, reaching lows the past two games. It resurfaced in Saturday's sectional championship game against Columbus East, and the Panthers were sharp all around on their home court in a 66-34 win.
Now the Panthers (22-2), winners of three straight sectionals, travel to Seymour Saturday to play New Albany (16-7) at 10 a.m. in the first game of the regional. Terre Haute North (18-7) plays Castle (21-2) in the second game.
South beat New Albany, 65-39, in the season opener at New Albany. But New Albany was a young team without its best player, Chris Whitehead, who is back now and playing well.
BEATING NEW ALBANY this time will require another team effort like the Panthers had in the opener and in the sectional title game, like they had most of this season until the recent slump.
After scraping by North in the first game of the sectional Friday, coach J.R. Holmes had a long private chat with is ball club. Holmes rarely has long talks after games.
"That was the maddest I've ever seen him," senior center Desmond Marks said after cutting down the nets Saturday night. "We were told we had to play better as a team."
The Panthers listened and then did as they were told. Against East they shot 50 per cent from the field, 70 per cent at the free throw line, won the boards by a whopping 33-13, committed just 11 turnovers to 20 for East, had a bunch of assists and limited East to 36 per cent shooting.
Senior wingman Spencer Turner started hot, stayed hot and destroyed East in the first half. He hit five 3-point shots and scored 19 points in the first half, outscoring East by himself (South led 34-15).
"We played so well as a team," Turner said. "Dee (Davis) and Des and Ben (Stowell) were finding me. It's so much better to come outand get a team win.
"DEE IS THE BEST POINT GUARD in the state. He had a flip pass back to me and a screen on the same play!"
Davis was all over the place, with 14 points, three rebounds, six assists and five steals. Sort of a typical all-sports package for the senior.
With the 14 points (in only seven shots) Davis moved into fifth place ahead of Chris Lawson on the all-time Monroe County scoring list. He has 1,495 points and trails Garrett Butcher (1,820), Sean May (1,664), Jon Holmes (1,536) and Duany Duany (1,532).
"We did a great job," Davis said among numerous well-wishers. "We came out with a lot of energy and had great support from the fans. We closed it out right.
"We played more like a team tonight. Spencer came out hot, and we found him. We had a lot of defensive pressure."
Senior forward Joey Forney had a solid game, with six points and five rebounds.
"It helps when you have great players like Dee and Spencer," Forney said. He did a good job of letting the game come to him.
"THE DIFFERENCE from last night," Forney said, "was we just shared the ball and were running our sets, being patient and finding the shot we wanted."
"We played as a team," Marks said. He played fewer minutes than the others because he picked up two fouls in the first minute of the game and his third later on in the first quarter. Michael Bower and Alex Forney did some good things in relief of Marks, who had four points.
Senior guard Ben Stowell scored six points and came up with some loose balls.
"It was a good game to be able to bounce back as a team," Stowell said. "We didn't have much flow last night.
"We all seemed to be pretty tired after the first quarter. Then we didn't seem to hit anything."
Holmes had to be relieved at the finals' performance before another good crowd.
"They did a good job of finding Spencer when he was hot and then Dee when he got hot," Holmes said. "We had good ball movement.
"I thought we defended well and hit some shots. It was a better team effort both offensively and defensively."
HOLMES SAID Davis was getting people involved against East's 1-3-1 zone that had given other teams trouble.
"The difference from Friday was that we played together,"Holmes said. "We found people better, moved the ball better."
Asked about his post-game speech after the North game, Holmes smiled and said, "We had a little talk last night."
And Saturday that translated into another sectional championship.

Shaky win over North sends South into title game

2011-03-04T21:05:00.016-05:00

By Rex Kirts

The bottom line in the tournament is to win, to win and keep playing. And that's what South did Friday night against North, 54-46, in the sectional semifinal at South's gym.
The victory sends South (21-2) into Saturday's sectional championship final against Columbus East (9-1), an upset winner over Columbus North, 68-53, in the second game Friday.
In the regular season, South beat East, 91-61, at South. But regular season wins don't count for much in the tournament. The Panthers beat North by 31 points, 86-55, in the regular season and were fortunate to win by eight in the sectional. Neither team shot well.
For the second straight game, and third time in four games, the Panthers' play was not as strong as it has been throughout most of the year. They also struggled in the regular season finale at Decatur Central, winning by just two points, and four games ago at Perry Meridian, winning by three.
CLEARLY,SOMETHING is amiss, and coach J.R. Holmes isn't sure what all is involved.
The offense, for sure, is out of synch. It is rare for a Holmes' team to operate without good precision, but this club has hit a snag.
"Mentally we didn't play very smart," Holmes said of the North game. "I was worried the whole ball game (even though South led most of the way). If we got beat, we beat ourselves.
"I don't know why (the Panthers were sluggish on offense). We've been playing that way the last couple of weeks."
Dee Davis took a while to get going, but he ended up doing some typically marvelous things and led all scorers with 21 points, some key offensive rebounds and some assists.
"We didn't move the ball as much as we could, but we worked it out," Davis said. "We didn't have enough movement on offense."
Joey Forney knocked down several free throws and had 14 points. Spencer Turner didn't get as many good looks as usual but wound up with 10 points and a game high 10 rebounds.
"IT'S TOUGH," Turner said. "Most rivalry games are never easy."
The difference between the regular season blowout and Friday, Turner said, was "we didn't play together at all. We didn't run our offense, had some individualism."
The Panthers had a couple of chances of pulling away to a more comfortable win, but North rallied and stayed until about three minutes remained, when South went to the stall with the score 50-43.
One statistic heavily in South's favor was offensive rebounds. The Panthers pulled down several, often in bunches, but had difficulty in capitalizing. It was not a good night for hitting shots, by either team.
SOUTH WAS HELPED down the stretch by North turnovers and missed free throws (8 for 23 at the
line for the game.
It was an emotionally draining game. Asked if they had anything left for Saturday's game, Davis and Turner answered in the affirmative.
"Definitely," Davis said.
"We'll have a lot left. We're ready for a sectional championship," Turner said.
What the Panthers need to remind themselves of is that East, like North, is not the same team it beat badly in the regular season.
PANTHER NOTES: Going into the sectional title game, South has won seven straight games. It has beaten North 11 in a row, and it's home court winning streak now stands at 47. The seniors have never lost a home varsity game . . . South had an overwhelming fan advantage Friday. It looked as if 80 per cent of the big crowd wore purple.

Sectional here, and Panthers try to beat North again

2011-03-02T14:05:00.005-05:00

By Rex Kirts

On Jan. 7 South hosted North and won a convincing 86-55 regular season victory.
Sure, that counts. It helped South go on to win the Conference Indiana championship and claim its 10th straight win in the city series.
It won't county for nearly as much, however, if the Panthers don't back it up with another victory in Friday's sectional semifinals in the Panther gym.
South has won the last two sectionals and five of the last six.
THE PANTHERS come in having already accomplished a great deal, posting a rare 20 wins in the regular season. They are 20-2 with a six-game winning streak. North is 12-8.
Neither team comes in hot.
South struggled in two of its last three games, barely beating teams with losing records, Perry Meridian and Decatur Central, sandwiched around a significant win over LaPorte LaLumiere. They trailed Decatur by 10 points with four minutes to go before scratching for a 65-63 triumph. North has lost two of its last three, like South coming on the road. The last game was a 71-46 defeat at New Albany.
South starts an all-senior lineup of Dee Davis on the point, Spencer Turner and Ben Stowell on the wings and Joey Forney and Desmond Marks inside.
DAVIS LEADS the team in scoring with a 22-point average and assists and steals. Turner averages 16.4 points, Forney 9.7, Stowell 8.9 and Marks 8.3. Marks is the leading rebounder with a 6.4 average.
First off the bench for coach J.R. Holmes' Panthers are juniors Michael Bower and Trae Washington and senior Alex Forney.
The winner of the city rematch plays for the sectional title Saturday night against the winner of Friday's other semifinals, Columbus North vgersus Columbus East. East upset East Central in the tourney opener Tuesday.

