The Independent-News, Volume 102, Number 34, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 27 January 1977 — Page 4

JANUARY 27. 1977 - THE INDEPENDENT NEWS

Shamrocks Gain 3rd Win Over CM A In Tourney Aflcr sonic gcxxi. some bad and some ven loose basketball for about 31 minutes, the North Liberts Shamnxks and Culver Military Academs Fugles put on an action and thrill packed final minute to climax a 69.66 North I iberty victory in the first Thursday night game at the Bi t ountv tourney. The Shamnxks took a 63 62 lead into that final minute, sau the lead change hands four times before they came out with their third win in 11 games this scar The loss was Culver's seventh in nine starts. I he game was nip and tuck most of the time with each team having their little streaks. The loose play and dominance of whistles did take a lot awav from the contest in certain streaks, but the two pretty esenh mats hed clubs had a real old fashioned thriller when it was all said and done The Shamrocks drew first bkxxl getting a 4-0 lead on baskets bv Bruce Griffey and lim Davis before Courtney Blanchard popped a medium range baseline shot for CM A. Two Scott Griffey free throws made it b-2 before Culver ran off seven straight points, three free throws bv Bud Thews and baskets by Blanchard and Pat Peters The Shamrocks answered this with four baskets over a minute period to storm back in front Bob Downs hit the first two. 13 IS footers, while Bruce Gnffey and Dave Reed got layins. After a Jim Guide basket for Cui ver. Reed got a three-point play and Guide and Matt Weiss traded baskets to make it 19-13 North Libertv after one. Culver came striking back with free throws. Blanchard opened the second stan/a with one of two and Guide and Thews added two apiece to trim the lead to one. A 16 footer by Downs broke the streak but John Mosley popped two more single pointers to tighten it up again. Bruce Griffey matched the two single points and Blanchard pulled the Cadets within one again, this time sinking a baseline shot from medium range. Reed then hit two charity shots. Downs a 12 foot line drive and Bruce Gnffey a three-

Shamrock Scott Gnffey i* being rushed by two CMA player* in rebounding of a shot during the N<»rth Libert y-< MA game of the BiCounty Tourney on Thursday evening Also rebounding were Mike

point play from 13 foot to jump the lead to 30-22 with half the quarter left. Culver really took charge from here on until the main intermission Mosley hit a lay-in driving the baseline. Blanchard got two free throws and after Reed hit a short lane shot. Mosley and Peters hit one of two attempts each. Bruce Gnffey got the Shamrocks final basket of the half with a short side turn around shot, but the final 34 seconds found Dard Hutchinson hitting two free throws and Peters a lay-in and he drew a foul with :02 left. The missed free throw was rebounded up and in by Hutchinson to knot it at 34 at halftime. Downs and Davis sandwiched baskets around one by Mosley to start the second half but the Cadets then came back with successive field goals by Peters. Mosley and Blanchard to jump ahead by four. A string of five points by Davis was followed by two free pitches by Reed to make it 45-42 Shamrocks before Mike Ross hit a lay-in. Rich Scheimann two free throws and then Matt Weiss a basket to end the third period with the North Liberty crew holding a 47-46 advantage. Four points was the largest spread in the last period as the two teams really went at each other, both seeking their third win of what has to be disappointing seasons to date. CM A drew first blood. Blanchard and Thews hitting back-to-back medium range shots. This was matched by Downs and Matt Weiss to change the lead again, but Dan Burke hit his only basket of the game for Culver to flip-flop it again. Mike Weiss popped a baseline shot but Blanchard changed the lead again with a 14 footer before Reed hit one of two charityshots to knot the score at 54. Mosely put the Cadets back in front with two baskets, the second a solo lay-in after a steal. However. Davis hit three of four free throws and after Guide put a short lane shot in. Davis bulled under for a lay-in but added his fourth foul on a charge. Just four seconds later, he pulled a rebound down from the missed free shot and spinning, delivered a blow to Guide for his fifth foul. After the miss. Downs was fouled and put in his two attempts to put the Shamrocks up by one again. Blanchard matched this just five seconds later with two one pointers and with 1:35 to play in the

photo by Michael Peansh Ross and Bud Thews of CMA The Shamrock* won by a score of W bb over the Eagle* to advance them to Fnday night action against John Glenn

game. Matt Weiss shoved coach Jim Herter’s crew in front 63-62 with two more charity tosses. This set the stage for the wild and wooly climax which found the lead go to CM A on a lay-in after a steal bv Mosley with :58 showing on the clock. However. Downs lined in another from the right side and it was North Liberty’s advantage again. Blanchard came right down floor and was perfect from nine foot to push the Maroon-clad Cadets to their last lead of the night. 66-65 with just 33 seconds left. Bruce Griffey put on the hero's robe with 10 seconds left, grabbing a rebound and putting it back up and in from eight foot. A time-out by the Cadets, set their final plav but they came right down court and Guide was called for traveling as he drove down the lane to ice it up with three seconds left. Downs was fouled with :0l showing and simply put the icing on the cake with his two perfect free throws. The Shamrocks had four players in double figures, all playing very well to spearhead the attack. Downs had 18 and was the key ball-handler. Davis had 14 and again was the power under the basket in addition to finding a lot of floor time, often in the midst of a scramble. Bruce Griffev hit 13 points and played well wherever he was needed, both under and on the floor. Reed totaled 12 points and likewise was good both inside and out. Blanchard led ail the scorers getting one more point than Downs as he hit 19 for the Cadets. Reserve Mosley added 15 points and looked good for the CMA team. Box Score North Liberty fg ft fla p B Gnffey 5 3 3 2 S. Griffey 0 2 6 5 Davis 5 4 Downs 7 4 4 2 Reed 3 6 7 4 Matt Weiss 3 2 2 4 Mike Weiss 10 0 2 G. Weiss 0 0 0 3 Herter 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 24 21 29 27 Colver Military Academy Peters 3 13 5 Ross 10 0 0 Thews 15 8 1 Guide 3 2 2 2 Blanchard 7 5 5 4 Mosley 6 3 6 3 Burkhart 0 0 2 5 Hutchinson 12 2 0 Burke 10 13 Scheimann 0 2 2 0 TOTALS 23 20 31 23 Score By Quarters Culver Military 13 34 47 66 North Liberty 19 34 48 69 Falcons Ride Free Throws To Topple LaVille The John Glenn Falcons took advantage of some friendly whistles and executed very well from the free throw line to top the LaVille Lancers in their opening round game of the Bi-County Tourney. The Falcons, meeting the much revised Lancers over previous years, were falling victim early to the disciplined attack that was getting the Lancers some real fine shots, but used the foul column to great advantage to grab and hold on to the lead. Not only did the free throws pile up in Glenn's favor. 24-9. but the fact that three of the LaVille player* were saddled with three fouls in the first half and all had some bench time in. helped the Falcons on both ends of the floor. The final tally of 62-55 had Glenn converting only 19 baskets but a very fine 24 of 32 free throw* while the Lancer hit 23 time* from the floor but only nine of 14 chanty attempts. The win was Glenn’s eighth against five losses while the Lancer* slipped to a 5-6 mark with the loss. The Lancers started in a similar

