Trojans make do
With leading scorers out, Chesterton hustles to get win against Crown Point
It’s the seemingly little plays that matter the most in big games.
Chesterton’s 46-38 Duneland Athletic Conference victory against visiting Crown Point on Friday was played at tournament-level intensity.
For the Trojans, there was an extra sense of desperation.
They were playing without their leading scorer Travis Grayson — who was out sick, according to Chesterton coach Marc Urban — and their secondleading scorer, Sean Elliott, who was out with a foot injury.
The play of the game, which won’t show up in the box score, was when Chris Mullen, a 6foot-6 junior forward who also is the Chesterton football team’s quarterback, dove for a loose ball and tipped it back to Owen Guest with a little over a minute left. Guest hit a 3-pointer that gave the Trojans a 41-37 lead.
Most of the hustle plays were in Chesterton’s column. The Trojans (12-1, 3-0) needed them against Crown Point (6-1, 1-1), which is No. 8 in Class 4A in the poll from The Associated Press.
Urban is glad to have Mullen, who finished with six points and 11 rebounds.
“He has an insane motor,” Urban said. “I love having him on my team. He’s a stud.”
It looked like it was going to be a long night for Chesterton when
Crown Point jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first quarter.
The Trojans settled down after Urban called a timeout to give a spirited pep talk.
Ultimately, Chesterton adjusted to playing without Grayson, a 5-9 guard who usually runs the offense.
What worked for the Trojans was the 3-point shooting. They made 10 3-pointers and just two other field goals.
And if Chesterton missed a 3-point shot, someone usually was there to grab it. The Trojans outrebounded Crown Point 2817 overall and 12-2 on the offensive boards.
Chesterton’s Charlie Eaton, the 2020 Post-Tribune Boys Soccer Player of the Year, said it was just a matter of getting comfortable without Grayson. Eaton and Guest each scored 13 points for the Trojans.
“I thought once we got our feet under us in the second quarter, we hit the ground running,” Eaton said. “We started knocking in shots. We didn’t play well defensively in the first quarter, but we fixed that up, and then we got really good shots.”
The Trojans held Crown Point to 4-of-14 shooting from 3-point range. Ty Smith led the Bulldogs with 13 points.
Chesterton had a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, and Crown Point cut it to a point before Mullen had the crucial tip.
Crown Point coach Clint Swan said Chesterton did a good job running players at his shooters.
He said the lack of rebounding was the difference.
“The difference was on the boards,” he said. “They just killed us there.”