Get your tickets, get your sectional tickets!

2011-02-24T15:39:00.002-05:00

Tickets for the Bloomington basketball sectional tourney at South are on sale at the schools. Season tickets are $10.
The tournament opens Tuesday, with Columbus East playing East Central. On Friday, South hosts North at 6 p.m., and Columbus North will play the East-East Central winner in the second game. The championship game is Saturday night.
Fans are urged to get their tickets as soon as possible. With South and North playing each other on Friday the gym may be sold out.

Four years have gone fast, and well, for Davis

2011-02-22T15:50:00.008-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Dee Davis "usually starts laughing" when he watches the tapes of him in action.
It's not the reaction South basketball fans experience. With them it's an amazed look and wonderment at how in the world he makes all those shakes-and-bakes.
"It's just stuff I work on and think about the next time I can use it," he said.
So now we know - he does plan some of that stuff. From the stands it

Dee Davis

all looks like completely unrehearsed moves, reactions from what the defense does, something he was born with.
There's one particular move that brings derisive comments from his teammates.
"When I flop," Davis smiled. That's normally on 3-point shots.
"Spencer, everybody comments. I'm more dramatic with it. I've been voted the best actor of the night," he laughed.
Spencer Turner shouldn't really be giving Davis grief because Turner is pretty substantial with the drama on the flop himself.
WHATEVER MOVES Davis is making, Bloomington basketball fans who haven't seen him should do so soon because his sparkling high school career is just about over. Then it's off to Xavier University in Cincinnati for basketball and studying sports administration.
"Time goes fast," Davis said. "It feels like last year we won state."
It was two years ago, and Davis was voted the Most Valuable Player in unbeaten South's championship game victory over Fort Wayne Snider.
It was not his first MVP award. That came with his nine-year-old baseball team. He is not, however, planning a return to the diamond this spring.
Davis said he's enjoying his senior season "a lot," and it's been his best statistically. He's averaging 22.1 points a game and has moved up to sixth in Monroe County's all-time career scoring list with 1,441 going into Thursday night's regular season finale at Decatur Central.
Leading the county in boys' scoring is Garrett Butcher of Edgewood with 1,820, followed by Sean May of North with 1,664, Jon Holmes of South with 1,536, Duany Duany of North with 1,532 and Chris Lawson of South with 1,481.
ONLY THREE SOUTH players have averaged more than 20 points in a season. Lawson tops the list at 26.6 in 1988-89. Chris Brand averaged 20.6 in 1990-91 and Chris Miskel 20.5 in 1991-92.
"I knew I had to step up the scoring, me and Spencer," Davis said. "J.R. said I had to be more selfish."
Well, selfish isn't exactly what was meant. More aggressive offensively is a better description.
And Davis has accomplished that. Always a great penetrator, he's become more of a 3-point threat this year.
"After the state game J.R. told me I had to shoot better and we'd have a better relationship," Davis laughed. I thought about that when I was shooting 50 per cent at one point this season (he's at 47 now)."
His 3-point improvement didn't just happen, either. It's the result of a great deal of practice in the summer. There's a mechanical device called "the gun," which collects shots and shoots them back out to the shooters. Davis became real familiar with it.
"I USED IT A LOT," he said. "Five hundred to a 1,000 shots every day. Three thousand one day."
Good Lord! Three thousand!
He's been sick lately, so his 3 wasn't falling. No legs. That's OK, Davis just turned to his driving. Last Saturday against LaPorte LaLumiere, which started a 7-foot center and 6-9 forward, he took the ball right at them. Go left, go right, spin and lay the ball up soft as a cotton ball. What a show, way worth more than the price of admission.
And afterwards the 6-foot Davis wanted to know how many rebounds he had (six).
"I was trying to get 10 rebounds. I wanted to go two nights with a double-double," he grinned. He had 13 points and 11 rebounds the night before at Perry Meridian, a Panther win that meant their fourth straight Conference Indiana championship.
Davis started at North as a freshman and transferred to South as a sophomore. Holmes put him into the starting lineup immediately.
"He gave me a lot of structure," Davis said of the veteran Panther coach. "He gave me the chance to run the team, let me make decisions on the court, gave me the freedom."
It's worked out real well.
Two Davis stories:
Story one: Dee took his little sister, Dominique, to South's football game at North last fall. Now, some guys might not feel comfortable taking their little sister to a game like that, but Dee doesn't.
"I don't mind," he said. "She's the coolest person I know."
Story two: The Panthers attended a big IHSAA function last year that celebrated 100 years of Indiana high school basketball. Dee and Turner went up to Oscar Robertson, probably the greatest player in the state's history after leading the 1956 Indianapolis Crispus Attucks team to the state title.
"We asked for his autograph, and he snapped at me and Spencer for asking," Dee said. The Big O walked away without giving his autograph.

Coaching, contributions from everyone beat LaLumiere

2011-02-20T08:06:00.003-05:00

By Rex Kirts

There's a reason why J.R. Holmes has won more than 600 games in his career, and it showed Saturday afternoon against LaPorte LaLumiere.
He can coach.
He works awful hard. He prepares his teams well, and they work well together and play hard and smart.
And it helps to have players like Dee Davis, Spencer Turner, Joey Forney, Desmond Marks and Ben Stowell (the all-senior starting lineup), with junior Michael Bower coming off the bench. None have ever lost a varsity game at home.
They ate up basketball factory LaLumiere's tall bunch, 56-48, before a nearly full house that included lots of IU people interested in seeing recruit Hanner Perea.
The Hoosier group didn't see much to be encouraged about because the 6-4 Forney defended the 6-9 Perea out of the gym, holding the Colombian junior to four points.
MARKS WAS ON the other big man, 7-0 junior Obij Aget, and held him to four points.
Junior guard Bobo Drummond came in highly touted, but he didn't accomplish much against the combined defensive effort of Stowell and Davis, hitting just 2 of 11 shots.
South, said LaLumiere coach Alan Huss, was better prepared and better coached and out-toughed his team. South was the more physical team and hustled more, getting most of the loose balls, and committed few turnovers.
LaLumiere, which is not an IHSAA member and recruits players internationally, had won 15 in a row and South came into the game wore out from two weeks of illness and a hard game at Perry Meridian Friday night. The Panthers were totally gassed in the fourth quarter and made some turnovers but hung on.
They actually dominated the game much more than the score indicates. They didn't shoot well (.396), however, so a ton of missed layups kept the margin from being about 20 points.
LaLumiere didn't shoot well, either (.422). Nor was LaLumiere interested in playing a whole lot of defense. In fact, LaLumiere didn't even look too interested in playing the game.
South's defense might have had something to do with LaLumiere's flatness offensively. And the penetrating of the dynamic Davis certainly had something to do with LaLumiere not being effective defensively.
DAVIS, WHOSE outside shooting was off, charged into the long arms of the 7-0 Aget and 6-9 Perea and shot layup after layup to score 16 points. Turner had 18, including several free throws down the stretch.
And look at this remarkable stat: rebounds, South 31-27.
Marks had eight rebounds, Forney and Davis six, Turner five, Stowell four and Bower two. Bower didn't play a lot but made a couple of big plays, including a steal and keeping a ball alive that resulted in a layup for Turner.
A key for the Panthers (19-2) coming in was keeping LaLumiere away from the offensive boards. And they succeeded in limiting the tall visitors to just four offensive rebounds.
"I had fun," Marks said. "I've played them in AAU, so nothing was different.
"I knew I had to keep the 7-footer and Hanner off the boards and keep them from dunking. They got only one dunk, and that came on a fast break."
Forney worked on Perea pretty good.
"I just did the same thing as I did against Hollowell," Forney said. "I got under him and tried to make him uncomfortable."
FORNEY LIMITED Jeremy Hollowell of Lawrence Central to five points and Perea to four. Those are two major college recruits, three and five inches taller than Forney, who got a total of nine points against him. That's a life-long memory.
"I thought our defense was great all night long," Holmes said, speaking not just of Forney but the whole team.
Forney, and the other Panthers, were mystified that LaLumiere didn't get the ball inside more to the big men and mystified at the Lakers' demeanor.
"I think they were kind of star-struck by Indiana basketball and our fans," he said.
In addition to his defense, Forney hit a big 3-point shot and two big free throws in the fourth quarter.
Several of the Panthers have been sick lately, including Davis. He hasn't had his legs, and his 3-point shot isn't falling.
"I'VE HAD THE FLU," Davis said. "Tonight we had a lot of adrenalin at the start."
Davis' attacking the big men off the dribble was highlight stuff, as usual. He was cradling the ball and then getting it over them. "I practice that," he said.
"I played with these guys in AAU," Davis added. "They were just being nice to me and not blocking my shot.
"I think we just came out and played hard. We had a lot of momentum going into this game, after winning the conference." The win at Perry Meridian gave South the Conference Indiana title four straight years, this year sharing it with Franklin Central, which beat Pike on Friday.
Davis, all (listed) 6-feet of him, asked, "How many rebounds did I have?" It was six, after getting 11 at Perry Meridian. That means, despite being sick, he's still hustling.
TURNER SAID the game, "was a lot of fun." It was Senior Night and the last regular season home game of his career, although South will host the sectional.
"It came fast, four years," Turner said. "I haven't lost a game here. I've been so blessed to have the coaching staff I have."
While other Panthers started slowly shooting the ball, Stowell picked up the slack with a couple of 3-balls. Another one who's been battlling the flu, he finished with seven points.
"I thought we didn't play well for a long stretch but kept fighting and hit our shots when we had to," Stowell said. "Other than 4 (No. 4, point guard Aaron Emanuel, the only Laker in double figure scoring with 14 points) they weren't attacking at all."
Holmes felt a key to holding down Perea was keeping him from getting the ball where he could drive and keeping him off the blocks. That countered all the missed Panther layups
HOLMES HAS ENJOYED bringing in, and beating, high profile teams the last three years, Detroit Country Day and Lexington Catholic before LaLumiere. Now he's hoping for the 20th win this year when the Panthers close out the regular season Thursday at Decatur Central.
"It's an opportunity for 20 wins in the regular season. That's huge," Holmes said.

