Fourth-quarter surges help Mishawaka, Michigan City advance in sectional
MISHAWAKA — Host Mishawaka and Michigan City used big fourth quarters Tuesday night at The Cave to advance to Friday’s semifinals in the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A-Sectional tournament.
Coach Bodie Bender’s Cavemen, one of three teams to share the regular-season championship in the competitive Northern Lakes Conference, made 14 of 18 free throws in the final eight minutes to eliminate upset-minded LaPorte, 5044, in Tuesday’s opening game.
Brady Fisher, the 6-foor-4 senior forward, overcame a scoreless first quarter to register team highs of 16 points and seven rebounds for the 17-7 Cavemen, who will meet 9-14 South Bend Adams for the second time in 17 days in the 6 p.m. opening game of Friday’s semifinals.
In Tuesday’s second game, Michigan City overcame a six-point deficit with a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter against turnover-plagued Plymouth on its way to a 71-60 triumph in Tuesday’s second game. Senior Allen Briggs, a 6foot-2 guard, followed up a 12-point third quarter with a 10-point final quarter on his way to a game-high 30 points to lead coach Tom Wells’ 12-11 Wolves, who will take on No. 11 South Bend Riley (20-4) in Friday’s second game at 7:30 p.m.
The two semifinal winners return Saturday night at 7 p.m. to play for the title.
Mishawaka 50, LaPorte 44
The Cavemen connected on 22 of 32 free throws in the game against coach Jordan Heckard’s Slicers, who were whistled for 23 personal fouls, including the first nine of the third and fourth quarters. Mishawaka hit 19 free throws in the second half, and eight of those (on eight attempts) were made by junior point guard Jackson Snyder, who finished with 11 points, two more than senior forward Cooper Pritchett.
“We try to be stingy on the defensive end, which I thought we were for the most part,” Bender said. “There were a few times when they threw in some 3s and made them. But for the most part tonight, we made it tough on them offensively. Early in the game I didn’t think we shot free throws particularly well, but we were better down the stretch. It was nice to see Jackson go 8-for-8 and finish in double figures.”
Mishawaka led 7-6 after the first quarter and pulled away in the second quarter as Fisher scored seven points to help his teammates to a 21-13 halftime lead. Bender knows Fisher, Mishawaka’s bruising quarterback in the fall, brings that mentality with him to the basketball court.
“Brady enjoys the physicality,” Bender said. “You can’t pull him back – that’s who he is.”
Indeed Fisher is. “It definitely was a physical game,” Fisher said, “but it was a fun game to win.”
After LaPorte freshman guard Griffin Ott-Large scored a driving bucket with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter to cut the Mishawaka lead to 25-21, Fisher made a free throw to start a 5-0 run. The Cavemen’s final two baskets by Trey Thomas and Jack Troyer coming in the final six seconds for a 30-21 lead heading into the final quarter. Mishawaka’s biggest lead was 15 points — 37-22 — with 4:04 remaining, but the Slicers were raining treys, hitting six in the final quarter, four by senior Malik Corley, who finished with a game-high 18 points. Ott-Large was next with 10 for coach Jordan Heckard’s Slicers, who finished the season 10-14.
Back on Feb. 13, Mishawaka escaped from Hadaway’s Shack in South Bend with a 52-50 victory over the Adams Eagles. “I’m looking forward to it,” Fisher said.
Michigan City 71, Plymouth 60
In addition to Briggs’ 30-point (on 14of-23 shooting) and eight-rebound effort, the Wolves had three other players in double figures — sophomore Isaiah Smoot had 13 points, junior Anthony Murphy added 12 and junior Adrian Holley 10.
The Pilgrims, who led 16-11 after the first quarter, used a 13-5 run to end the first half and grabbed a 37-29 halftime lead on Parker Wolfe’s step-back 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
Wells then delivered a halftime message to his Wolves, and they responded with a 42-point second half, including a 22-7 run in the final quarter.
“At halftime, I told them we needed to play through our defense better,” Wells said. “They had their way off the bounce pass with us in the first half. At one point, they were 13-of-14 from the field. That’s not a very proud defensive coach (Wells smiled). Our defensive intensity was so much better in the second half.”
Message received. “Coach told us we needed to work harder and we did,” said Briggs, who finished off his 12-point third quarter with a three-point play that cut the Plymouth lead to a single point, 50-49 with 10.6 seconds remaining. Then Wolfe hit another 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Pilgrims into the fourth quarter up 5349.
Michigan City’s defensive pressure then caused six turnovers and the offense converted them into a 11-0 run in the first 2:33 of the fourth quarter to erase the deficit and give the Wolves a 60-53 lead. The run reached 15-0 before Plymouth senior Coby Walters hit a 3-pointer with 4:25 remaining on his way to scoring a team-high 23 points. Junior Kadyn Ellery finished with 15 points and Wolfe added 12 on four 3-pointers.
Plymouth did shoot 61 percent from the field (25 of 41) but Michigan City finished at 52.6 percent (30 of 57) while forcing 16 turnovers.
“We played three quarters of masterful basketball about as good as we could play,” Plymouth coach Joel Grindle said. “Then they got rolling, a lot of it from their press which was the difference in the game.”