Bosse Winter Classic Recap

The sixth annual Bosse Winter Classic was held in Evansville Saturday. It featured the top Evansville teams plus many other talented teams.

Evansville Reitz vs. Terre Haute North

Reitz used the outside shooting of Jonathan Springer to build an early lead then coasted to a win over TH North, 80-55. Springer hit five three-pointers in the first half. Yale-bound (football) Isaiah Dunham was consistent all game for Reitz. He scored in the lane and made a couple of nice passes on his way to 15 points. Freshman Khristian Lander was solid throughout as he finished with 16 points. Fellow freshman Drew Carlton added 13 points. Tate Cooper, JoVan Morris and Richard Suggs led TH North.

Evansville Mater Dei vs. Henderson County

In a back and forth game, Henderson County (Ky.) beat Mater Dei, 64-59. It was a close game from start to finish. Isaac Anglin, a senior wing for Henderson County, stole the show with 30 points and 12 rebounds. He was all over the floor as he attacked the basket and rebounded at a high level. 2019 center Logan Carter had some really good moments. When he got the ball in deep position, Carter scored with ease. He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Henderson County had too much firepower, though. Dada Simpson and freshman Kale Gaither complemented Anglin all game. Gaither is a poised guard that likes to distribute more than score at this point.

Evansville North vs. Louisville Doss

2020 guard Kolten Sanford was hitting early as North jumped out to a lead. His scoring came in bunches on his way to 30 points.  Cameron Seaton added 11 points. It wasn’t enough for North as they fell to Doss, 63-58.

Evansville Harrison vs. Dayton Ponitz

The duo of Robin Duncan and Rilee Epley powered Harrison’s win over Ponitz. The pair was consistent from start to finish as Harrison gradually put the game out of reach by the second half. I had Rilee Epley with 22 points to lead all scorers. Robin Duncan tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, by my count. Jason Williams added 14 around the basket. Damonte Bailey led Ponitz with 17 points. Harrison won 76-57.

Jeffersonville vs. Evansville Memorial

In an anticipated game, Jeffersonville pulled away late behind the efforts of Jaden Coleman. The senior wing was huge in the second half. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three steals. Jacob Jones gave Jeffersonville a lift with his shooting early in the game. The sophomore guard finished with 17 points on 7-8 shooting. Jones also had six assists. Bailey Falkenstein was steady throughout with 18 points. Tre Coleman added 10 points and five assists. Sam DeVault helped keep Memorial close, especially in the first half. The 2019 forward finished with 17 points on 8-10 shooting. Dylan Penn and Branson Combs added 13 points in the loss.

Jeffersonville won 75-63.

Fort Wayne North Side vs. Villa Angela-St. Joe

This game featured the most size, length and athleticism of any of the Bosse Winter Classic games.  It took a late block by Brandan Johnson and a controversial foul call with 0.7 seconds left to push North Side over VASJ. With the game tied, VASJ worked for the last shot. Johnson blocked the shot from the mid-lane, grabbed the ball then was bumped as time was about to expire. That led Johnson to the free throw line for two shots. He made the first and missed the second to force VASJ into a last-second heave that was off the mark.

It was really a fun game from start to finish. Jordan Calhoun exploded at the end of the first quarter. He rattled off the last eight points in the period for VASJ on his way to 23 points on 9-12 shooting. Jerry Higgins was always attacking and looking for his shot. He tallied 27 points, but North Side made him take 25 shots to get that.  Freshman guard Jaden Hameed added 15 points and five assists.

Keion Brooks was coming off a 52-point performance Friday night against Snider. He was consistent on his way to 18 points and nine rebounds. North Side received a major boost from Lucas Kroft in the third quarter. His shooting kept North Side in the game. He finished with 22 points on 6-15 shooting. Austin Boucher distributed well. The senior guard had 13 points and five assists. Brandan Johnson had his best offensive showing of the year with 16 points, seven rebounds plus a couple steals and assists. He was 5-5 from the field and 6-8 from the stripe.

Evansville Bosse vs. Culver Academies

Entering the game, Bosse was ranked #1 in 3A by Indiana Basketball Source while Culver sat at #4. It was a fast-paced game early as Mekhi Lairy picked his spots well. He tallied seven points in the first quarter to give Bosse a slight edge. That trend continued in the second quarter with Lairy pacing Bosse and Trey Galloway and Deontae Craig leading Culver. Galloway had the task of trying to slow Lairy. He made Lairy work for his shots, but Lairy’s burst and handles allowed him to get where he wanted to go. Culver was never able to grab the lead in the second half. Bosse kept them at arm’s length with the help of Jaylin Chinn and D’Angelo Ware on the offensive end and Kiyron Powell’s shot blocking. Chinn finished with 16 points.

Free throw shooting cost Culver. CMA went 14-29 from the line. It would have been a different game if they cashed in a few more from the stripe.

Bosse won 75-64.

Castle vs. Thurgood Marshall (Ohio)

2019 guard Alex Hemenway set the school record with 53 points in this game. I left at halftime when Hemenway had 22 points and Castle was leading by a comfortable margin. In the first half, Hemenway was getting to the lane any time that he wanted. That led to lay-ups and trips to the free throw line. There wasn’t much resistance for him in the process. I regret leaving at halftime to make the trip back to Indianapolis since I missed the record-breaking performance.