After years of work, shooting starts with confidence

2011-02-16T11:28:00.005-05:00

By Rex Kirts

There's no doubt at all in Spencer Turner's mind that shooting begins with confidence.
But that confidence starts building with a tremendous work ethic that includes a lot of shooting.
Five years ago South coach J.R. Holmes said the best shooter in town might be a kid in middle school named Spencer Turner. At the time, Holmes had a pretty good sophomore shooter named Jordy Hulls, who went on to perform many fine feats and become Mr. Basketball.

Spencer Turner
Turner stepped onto the court at South and became a four-year varsity player and one of the school's best long-range shooters ever, with a ball so high-arching that it silences the gym until it collides with net or iron.
This season season has had some downs as well as ups for Turner, who is shooting 36 per cent on 3s compared to 40 last year, 46 per cent during the state championship year and 43 per cent as a freshman. A lot of the downturn can be traced to just a couple of games, however. Lately the 6-4 senior has been back on target.
"Once you miss three or four it's almost like you've forgot how to hit a shot," said Turner. "The basket gets smaller. But I try to stay positive.
"SHOOTING ALL STARTS with confidence," Turner said. "The guys around me, Dee (Davis) is always picking me up and telling me to shoot the ball. And Joey (Forney). It's all in your head." It's been a positive season for the 6-4 senior and 17-2 Panthers. He's second on the team in scoring to Davis with a career high average of 16 points a game, is second on the team in rebounding to Desmond Marks and second in assists to Davis.
Turner and Davis were the obvious two for opponents to concentrate their defense on this year, but he said he's not being defended differently.
"We saw a lot of triangle-and-2 last year but not much this year. I think we'll see it in the sectional," he said. "When they do that, trailing you and face-guarding you, you almost have to become a screener to get open shots for other guys. You've got to screen hard and screen well.'
If the triangle shows up, that should mean good looks for Ben Stowell, Marks and Forney. All have shown the ability to take advantage of such opportunities.
During the pre-season Holmes said this is one of the toughest schedule he's ever had. That's OK with Turner.
"I DEFINITELY GET UP for some teams more than others," he said. "You've got to get up for someone like Center Grove. I think the stats show I play tougher against better teams."
He slumped in the Hall of Fame loss to Center Grove but bounced back for a 24-point night in the winning rematch meeting last week.
Center Grove is one of the "pothole" games Holmes has highlighted for this season.
"We wanted to fill the potholes on the white board," Turner smiled. The Panthers just finished a three-game homestand with a Conference Indiana win over Columbus North, the rematch win over Center Grove and a victory over a talented Warren Central team.
This weekend is a challenge, too. They can win the conference championship Friday at Perry Meridian and on Saturday afternoon host LaPorte LaLumiere and IU recruit Hanner Perea.
Few players enjoy practice as much as Turner, and he likes to joke around. But he's totally serious at game time.
And he's still waiting to see what happens when everyone hits their stride at the same time.
"I don't think we've reached our peak yet," he said.

Determination, strong work ethic worked for Kaila, too

2011-02-01T11:58:00.007-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Kaila Hulls knew a long time ago, from watching older brother Jordy, what she wanted to do.
"I always wanted to be like Jordan," she said Monday. "He's the reason I work so hard after practice and want to get better all the time."
Jordy, a sophomore at IU and becoming more of the leader on the team every game, helped South win the state basketball championship and became Mr. Basketball.
A four-year starter, Kaila has made her youthful goal come true and is creating her own outstanding career. With 1,320 points going into the regular season finale against Bedford North Lawrence she is only six points shy of tying Cyndi Valentin for second place on the all-time Panther record set by Beth Morgan.

Kaila Hulls

This year Hulls is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Conference Indiana champions.
"SHE'S A GYM RAT," coach Larry Winters said. "She made up her mind early that she wanted to be a basketball player."
The 5-11 Hulls might have excelled at other sports, too, such as softball. In her early years she played first base on a baseball team and made the all-stars.
Her mom, Joni, a former player herself and a South assistant coach, said, "Kaila is very competitive, like Jordan. She's very much a perfectionist and doesn't want to make mistakes. She's very focused and very disciplined."
Kaila's workout regimen has been structured a lot by her father, J.C., another outstanding player in his high school days.
"Before the season I shot a lot in the gym on my spot shooting," she said. "After school I work on my conditioning, doing something different every day, and shoot after that.
"Dad has helped a lot, with everything I need to know. He's taught me there's always room to improve."
WITH GROWTH and a lot of work in the weight room Kaila has trimmed out. She's strong and quicker than last year.
"I've worked on defense and to get faster," she said. "I still need to work on that."
Winters knew was inheriting a good thing four years ago and has seen her get better.
"Kaila's understanding has always been above most," Winters said. "Her progression this year has come on the defensive end of the floor as well as her patience offensively. She doesn't rush it any more on offense.
"She's still got to work on her quickness (for playing in college at Bowling Green in Ohio), but she'll work in it because she knows that's what she has to do."
The Panthers have had good success this season even after losing another Division I player, Jessica Parker, to graduation. And they've been successful without having to change Hulls' role.
"KAILA'S ROLE hasn't changed, but she's picked up what the team needs," Winters said. "We lost Jessica and Morgan Woodruff, and Kaila's rebounds went up from seven to 10."
Hulls is driven by the love of the game and the desire to be successful like Jordy. Her goals this year included winning the conference, and that's been done, and to win sectional and regional and get a crack at state champion Ben Davis in the semistate. First up in the sectional is Columbus East, which the Panthers barely beat last week at South.
"We were a little shaky against East. It was just crazy," Hulls said. "We beat them by 30 in the summer. We just didn't play very well (last week). I think we'll be a lot more focused in the sectional."
The Panthers drew East in the short bracket in the sectional. The game will be Friday, Feb. 11 at East Central.
A 4.0 student, Hulls wants to study pharmacy. Bowling Green doesn't have a pharmacy school, so she's thinking of attending Purdue after Bowling Green. In between colleges she may try to play basketball professionally in Europe.

