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Indian Creek avoids upset to Brooke

PASSING AROUND — Indian Creek’s Brennan Norris looks to pass with Brooke’s Logan Williams guarding on Wednesday. Also shown are Brooke’s Alex Lilly and Indian Creek’s Isaih Vandine. (Joe Catullo)

WELLSBURG — It was a tale of two halves for the Indian Creek and Brooke boys basketball teams on Wednesday.

The Bruins built a double-digit advantage at halftime, but the Redskins recorded a big second half, en route to rallying for a 58-46 victory inside the Brooke Wellness Center.

The Bruins led 31-21 at halftime, but Indian Creek outscored Brooke, 37-15, in the second half to deny the hosts of their first win of the season.

“The biggest difference was we tried to go at them and get to the free throw line, and we did not shoot the ball particularly well from the line in the first half,” Indian Creek (8-5) head coach Joe Dunlevy said. “In the second half, we were 11 of 13. What we tried to do was to get to the line. Our guys got to the line, and they were able to make them.”

A big second quarter enabled Brooke to take a 10-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Bruins were unable to sustain the momentum in the second half.

“We couldn’t make a shot,” Brooke (0-14) head coach Mel Coleman said. “We were taking bad shots, and we did not execute. After 14 games, you would think you would make the adjustments. We just missed shots.”

Austin Judson delivered a game-high 23 points — 13 coming in the second half — to lead the way for the Redskins. Also, Brennon Norris netted 11.

Coleman said the Redskins did not do anything unexpected.

“We just did not execute. We could have and should have shot the ball better, but we didn’t do it,” Coleman said. “We did not make shots we could have and should have made. We also did not make our free throws. You have got to make your free throws. Like my grandma told me many years ago, they are free, so you should make them.”

Two players also scored in double digits for Brooke. Logan Williams tallied a team-high 17 points, while Alex Lilly delivered 12.

“I would not expect anything less with Mel Coleman on the other bench,” Dunlevy said. “He is a legend in the Ohio Valley. The things he did at Wintersville in the 1980s, I’m not sure they have been repeated.”

The game was the first one Dunlevy got to coach against Coleman.

“When I got the job at Mingo, Mel helped me out a lot,” Dunlevy said. “He was always good to me when I was younger. He is a great coach. I told our kids that they are going to play hard. He had a great game plan. We were just able to get the W in the second half.”

“I always tried to help people whenever I could,” Coleman said. “They did some things we used to do.”

Brooke led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter. A basket by Judson tied the score at 18 in the second, but the Bruins ended the half on a 13-3 run to take a 10-point lead at halftime.

“In the first half, we executed,” Coleman said. “We did what we were supposed to do. We played defense. Then, we got lazy. You can’t get lazy. You have to play for all 32 minutes. We played the correct way for 16 minutes, and then we got lazy. You have to play with energy the whole game.”

The Redskins doubled up the Bruins, 18-9, in the third quarter, as Brooke took a 40-39 lead into the fourth. Indian Creek took a 39-38 lead on a pair of foul shots by Michael Allan with 25.4 seconds left in the quarter, but a basket by Jimmy Willis gave the Bruins the lead at the end of the quarter.

“Every game you play, you try to get better,” Dunlevy said. “That is what we are trying to do.”

Indian Creek outscored Brooke, 19-6, in the fourth to pull away for the win.

“My kids gutted it out in the second half,” Dunlevy said. “We were able to get to the line, and we stepped up and made our free throws.”

Both teams are scheduled to play Friday night. Indian Creek travels north to take on Buckeye 8 North Division rival East Liverpool at Potter Fieldhouse.

“We play East Liverpool Friday, and then we have nine days off before we play Weir,” Dunlevy said.

Meanwhile, Brooke is scheduled to play rival Weir at home.

“We are going to try and show up,” Coleman said.

GAME NOTES

¯ Brooke won the JV game, 45-27. Alex Isinghood delivered a game-high 11 points to lead Brooke. Michael Kuczykowski collected a team-high eight points to lead Indian Creek.

Indian Creek 58, Brooke 46

Indian Creek 9-12-18-19 — 58

Brooke 12-19-9-6 — 46

INDIAN CREEK (8-5): Kuczykowski 0 0-0 0; Allan 1 2-2 4; Norris 4 3-7 11; Eakle 1 5-6 7; Mamula 3 0-1 6; Judson 3 3-8 23; Vandine 3 1-1 7; Hildebrand 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22, 14-25: 58.

BROOKE (0-14): Brown 1 2-2 5; Williams 6 4-6 17; Rasz 1 2-2 4; Lilly 4 3-4 12; Yost 2 0-0 4; Coursin 0 2-2 2; Willis 1 0-2 2. TOTALS: 15, 13-18: 46.

3-POINT GOALS: Indian Creek none; Brooke 3 (Brown, Williams, Lilly).

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