Friday night’s contest between the Mississinewa Indians and the Eastbrook Panthers was everything one would expect in a matchup between two longtime rivals.
Records are thrown out the window. In games like this, it’s all about county pride, and when these two teams get together, it’s always a battle.
“I tried to warn our kids,” Mississinewa Head Coach James Reed said. “Coach Allison is doing a great job of [coaching] these guys. They are great athletes. He doesn’t have young kids who are struggling fundamentally with basketball – he’s got great athletes that know how to win. They’ve lost a lot of close games. Their record does not show how good they really are.”
After a tightly contested first half, a 12-0 scoring surge by Mississinewa between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth quarters proved to Eastbrook’s undoing, as the Indians came away with a 58-47 triumph.
“I really think in the midst of that run, we got good shots – they just didn’t fall,” Eastbrook Head Coach Greg Allison said. “The kids competed, [but] sometimes that’s basketball. I feel like a little bit of a broken record, but shots didn’t fall, they went on a run on us, and that was the difference in the ball game.”
Neither team led by more than four points in the first quarter, as the Panthers took a 14-13 lead after the first eight minutes. Heisman Skeens knocked down two big triples in the quarter for the Indians, while Dylan Bragg countered with two of his own for the Panthers.
Eastbrook went up by four on a three from Garrett Holder, but the second quarter, much like the first, was close throughout. The stanza featured five ties, and the game was all knotted up at 26-26 before Skeens had a putback at the halftime buzzer to give the Indians a two-point advantage at the break.
Eastbrook’s offense was efficient in the second stanza, shooting five-for-seven, while the Indians never seemed to find any kind of rhythm in either of the first two quarters.
“I thought our guys came out and hesitated and didn’t go full out,” Reed said. “We talked about it, but I felt like they played not to lose instead of playing to win. We let Eastbrook have a chance and I give them all the credit. They worked their butts off [and] they played harder than us in the first half.”
After the Indians scored the first four points of the second half, a field goal from Holder and five straight points from center Alex Baker, including a three-point play, cut the Mississinewa lead to 34-33.
But the Indians’ offense finally got into a groove, outscoring the Panthers 12-0 between the third and fourth stanzas to take a 13-point lead they would not relinquish.
“Finally, in the second half, I think we got into some rhythm, and finally started playing with each other [and] being smart,” Reed said. “Not just playing, but actually finding the things that we work on every day. When we do that, we are a tough team.”
The Panthers, as they have done in every game this season, continued to play hard throughout the final frame, but they would not get any closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Tai McClung was the big key to the Indians’ turnaround in the second half. After not scoring in the first two quarters, McClung was the focal point of the offense in the final 16 minutes, establishing his presence underneath the basket and scoring a plethora of easy buckets.
“Tai really is an amazing player,” Reed said. “Tonight, you saw what focused Tai can do. If we have this Tai for the next three years, you’re looking at an Indiana All-Star.”
McClung led the Indians with 19 points, while Skeens finished with eight, Landen Swanner collected seven, and Larry Dean added six.
While McClung did most of the scoring, Reed credited Skeens, Dean, and Cade Campbell for keeping the Indians in the game during the first half.
“I think we have three guys that really give us everything that they have every night,” Reed said. “It doesn’t matter if we are playing No. 1 Delta or a weaker team somewhere else. Larry Dean, Heisman Skeens, and Cade Campbell bring it absolutely every single night. And that’s huge.”
Holder led the Panthers with 17 points while also coming away with five rebounds, and did an excellent job of hitting his shots all evening long.
“Garrett is steady with us,” Allison said. “He’s a very good shooter of the basketball…and he is steady for us every night.”
With Bryce Schamber missing his fifth straight game working through the concussion protocol, Baker has stepped up in his place. Though he did struggle with foul trouble, Baker was effective while on the floor, scoring 11 points and playing tough in the paint.
“He’s played really well for us for probably our last four or five ball games,” Allison said. “He’s really turned it on in Schamber’s absence. You can’t replace Bryce, but he has done a nice job with us.”
Bragg also added 13 for the Panthers, as all of Eastbrook’s top offensive playmakers finished in double figures.
“We’ve talked about that all year long,” Allison said. “That is when we are at our best – when we have balanced scoring. Three guys in double figures, I’m happy with that. Everybody who got into the game tonight contributed in a positive way for our group.”