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

2011-01-29T12:34:00.008-05:00

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.

Holmes wins 500th as Panther coach

2011-01-25T22:50:00.004-05:00

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.

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

2011-01-23T15:14:00.002-05:00

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'

2011-01-23T12:30:00.006-05:00

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."

The defense was destructive at Edgewood

2011-01-15T13:57:00.005-05:00

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.

Forney, Panthers growing

2011-01-14T16:40:00.004-05:00

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.

Turner and Davis drill North, Bower tough off the bench

2011-01-08T19:46:00.009-05:00

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.

Stowell filling his role

2011-01-05T15:05:00.003-05:00

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.

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

2011-01-03T22:41:00.005-05:00

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.

Carmel can't hit the bucket, South's Christmas delight is 8-0 record

2010-12-21T23:07:00.003-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Carmel isn't that bad, and South isn't too shabby, either.
A decent-sized South crowd, but almost nobody from Carmel, saw Carmel disintegrate completely in the Panther gym Tuesday night. It was weird to see a team as solid as Carmel fail to make a single field goal in the second and third quarters.
And it wasn't as if the Greyhounds were putting up a lot of stupid shots. On the contrary, they were getting good looks. But all of a sudden they couldn't hit a barn with a shotgun.
Carmel made 7 of 10 shots the first quarter but only three field goals the rest of the game. South overcame slow shooting start itself to run off with a 63-39 win.
THAT MEANS the state's No. 2 ranked Panthers have earned an 8-0 record for a Christmas present. They have now won 52 straight regular season games.
The Panthers were a little too lethargic the first quarter, and their shooting was off. They fell behind 17-12, with Carmel going the length of the floor in the last five seconds of the period to score on a layup.
That was Carmel's last field goal until just over six minutes left in the game. Wow!
South went on a 25-3 run in the second and third quarters for a 37-20 lead, and the game was over.
In addition to playing itself out of the game with poor shooting (10 of 36 for the game) Carmel turned the ball over 19 times. Panther hands were everywhere, slapping the ball away from the Greyhounds.
"WE STARTED SLOW," Dee Davis said. "Our shots weren't going in. But we played really good defense the entiere game."
Davis scored 16 points, three behind Joey Forney, who had 13 of his 19 in the fourth quarter. Spencer Turner added 14 points.
"At halftime I thought if we just started hitting our shots we'd be OK," South coach J.R. Holmes said.
The shots started falling. The Panthers shot Carmel out of its zone in the third quarter and continued to hit against a very physical man-to-man.
"We started getting inside the zone for 19-foot shots. In the first half we were at the 25-foot mark," Holmes said.
THE SOUTH COACH liked a lot of things, including his defense.
"Our defense was good. We helped out in the post. Des (Marks) really battled," he said. "Dee was very consistent. Joey is starting to shoot better. I thought Alex (Forney) and (Michael) Bower were great off the bench."
Following the break to pay homage to Santa Claus and the credit cards, the Panthers will compete in the Hall of Fame tournament at New Castle on Dec. 30.

Panthers beat LC despite shooting woes

2010-12-18T09:14:00.002-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Offensively, South hit only two of 19 3-point shots. And that's why the Panthers celebrate the defensive work of Joey Forney.
Forney took on Lawrence Central junior wingman Jeremy Hollowell, a major college prospect, and shut him down to five points Friday. That helped the Panthers stay perfect on the season at 6-0 and perfect in Conference Indiana at 2-0 with a 65-51 victory.
There were other plusses for coach J.R. Holmes' team. With the outside shooting game colder than a December night, the Panthers dropped in 33 of 41 free throws, got another sparkling all-around production from Dee Davis and enjoyed the continued improvement of Desmond Marks.
Twenty-one of the free throws came in the fourth quarter. At the start of the period, with a six-point lead, the Panthers took the air out of the ball and forced LC to foul. What had been a tight ball game slowly turned into South-in-command.
THE PANTHERS with contributions from all its starters, who scored 64 of the their 65 points. Davis had 22 points, Spencer Turner 18 despite 1-9 shooting on 3s, Marks 13, Forney 6 and Ben Stowell 5.
Davis was everywhere. In the fourth quarter, getting steals and rebounds, it looked like there was five of him on the court. Besides his points, for the game he had five rebounds, five assists and four steals. And he gets high marks for a couple of incredible moves to the basket, especially in the first quarter.
Turner was cold from ouotside, but he hit 11 of 12 free throws and led the team in rebounds with six.
Marks had 13 points and five rebounds. Eight of the points came in the third quarter as he got the Panthers off to a quick start.
Forney does not have the quickest feet on a basketball court, but his heart if pretty stout. His contributions come from battling. Besides sticking close to Hollowell and slowing him down Forney had five rebounds.
"I FELT I COULD contribute on defense," Forney said. "He is such a skilled athlete." Hollowell got a bit frustrated, though, and picked up a technical foul in the second quarter. He spent most of the period on the bench.
Holmes was happy to rack up a conference win on the road.
"We didn't play great, but decent," Holmes said. "Joey really battled, and Michael Bower did when he came in (to guard Hollowell). I thought Dee was ready to play."
Another factor in South's making up for cold shooting (.366) was ball handling. The Panthers made only six turnovers to 19 for LC.
CARLINO IN CROWD: Former Panther Matt Carlino attended the game with former teammate Erik Fromm, a freshman at Butler. Carlino is thinking of transferring to Butler after leaving UCLA.

It's Marks' time, and he's producing

2010-12-15T11:57:00.004-05:00

By Rex Kirts

While playing behind Erik Fromm the past two seasons, Desmond Marks took the opportunity to work on his game.
And it wasn't just a little work here and a little work there. He put in a lot of time, sometimes drilling two or three times a day, often with his father, Deryck.
The effort added up and paid off. When it was his time as a senior to step up and become an important part of South's basketball program he was ready. He's producing, right on schedule.

Desmond Marks

Through the Panthers' first five games, all wins against pretty good competition, Marks is averaging 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. At 6-5 1/2 and 250 pounds he has the bulk to take care of business inside and the shooting touch to be a threat from the perimeter.
"He can shoot the ball," coach J.R. Holmes said. "He'll be a '4' man (power forward) in college, but he plays a '5' (center) for us - he has to get some rebounds."
THE ABILITY of a big man to hit from outside creates a team bonus in more ways than one.
"Des takes guys like Pritchett (Alex, from Bedford North Lawrence) and Gant (Justin, from Terre Haute North) away from the basket, which opens it up for drives by Dee (Davis)," Holmes pointed out.
Marks' shooting benefitted last summer from two sources, J.C. Hulls and Brian Keaton. Hulls is the father of Mr. Basketball Jordy Hulls and current Panther standout Kaila Hulls, and Keaton was Marks' AAU coach.
"I did a lot of work with J.C.," Marks said, "all ball stuff. That's how my shot got better. I did a lot of shooting, and he would work on my body position, going straight up and keeping my balance. Then I would go do the same thing with my dad."
Keaton, then an assistant at Triton and now an assistant at Indianapolis Cathedral, coached an Indy-based AAU team. His part in helping Marks' shooting was simply to encourage him to keep putting the ball up. Marks followed the advice, and from that he gained confidence in his ability to get the ball in the hole.
MARKS' ALL-AROUND development was necessary for South to continue to be one of the state's powers. The Panthers' don't have the 6-7 or 6-8 asset that Fromm provided, so Marks has to be a force in the middle.
"My big thing is rebounding," he said. "I thought I could take up the slack left from Fromm and (Matt) Carlino."
An excellent way for Marks to get ready for this year was to endure the practices of the past two seasons. South's practices are physical, and Marks had to battle Fromm and Carlino and others. The court was no place for the meek.
"There was a lot of competition," Marks said of the practices. We had to play hard every day or get beat bad." The second five won its share of the battles. "It was about 50-50. We sometimes played them pretty tough."
Practices are still physical, Marks said. "The jayvees like to hit hard," Marks said. "We need to execute. It's still real competitive."
THE SHOOTING AND REBOUNDING improvements are products of all the work Marks put in not only since the end of last season but in the years before, too.
"I'd work two or three times a day," he said. "After practice I'd go to the Y with my dad or work out at my house."
His biggest needs now are to improve his ball handling and guarding people on the perimeter. "I worked on my ball handling all summer. I'm working now on my foot speed. I'm definitely quicker than last year," he said.
A 3.8 student, Marks isn't sure where he'll attend college. He's considering DePauw, Hanover, Lake Forest in Illinois, Maryland-Baltimore County and Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. He's thinking of studying chemistry or meteorology.
His hobbies include working with his youth group at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. Helping homeless people is part of that program.