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Jim Nunley lets a short shot fly in action against the LaVille Lancers in the first round of the Bi-County tourney as three Lancers arc unable to stop the attempt. The fashion to the two most recent teams to beat Glenn. Tippecanoe Valley and Triton, as they hit the first three baskets of the game and had two more opportunities to up this lead that were unsuccessful. Getting and hitting the medium range wide open shots were Jeff Kowatch. Pat Cox and Mike Hosinski before Barry Heim finally picked up a easy lay-in for Glenn’s first two points with 2:25 gone. A basket again by Hosinski was followed by a lay-in by the husky Ron Haney and Jerry Johnson then put in the first of the string of Falcon free throws, hitting both ends of a two shot opportunity. Kowatch bagged a 10 footer, but Haney hit again on a lay-in and Heim then converted four straight free shots as the Falcons were in the one-and-one already despite the fact no rough or hard play had been witnessed to this point. Hosinski hit his third basket of the quarter, but again the muscle of the big Falcon front line accounted for itself as Haney hit his third lay-in of the game. Jeff Yates. LaVille'* husky 6'5" center, hit a rebound shot to tie it and after Heim pegged in a real long side shot. Yates tallied a short turn around side shot to knot it again. Heim hit his fifth and sixth free throws of the initial period, but Cox answered with a 16 footer and Yates took a fine feed from Kowatch for an easy lay-in with :04 showing to give the Lancers a 20-18 first quarter lead. The second quarter found the slowest period of the entire game. Jim Nunley, just off the bench to start the period, opened fast taking the ball right down for a lay-in after just seven seconds passed. Their wasn't another basket for either team for over three minutes but Len Jaske did hit two free shots and Will Shepherd one of two for LaVille before Heim drilled a 16 footer. Haney followed more than a minute later with a short turnaround shot and with just 2:52 left in the half. Yates broke the long Lancer drought with an eight foot lane shot. However, in this last three minutes, the free throw maintained the Falcons lead, Jaske hitting four of four and Haney and Johnson one of two each to reach 32 points. Meanwhile Shepherd and Steve Feitz hit baskets and Cox one of two free shots to make it 32-28 at halftime The first half had the Falcons hitting only eight baskets, but 16 of 18 charity tosses while the host

photo by Michael Pearish Falcons won 62-55 to advance to second round play of the tourney, which they eventually won drop ping North Liberty and New Prairie in the next two games. Lancers had shot very well early and ended up with 13 baskets but only two charity shots as most of their fouls were coming under the basket where they were outsized and trying to shut off the driving lane* of the Falcon guards, who drew at least five fouls in this fashion. The third quarter was a slow scoring one also, but not as loose as the previous stanza due to the change in defense for Glenn and LaVille's disciplined offense. LaVille twice cut the lead to two and once they were within one until a tip-in by Johnson with :53 showing ended the period with Glenn holding a slim 41-38 lead. Only 19 points were scored between the two teams, LaVille ahead 10-9 in this eight-minute period. The Falcons opened up their biggest lead of the night in the first half of the last stanza. Johnson started with two more one-pointers and Haney found the hoop from eight foot. After one of two free shots by Kowatch. Haney got a three-point play on a lay-in and then another lay-in on which he was guilty of charging. However, he had achieved an 11 point lead before Yates put in both the free throws. Heim hit one of two single point*, but LaVille, proving thev weren't dead yet, came back with four fast points, two foul shots by Tim Smith and a basket by Yates to cut the lead to six, 51-45. Johnson hit a single point and the lead slipped to four as Kowatch swished a 16 footer. However. Johnson again went to the line for two more single points and Heim hit Glenn’s last and only sixth basket of the night that wasn't from right under, this being a 14 footer from the side with 3:24 to play, raising the lead once again to nine, 56-47. LaVille did come back with four straight points, but in the closing minutes Heim got three easy lay-ins against the over playing defense to wrap it up and make the final score 62-55. Heim paced all scorers with 23 points and was the only person to score for Glenn from more than eight foot. He had eight baskets and seven free shots while Haney put in eight more of the Falcons baskets and added two charity tosses. Johnson reached double figures, one basket and eight free throws. Add to this Scott Doll’s lone lay-in and Nunely's to start the second quarter and it was all the Falcon field goals. Yates was the one Lancer to reach double figures