By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
ZIONSVILLE – Unheralded host Zionsville shot 64 percent in the second half to pull away from a tight four-point contest at halftime Jan. 9 as the Class 4A Eagles rolled to an 83-52 Hoosier Crossroads Conference victory over suddenly underwhelming Lafayette Jefferson.
Zionsville 6’5” junior post player Chris Welker hit 10 of 16 shots and scored a game-high 24 points for the Eagles, who turned in a remarkably balanced offensive performance that featured four players in double digits. Welker added a game-high 15 rebounds and had totaled a double-double by halftime.
If I could ever figure out the technical difficulties that have lampooned my computer since late Friday night, I’d be dangerous!! Till then, click on the Videos link above to the right for game highlights and an interview with third-year Zionsville coach Shaun Busick!
Junior swingman Jack Isenbarger added 14 points and nine boards for Zionsville (9-1 overall, 3-1 in HCC play), which also got a dozen markers from sophomore wingman Demetrius Lawson and 11 from 6’6” senior post David Smith. Smith hit all five of his shots for the Eagles, who tore it up with 16-of-25 shooting in the second half to move out from a 36-32 halftime advantage.
Lafayette Jeff (7-6, 1-2), the defending 9-0 conference champion that was ranked fifth in 4A to start the season, settled time and again for the long ball. That anxious trait backfired badly as the Bronchos went just 4 of 21 from 3-point range, including a woeful 0-for-10 effort after the half.
It didn’t help matters for fourth-year coach Scot Bunnell’s troops that Zionsville demolished them on the boards, owning a 53-23 rebounding edge.
“I don’t know that we’re doing anything real well right now,” said Bunnell, whose team has dropped six of eight contests after starting the season 5-0. “We’re not getting good shots and let them shoot 56 percent (28 of 50), so we’re not playing good defense, either.
“Ultimately, that’s my responsibility.”
The game was close for awhile after a first quarter that saw each team go on lopsided runs en route to a 24-17 Eagles’ advantage after eight minutes. Zionsville opened up the game on a 7-0 spurt before Jeff scored on five straight possessions to go up 12-9.
Zionsville answered with a foreshadowy 15-0 run that included two layins and two three-point plays in moving back in front 24-9. But the Bronchos bucked back with the period’s final five points to get within a touchdown heading to two.
Seven points in 97 seconds gave Zionsville a 31-19 lead, and things looked bleaker for the Bronchos at 33-25 when high-scoring Jeff junior guard Jesse Berry picked up his third foul 3:31 ahead of the half. (The 6’1” Berry came in averaging 28.3 points per game yet was held to just 12 on this night.) But senior guard Brandon Williams’ three at the buzzer pulled Jeff within four heading to the locker rooms.
Again, Zionsville got off early with a 7-0 run to go up by 11, but the Bronchos stayed within striking distance on junior guard Roddy Richardson’s layin with 2:04 to go in the third. But consecutive buckets on six straight possessions to start the fourth quarter – punctuated by a three-point play from Welker – resulted in a 71-48 lead that put this away.
Richardson (4-of-4 shooting from two-point range but just 1 of 6 from downtown) joined Berry (3 of 7 close, 1 of 5 long) in double figures with 12 points, while Williams and 6’5”, 265-pound senior center Shane Wyatt – an afterthought in this distance-focused offense – had 10 apiece.
The Eagles, just 4-5 in HCC play and 8-13 overall a year ago, now stand 2-0 in tussles against Tippecanoe County schools. Zionsville captured its own holiday tournament Dec. 27 with a victory over then-1A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic, 63-61.
Next up for the young Eagles (Busick starts just one senior along with three juniors and a sophomore) is a Saturday night date with visiting 2A No. 10 Guerin Catholic (8-2). Jeff, meanwhile, will have a week to practice a more-balanced offense before hitting the road again Jan. 16 to face 5-5 Fishers.
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