Panthers shoot well, play tough at unbeaten Terre Haute North

2010-12-12T12:13:00.005-05:00

By Rex Kirts

In the category of some wins are bigger than others, count South's 70-60 win Saturday at Terre Haute North.
Shooting well and playing tough all around, the Panthers (5-0) defeated a previously unbeaten team on the road. It was a weekend back-to-back win, too, following Friday's draining victory against Southport.
It was a well-played game by both teams in a good atmosphere, with a big crowd.
"It was a big team win," said senior forward Joey Forney. "Everyone contributed. They tried to deny Spencer (Turner) and Dee (Davis), and everyone else stepped up. That's why we won."
"We played together as a team," said senior guard Ben Stowell, "and people stepped up at the right times and completed the assignments the coaches gave them."
THE FINAL SCORE shows this game was won in the first few minutes. South jumped out to a 10-2 lead right away, and the action stayed right around that margin the rest of the way. Terre Haute would get hot, primarily from 3-point range, and South would counter with a variety of successful moves.
It was exciting to see the Panthers' adjustments. North played good defense early, but once the Panthers found out how to attack it they cut the Patriots up pretty good with a lot of penetration, both with passes and the dribble.
"We played our best game for all four quarters, our most consistent for four quarters," South coach J.R. Holmes said. "We had both teams for nine errors (turnovers), and that's a great high school game. That's very rare, with as much intensity as there was.
I was pleased, for this early in the seasson, on the road. And we were out-sized. I thought our kids fought them right down the line.
"WE HAD FOUR in double figures and one with nine. That's a good, solid effort.
"It was a good game for us."
Shooting was a big plus. The Panthers hit 56 per cent, their best of the season. They were .500 on 3-pointers, 8 of 16, and needed it because North drained 11 of 23.
South's balance was its best of the year. Davis continued his eye-candy mastery of the sport with 22 points, Desmond Marks had 13 and nine rebounds, Turner 12,Stowell 10 and Forney 9.
Shots at the buzzer gave South a big lift twice, by Davis at the half after he stripped 6-8 Justin Gant and hit a five-footer and by Stowell with a 3 at the end of the third quarter.
Marks is becoming a key to this team's success. The senior center, who can step out and hit 3s, has had double doubles or near them in points and rebounds the last three games.
THE PANTHERS have another outstanding doubleheader scheduled next weekend, traveling to Lawrence Central on Friday for a Conference Indiana conteste and hosting Jeffersonville on Saturday.
It was Jeffersonville that ruined South's 23-1 season last year in the regional championship. The loss ended the Panthers' 49-game winning streak, which is second best in Indiana history, and their hope of back-to-back unbeaten state championship seasons.

Big plays and rebounding big in win over Southport

2010-12-11T12:07:00.006-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Dee Davis was masterful with 28 points, and Spencer Turner had 20 and Desmond Marks 12 points and 11 rebounds as South opened Conference Indiana play Friday with a 76-59 win over Southport.
A six-point sequence, a fiver and a four helped put down the visitors to J.R. Holmes' court. So did a 32-19 edge in rebounding, with Marks and sub Michael Bower leading the way. Bower had seven rebounds.
Once again, though, the Panthers had to weather a dry spell. A 17-point halftime lead shrunk to 10 when Southport scored the first seven points of the third quarter, and the lead was reduced to eight at 49-41 with 2:00 left in the period.
But Davis, who scored five straight points when the lead got down to 10 earlier, stuck a dagger in Southport with six points in a few seconds to boost the lead up to 55-41 and put South back in firm comand.
TO START THE six-point sequence, Davis hit a layup and free throw. He stole the inbounds pass and launched a 3 from the corner. Southport never recovered from that double whammy.
"I knew we needed a boost, making a run like they did," Davis said of the six-point burst.
Southport came at the Panthers pretty hard.
"Every game is going to be like that," Davis said.
The win was the 48th straight straight in regular season play, 25th straight in the conference and 36th straight at home.
Marks played one of his better games in posting his second straight double-double. It came after he missed practices during the week with a stomach problem.
"I need to pick up my rebounding," Marks said. "A double-double is my goal every game."
Bower, a junior, continues to excel as the team's sixth man. In addition to his seven rebounds he had four points and helped guard Michael Ramey, Southport's superb long-range shooter.
Speaking of Southport's rally in the third quarter, Bower said, "Basketball is a game of runs. You've got to take their best shot and finish them off."
TURNER HAD A HAND in the four-point and five-point play in the game. He made a free throw after being fouled on a 3-point basket, and he made two free throws after being fouled when Ben Stowell hit a 3-point shot.
Holmes said he wished the Panthers had played smarter at times.
"In spells we were good, but I was not impressed some times," Holmes said.
"We did a good job on Ramey (Stoll started out on him but got two quick fouls). Desmond is better, and Bower gives us energy.
"They (Southport) beat us down the floor in the second half. We got a little lazy."
The Panthers traveled to Terre Haute North Saturday night. Holmes said the Patriots (4-0) are the best team they will face up to this point.

