By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
FISHERS – Class 4A No. 14 Hamilton Southeastern got a 3-point basket from the right corner by sophomore guard Jacobby Bledsoe to end the third quarter by giving HSE a 40-38 lead, and the host Royals held on Jan. 22 in a 55-49 Hoosier Crossroads Conference victory over Avon.
Bledsoe, a 5’9” sophomore guard, had only five points, but he sparked the Royals (11-2) to a solid start of the final period as HSE moved out to a 45-38 lead. The Royals now stand at 5-1 in HCC play, good enough for a one-game lead over Zionsville (11-4, 4-2), a 66-55 home winner Friday night over Fishers (7-6, 3-3).
Avon (8-5) never recovered from losing the lead on Bledsoe’s last-second trifecta in falling from a second-place tie with Westfield (7-5) to a third-place tie with the Shamrocks in league play at 3-2. (After spotting Westfield a 9-5 lead after one period Friday night, 4A No. 10 visiting Noblesville (9-2, 2-2) roared back with a 26-7 second stanza en route to a 71-37 route.)
Gary Harris, a 6’4” sophomore guard, had 14 points for HSE, while 6’1” senior guard Zach Starr added 12. Six-foot-five junior forward Randy Gregory was a force on the boards with 11 rebounds for the Royals, who on Jan. 29 will host HCC foe McCutcheon (5-6, 1-2), a 46-44 Friday home league winner over Brownsburg (3-11, 0-5).
Kendall Griffin, a 6’5” junior guard, led all scorers with 26 points for Avon, which returns home Jan. 23 to host Mooresville (2-8), a 47-45 Friday overtime loser at home to arch-rival Plainfield (5-8).
In the HCC’s other Jan. 22 game, Lafayette Jefferson (9-5, 3-2), won 71-51 at Harrison (West Lafayette) (6-6, 1-4).
The box score:
Avon 9 13 16 11 – 49
Hamilton SE 8 13 19 15 – 55
Avon: Griffin 26, Burgett 9, Sarver 6, Blackmon 4, J. Miller 4, Mayberry 0, Grant 0, Dickison 0, L. Miller 0. 3-pointers: Griffin 3. Totals: 19 8-9 49
Hamilton Southeastern: Harris 14, Starr 12, Wheeler 8, Gregory 6, Kleinrichert 6, Bledsoe 5, Browne 2, Olson 2, Mrkaljevic 0. 3-pointers: Starr 2, Kleinrichert, Wheeler, Bledsoe. Totals: 18 14-16 55
The HCC standings (thru Jan. 22), courtesy of John Harrell’s website:
HOOSIER CROSSROADS
Conf. All Off. Def. Margin Streak
Hamilton Southeastern 5-1 11-2 59.6 50.8 8.8 Won 6
Zionsville 4-2 11-4 66.5 55.7 10.7 Won 2
Lafayette Jefferson 3-2 9-5 71.5 61.6 9.9 Won 3
Avon 3-2 8-5 59.0 51.9 7.1 Lost 1
Westfield 3-2 7-5 54.8 57.8 -3.0 Lost 2
Noblesville 2-2 9-2 57.8 47.9 9.9 Won 2
Fishers 3-3 7-6 61.5 56.2 5.3 Lost 2
McCutcheon 1-2 5-6 49.3 55.1 -5.8 Won 2
Harrison (West Lafayette) 1-4 6-6 55.7 55.2 0.5 Lost 4
Brownsburg 0-5 3-11 47.4 57.3 -9.9 Lost 3