What J.R. learned: Panthers can be pretty good

2010-12-05T10:38:00.003-05:00

By Rex Kirts

The weekend was good for the Panthers.
They tacked on two more wins at home to go to 3-0 and extend their regular season winning streak to 47. Bedford North Lawrence went down with a fight, 71-65, on Friday and Evansville Harrison, 66-51, on Saturday.
Streaks were a big part of both games. The Panthers blazed out to a 25-11 first-quarter lead on Bedford and started the third quarter against Harrison with a 14-0 run.
It was a good weekend because both opponents were quality teams. So what did coach J.R. Holmes learn from the action?
"We can put some spurts together when we're playing pretty good," he said. "When we're working as a team and getting our passing game going we're pretty good."
AND DOES the coach of the state's No. 2 ranked team have any concerns at this early date?
"Our subs have got to score a little bit," he said. Though not big scorers, he admits his primary bench players - Michael Bower, Alex Forney and Trae Washington - are good battlers.
Lack of height could become a problem against some teams, and sometimes the Panthers' shooting gets a little cool. But the team scraps hard, fights on the boards and can play some pretty good defense, such as against Harrison when it had 13 steals and against Bedford when it did a solid job ionside against big Alex Pritchett.
And sometimes South's shooting gets quite hot, such as hitting 8 of 10 to start the third quarter to put Harrison too far down to rally from. All five starters scored in that quarter.
A consistent asset in the three games has been the tremendous play of Dee Davis on both ends of the court. As always, he's worth the price of admission, and any basketball fan shouldn't pass up the opportunity to see him before he heads off to college.
Davis got things rolling against Bedford with two steals that led to baskets and a nice feed to Joey Forney on a fast break. Davis was definitely "on" that game, and the 25 points he scored put him over a 1,000 for his career.
"I DON'T KNOW what 1,000 means," Davis said Saturday. "It doesn't mean as much as winning the state championship. It's just points. Still, I'm pleased."
South started the Harrison game flat, which is sort of understandable after Friday night's big crowd atmosphere with Bedford. The Panthers started the game in the hole 7-0 before loosening up and scoring 11 straight points. But Harrison came back late in the second quarter with a couple of 3s, and South led only 30-26 at the half.
"We had to come out with a lot of energy in the third quarter," Davis said. They had so much energy that they overwhelmed Harrison.
"We saw they were wore out, so we kept running the ball. That's our game," Davis said.
In the three games Davis is averaging 20.6 points and several assists and steals.
Against Bedford, the Panthers struggled after their quick start, primarily because their shooting fell off. They were 8 of 20 in the second half. It took a strong effort to hold on for the win.
"We got off to a great start," Spencer Turner said. "In the second quarter they pressured us more.
"BUT DEE DID a great job of running the game. Bower had some nice steals, and Dee. I think our defense is what really won it."
Turner, the owner of nice, high, long 3-pointers, has scored consistently, getting 18, 18 and 20 for an 18.6 average. He runs the floor nice, too, and gets his share of rebounds.
"Bedford was a really good teaching tool for us," Holmes said, "to understand momentum. You could see momentum changing, and we needed to play better defense and take the spring out of their legs."
The Panthers have another doubleheader next weekend. They host Southport in the Conference Indiana opener Friday and travel to Terre Haute North on Saturday. They're the unbeaten conference champions the last three years.

Davis reaches 1,000 points for his career

2010-12-04T14:45:00.002-05:00

By Rex Kirts

The stunning moves, soft shooting touch, ball-stealing deftness and sharp passing make South senior point guard Dee Davis one of the best basketball players the city has ever had.
As a sophomore he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the state championship win over Fort Wayne Snider.
Now he's got over 1,000 points for his career, with most of his senior season left to play.
Davis went over the significant point total Friday with 25 points in the Panthers' 71-65 victory against Bedford North Lawrence. He had 19 in the season opener last week at New Albany.
Davis entered the season with 976 points, so heading into Saturday's game against Evansville Harrison his career total climbed to 1,020.
He scored 276 points as a freshman at North, 340 his sophomore year at South and 360 with the Panthers last year. His average increased from 12.5 as a freshman to 13.1 as a sophomore and 15.7 last year.

Opener OK, showed potential

2010-11-29T12:20:00.005-05:00

By Rex Kirts

A big traveling crowd proved there's still magic in South's basketball program, and the 2010-11 team showed some sparkle in the season debut Saturday at New Albany.
The Panthers started slow, and didn't shoot well for the game-long stats, but after the first quarter they shut New Albany down on the way to a 65-39 victory.
New Albany led 18-16 at the first quarter but scored only two points the second quarter and 21 total for the last three quarters.
South's defense created offense, especially off-the-bench defensive havoc created by junior Michael Bower. Spencer Turner started hot from 3-point range and Dee Davis joined him in 3-point mastery in the third quarter to lead the Panthers offensively. Davis finished with 19 points and Turner 18.
The game was a marked improvement over last week's scrimmage at North. The biggest difference was simply more spirited activity on defense and more purposeful movement of people and the ball on offense.
THE PANTHERS won the boards, too, 32-18, not because of a big size advantage but simple scrappiness. Turner, Bower and Desmond Marks led the way with seven rebounds apiece.
Shooting will need to come up. It was .373 from the field and . 631 at the free throw line.
Feeling their way, the Panthers started the game very deliberate on offense. They maintained control and got better shots as the game progressed, but they also began to run the floor and ripped New Albany pretty good in transition.
"We got off slow with our shooting and had five or six shots blocked inside," coach J.R. Holmes said. "At the half I told the guys to settle down."
The defense picked up in the second quarter when the Panthers stopped penetration. In the third quarter the offense got rolling when Davis, who was 2-for-10 the first half, bombed in three 3s.
"This is a good feeling," Davis said of winning the opener, on the road, in front of a large crowd, against a traditionally good program. "The guys played hard and as a team."
The defensive effort in the second quarter was the result of better communication, Davis said. In the third quarter, the offense executed better. "We did the stuff we worked on in practice," he said.
GETTING SCORING from others helped take the pressure off him, David added.
Holmes liked the play from his reserves.
"Michael Bower and Alex Forney were just great off the bench," Holmes said. "Bower did this all summer long - he really goes after it.
"This was a great game for us, on the road and playing a team of that caliber."
Holmes has said the sdchedule is the toughest he's ever had. The opposition continues strong next weekend at home when the Panthers host Bedford North Lawrence on Friday and Evansville Harrison on Saturday.

Trust is the key

2010-11-23T12:11:00.005-05:00

By Rex Kirts

As South gets ready to open the basketball season, coach J.R. Holmes said the key element is trust among teammates.
"My word for this team is trust," Holmes said. "They've got to trust each other that they can do what they've practiced to do, that they can score. That trust comes through practice."
As the scrimmage against North last week showed, there is still much to accomplish in practice before the Panthers can live up to their pre-season No. 2 ranking in the state.
Shooting needs improved, free throw shooting needs improved, people movement needs to get better. Holmes' offense has always been a beauty to watch, but it wasn't in the scrimmage.
The potential for another outstanding year is there, with Dee Davis, Spencer Turner and Joey Forney back. The Panthers were 23-1 last year, and they were 18-2 in the summer even though Forney passed up basketball to play baseball.
HOLMES HAS SAID this is the toughest schedule he's ever had, and there will be no waiting to find out how the Panthers handle it. They travel to New Albany for the season opener Saturday night.
This will be a clash of two of the state's best programs in recent years. South has ranked first in the state in winning percentage in 14 of the last 16 years and is currently No. 1 with a percentage of .777. New Albany is fifth at .757.
Joining seniors Davis, Turner and Forney in the starting lineup will be seniors Desmond Marks and Ben Stowell.
Davis, headed for Xavier, is a spectacular point guard who averaged 15.7 points per game last year. Turner, going to Belmont, is a 3-point shooting whiz who averaged 11.2. Forney, going to Xavier for baseball, is strong inside and averaged 4.2. Marks, a hefty 6-5, 250 and counted on to get rebounds, averaged 3.4 in limited action. Stowell played only a few minutes on varsity last year but led the JVs in scoring.
This unit did not play well in the scrimmage at North.
"We missed layups, missed free throws, missed shots," Holmes said. "We didn't make the extra pass, didn't get the ball to the open man. I think we're straightening that out.
"Our rebounding was good, but our shooting was horrible. It was 'show me what I can do.' We had a lot of spectators (no movement)."
Oddly, Holmes said he wasn't discouraged by the performance. But that's because it can be used as a lesson.
"I WAS SORT of happy . . . because that's the way we practiced. I think it got their attention. We need more competition in practice. Our depth is not as deep as the last two years."
One of the great strengths of the last two seasons, the 26-0 state championship run two years ago and the 23-1 last year, was the second five pushed the starters hard in practice.
Holmes is anxious to see if the lessons learned from the scrimmage produce positive results at New Albany. "It will be interesting to see what happens."
This team has to learn its roles, he agreed. "Dee has to be the leader. We have to get an identity and a pecking order, but I don't want it to be predictable that Dee always has to take the shot."
And that puts it back to the trust factor.
Another emphasis in practice this week was working against a triangle-and-2 defense. "Everbody will play that against us," Holmes said.
That means teams will chase Davis and Turner, forcing the others to step up and score. Marks, Stowell and Forney can all hit from the perimeter.

Forney to Xavier

2010-11-19T17:36:00.002-05:00

By Rex Kirts

Joey Forney and Dee Davis can share rides to college now, since they're both going to Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Davis long ago made his choice to play basketball at Xavier. Forney made his choice to play baseball there this week.
It was a welcome decision for Forney, who originally signed with Duke but had the offer withdrawn when he scored lower on the SAT than Duke wanted. It was only about two weeks between Duke backing out and Xavier coming in.
The first priority for Forney, a senior, will be third base, but he may also get a look as a pitcher
"I VISITED XAVIER last weekend," Forney said Friday. "They treated me really well and gave me a great offer. The players were great. I felt really comfortable there."
He described Xavier's program as "up-and-coming. Lately they've been one, two or three in their conference (Atlantic 10). If you win the conference you get to go to the College World Series."
Xavier has a converted shortstop playing third base, who will be a junior when Forney starts. Forney made the same switch, going from short to third, for South's program last spring. He was a force, at third and pitcher and at bat, for the Panther team that went to the semistate.
This winter Forney will start at forward on the South basketball team.

Holmes optimistic, rebuilding with Davis, Turner, Forney back as starters

2010-11-06T16:17:00.005-04:00

By Rex Kirts

South ended last year with a crushing defeat in the regional final, a loss to Jeffersonville that ended the Panthers' winning streak at 49 games. It is the second longest streak in Indiana high school history.
That was followed by the graduation of center Erik Fromm and the early graduation of Matt Carlino, ceremonies which took two of the team's valuable starters.
These events could put a damper on prospects for 2010-11, but they don't. The Panthers are still in pretty decent shape. More will be known after practice begins Monday.
Coach J.R. Holmes, the fifth winningest active coach with 629 career victories, is beginning his 29th year as the Panthers' head coach and 40th overall. He has four-year starters Dee Davis back at point guard and Spencer Turner back on the wing. And senior Joey Forney, a two-year starter, is back at forward.
THAT'S A STOUT TRIO. Xavier-bound Davis was MVP on the unbeaten state championship team his sophomore year, and Bellmont-bound Turner can shoot the 3-pointer as prolific as anyone. Forney has looked good in fall open gym.
While the Panthers lack a proven big man and their depth must come around, they showed over the summer there is adequate talent and team savvy. Even without the Duke-bound Forney, who concentrated on baseball, they posted an 18-2 summer record. They lost to talent-loaded Hamilton Southeastern when all their players weren't there and to an all-star team from St. Louis in the national tournament in Las Vegas.
"We'll be senior-dominated for the first time in a while," Holmes said. "We'll probably start five seniors and have seven or eight on the team. Senior experience is good."
Starters in addition to Davis, Turner and Forney should be Ben Stowell on the wing and Desmond Marks in the middle. Alex Forney and juniors Michael Bower and Trae Washington will come off the bench.
"My concern is depth," Holmes said. "Do we have someone who can be a positive factor for us? My second concern is rebounding."
BOWER HAD a great summer and could provide a good spark off the bench. He plays a lot like David Blackwell did, aggressively, for the state champs two years ago. Alex Forney is like that, too, and Washington was consistent during summer play.
There's nobody with Fromm's height, 6-8, but Marks is 6-5 1/2, Joey Forney 6-4, Turner 6-4, Alex Forney 6-3 and Sstowell 6-1, so there is decent all-around size. Senior Gabe Hull, the state discus champion, is giving basketball a try this year and is 6-7.
The Panthers won't be as quick as last year, with the loss of Carlino and Fromm, but Davis is in a quickness league by himself because of his spectacular acrobatic, slashing play.
"The players like to get up and down the floor,' Holmes said. "It depends on how well we rebound. I think we can replace some of Fromm's and Carlino's points."
Despite his concerns, Holmes sees good things for this team. If the schedule permits.
"IT SHOULD BE a year in which we're competitive," he said, "even though this is maybe the toughest schedule we've ever had. Everybody has a bunch back."
The schedule includes 12 homes games and the Hall of Fame tourney in New Castle. Big crowds are exected at home because of the many quality opponents coming in.
The 49-game winning streak is over, but others are intact. "We've won 44 regular season games in a row," Holmes said, "24 straight in Conference Indiana (that's a three-year unbeaten streak),
and 34 straight games at home."
The Panthers scrimmage Bloomington North Nov. 18 at North. The regular season opens Nov. 27 at New Albany, and the home opener is the second game on the schedule, against Bedford North Lawrence on Dec. 3. Also, South will host the sectional this year.
"I think we're anxious to get going," Holmes said.
PANTHER SCHEDULE
Nov. 18: Scrimmage at North, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 27: At New Albany, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: Bedford North Lawrence, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4: Evansville Harrison, 8 p.m.
Dec. 10: Southport, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11: At Terre Haute North, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17: At Lawrence Central, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18: Jeffersonville, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21: Carmel, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 30: Hall of Fame at New Castle, 1 p.m.
Jan. 7: Bloomington North, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11: Columbus East, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14: At Edgewood, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21: At Martinsville, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22: Franklin Central, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28: At Pike, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4: Columbus North, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10: Center Grove, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 12: Warren Central, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 18: At Perry Meridian, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19: LaPorte LaLumiere, tba
Feb. 24: At Decatur Central, 7:30 p.m.
March 1,4,5: Sectional
March 12: Regional
March 19: Semistate
March 26: State

Davis couldn't stay away from the game

2010-08-16T16:38:00.003-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Dee Davis, heading into his senior year, had planned a little rest and relaxation. That simply didn't work out.
The South point guard intended to skip the AAU spring season and "just be a kid." But he found out he didn't need so much down time, that there was enough free time even after a few games.
The kid and his basketball are seldom apart.
"I saw how much fun everybody was having," said Davis, whose moves on the court astound fans everywhere. "I had fun playing, playing with people that I didn't know. It was good."
After AAU Davis played with the South team that went to the national tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Since then he works out about every other day.
"I've had a good break," he said.
A LOT OF WORKOUTS were with his father, Darwin Sr., Indiana University players and ex-IU player Armon Bassett.
"Playing against Armon makes me better," Davis said.
He also gets worked out by a former Ben Davis football player who has helped his explosion, agility, jumping and foot speed. Opponents will not be pleased to learn Davis is more explosive now. He was already exceptional there.
He has also spent in a lot of time trying to improve his 3-point shooting. "I did a lot better with the 3s this summer," he said. "Working on it gives you more confidence to shoot it."
A month playing with his Panther teammates was fun and productive.
"We did a lot better than people thought we would after losing Matt (Carlino) and the big man (Eric) Fromm," Davis said. "In Vegas we beat good teams by 30 or so. I think we'll be fine. We'll be a lot of team with our transition game. We'll wear them out."
A starter at North as a freshman and a two-year starter at South who won the MVP award in the state championship game as a sophomore, Davis said he's looking forward to "just competing" this season.
"A LOT OF PEOPLE are doubting us," he said. "I want to have fun and maybe make another run at the title. For how we looked in the summer I think we've got a pretty good shot. If we work hard enough."
The Panthers had a shot last year, too, but were shocked by Jeffersonville in the final game of the regional. They saw a 12-point lead get away in the fourth quarter.
"I haven't thought about that, really" Davis said. "You've got to move on from those things."
The loss to Jeffersonville snapped the Panthers' 49-game winning streak, one away from tying the longest streak in state history.
STATE FINALS MEMORIES
At Conseco Fieldhouse, Davis and his teammates waited to take the floor for the 2009 state championship game. And waited and waited. The class 3A game went three overtimes, so South and Fort Wayne Snider had to wait to play for the 4A championship.
"Everybody got so excited," Davis recalled. "We were watching (Plymouth's) Bruce Grimm, Jr., who scored about 40. That was funny."
Plymouth lost that game to Princeton, which became the 11th team in Indiana history to go undefeated. Two hours later, South became the 12th.
"I also remember coach Holmes getting on Jordy (Hulls) before the game because he stayed on the court and kept shooting."
AN IMPRESSIVE SIGHT was South fans, dressed in purple and stretching to the top of the fieldhouse.
"I've never seen so many purple shirts," Davis said. "They went all the way to the nose-bleeds."
Davis put on a great show. "I never got tired. I had too much energy."
Winning the MVP helped put him on the map, he said. "That told the college coaches I had a lot of upsides." Ain't that the truth!
OTHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS include playing South his freshman year, "with Ray (McCallum) against Jordy and those guys. Even though we lost it was fun."
Also fun was last year when Nate Peck, who played sparingly, came off the bench to rain 3s and score 16 points.
And, naturally, there was the victory over Detroit Country Day his sophomore year when the Panthers and Country Day were ranked in the top five in the nation. The key play late in the game was Davis stripping the ball from the transferred McCallum and laying it in.
"I felt that game was more exciting than the state game," Davis said. "Leading up to it . . . I felt the bleachers shake, and I couldn't hear myself talk. It was great. I was loving it."
There's a whole year left to make more memories before he heads off to college at Xavier.

Turner couldn't stay away from basketball for long

2010-08-13T14:56:00.003-04:00

By Rex Kirts

Spencer Turner walked into South's athletic office Friday and saw coach J.R. Holmes.
"I thought you were supposed to take off," Holmes said.
Holmes, of course, knew Turner wouldn't be without a basketball in his hands for long. The senior forward is as much of a gym rat as anyone.
"I was supposed to take off from August 1st till the start of school," Turner laughed. "That idn't last long. I took off till about the third. Then Joey Forney and I started lifting."
It was suggested that Turner needed a hobby besides basketball.
"I have one. But it's too hot to fish," he laughed again.
Turner laughs a lot. He has a good time no matter what he's doing.
LIFE IS EASIER now that he has accepted a scholarship offer from Belmont. Belmont is one of those pretty good basketball schools that nobody knows about, even though it's made the NCAA tournament three of the last five years as champion of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Belmont is located on the west side of Nashville, Tenn., a block from the more famous Vanderbilt and close to another rival, Lipscomb.
Turner is a 3-point shooting star but lacked the overall qualities the big-name colleges were looking for. He feels very fortunate that Belmont found him.
"Belmont saw me in a tourney in Orlando. I was playing really well," he said. "They said they need a shooter.
When I visited there (last week) it was the first time I'd seen the coach, Rick Byrd. He's been there 24 years and in coachng 33 years. He reminded me a lot of coach Holmes.
"HIS STYLE FITS ME so well, transition and fill the wings. I couldn't fit in any better."
Belmont has a fairly new basketball arena, Curb Event Center, that seats about 6,000. "Everything is all brand," Turner said.
Picking Belmont was not so much as giving up on an offer from bigger schools as it was the positives Belmont has. "The biggest thing was I totally fell in love with it," Turner said. "It's amazing, I think. I didn't want to pass up on a great school like this."
Belmont has 52 points coming back from last year. It has a 6-11 and a 6-10 center and a guard who averaged 14.9 points per game.
Now that his college is secure, Turner wants to give 100 per cent to his final year at South. He, Forney and Dee Davis are returning starters from the team that didn't lose until the final game of the regional. He was also a starter on the unbeaten state championship team his sophomore year.
"I'M REALLY FOCUSED on this season," Turner said. "It's great I committed early. Now I want to get bigger, stronger, faster.
"Everyone thinks we lost all our players, but we've got Dee and Forney. Desmond Marks is a 6-4 big body. And we've got Alex Forney and Ben Stowell back.
"I see us going 20-0. I'm not saying we will, but that should be our goal."
The Panthers had a good summer, finishing second in a state tournament to Hamilton Southeastern when they got in foul trouble and didn't have their whole team. And they played well in the Las Vegas national tourney.
"We played awesome at Vegas, really" Turner said. "We played well as a team. We beat teams with 6-9 and 6-10 kids."
But, Turner agreed, basketball is a team game, and South, under Holmes, plays excellent team ball.

Conference Indiana standings, South scores and statistics

2009-11-27T11:29:00.700-05:00

Conference Indiana
........................Conf..AG
South..................6-1...26-2
Franklin Central.......6-1...16-6
Pike....................5-2...21-5
Bloomington North....3-4...12-9
Columbus North.......3-4...13-8
Lawrence Central.....3-4...15-10
Southport..............2-5...10-12
Perry Meridian.........0-7...6-15

South varsity scores
South 65, New Albany 39
South 71, Bedford North Lawrence 65
South 66, Evansville Harrison 51
South 76, Southport 59
South 70, Terre Haute North 60
South 65, Lawrence Central 51
South 73, Jeffersonville 73 ot
South 63, Carmel 39
Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle
South 65, Warsaw 62
Center Grove 88, South 82 2ot
-------------------------------
South 86, Bloomington North 55
South 71, Edgewood 52
South 78, Martinsville 63
South 63, Franklinn Central 56
South 91, Columbus East 61
Pike 80, South 74
South 75, Columbus North 44
South 80, Center Grove 65
South 66, Warren Central 57
South 56, Perry Meridian 53
South 56, LaPorte LaLumiere 48
South 65, Decatur Central 63
Sectional
South 54, Bloomington North 46
South 66, Columbus East 34
Regional
South 53, New Albany 37
South 68, Castle 49
Semistate
South 76, Indianapolis North Central 66
State
South 56, Kokomo 42

South junior varsity scores (final record: 14-5)
South 43, New Albany 35
South 44, Bedford North Lawrence 39
South 55, Evansville Harrison 33
South 53, Southport 12
Terre Haute North 44, South 40
Lawrence Central 48, South 39
South 51, Jeffersonville 46
Carmel 55, South 49
Bloomington North 53, South 48
Edgewood 57, South 56
South 59, Martinsville 37
South 53, Franklin Central 33
South 42, Columbus East 30
South 55, Pike 52
South 44, Columbus North 35
South 52, Center Grove 41
South 49, Warren Central 47 ot
South 50, Perry Meridian 36
South 34, Decatur Central 29

Final 2010-11 South statistics (26-2, state champions)
....................G....3PFG..PCT......AFG..PCT.......FT..PCT...R....A....S...TP..AVG
Dee Davis........28...62-152 .407...216-412 .524..104-141 .737...99.159..67..606..21.6
Spencer Turner..28...77-199 .386...135-301 .448..104-123 .845.138...66..20..451..16.1
Joey Forney......28...13-39. 333.....88-184 .478....73-120 .608.122..46...21..263...9.3
Ben Stowell.......28...29-79 .367.....88-199 .442.....34-49 .693..56...66..30..239...8.5
Desmond Marks..28.....5-19 .263.....78-157 .496....58-79 .734..176..27..17..221...7.8
Michael Bower....28.....1-8 .125.......23-45 .511....12-22 .545...84...32..33...59...2.1
Dustin Utley.......21....1-3 .333.........9-14 .642......5-8 .625.....9....2...2...24...1.1
Trae Washington.28...1-15 .066.........6-29 .206....10-19 .526...16...32...8...23...0.8
Gabe Hull..........19....0-0 .000.........6-10 .600......1-2 .500...12....0...1....13...0.6
Kyle Dugan........21....1-6 .166.........5-17 .294......1-2 .500.....3....4...0....12...0.5
Alex Forney.......28....0-0 .000..........4-9 .444.......1-4 .250....30...5...2.....9...0.3
Joe Byrd............7....0-2 .000.........3-11 .272......2-2 1.000....5....2...6.....8...1.1
Aaron Binford.....17....1-6 .166.........2-10 .200......0-3 .000.....5....0...1.....5...0.2
Totals..........191-528 .361 657-1394 .471 408-571 .714 758 438 210 1933 69.0
Opponents.....139-403 .344 567-1321 .429 287-447 .642 665 285 121 1558 55.6