A pair of undefeated North Central Conference teams faced off Friday night as Logansport headed west on SR 25 to take on the Bronchos of Lafayette Jefferson. Each team was looking to make a statement heading into the Christmas break, and the Berries used a huge 4th quarter from Matt Jennings to prevail.
The first quarter was played at a furious pace as each team looked to push the tempo. Junior point guard Matt Jennings got Logansport off to a hot start by hitting a runner then coming down and burying a three on the following possession. Jeff would respond with David Hanyard and Darian Collins layups, which forced Logansport to switch to their 3-2 zone. The highlight of the game would happen early on as Matt Jennings missed a midrange jumper, but Jalen Adaway would come skying in from the wing to throw the rebound down with both hands.
Each squad would look to continue to try and push the pace in the second, but makes would be hard to come by. Lafayette Jeff turned down multiple good looks to make the extra pass and get wide open shots, but David Hanyard, Cortiz Buckner, and Danny Isbell were unable to knock down looks from the perimeter. Logansport was unable to take advantage, as the Bronchos took a three point lead heading into the locker room.
The game would follow a similar pattern throughout the third quarter, as every Logansport basket was matched by Lafayette Jeff. Role players from each team took turns scoring, as forward Hunter DeHaven finished around the rim for Logansport, but each time 6'4 forward Keaton Schreckengast of Lafayette Jeff would muscle in a basket to keep the Bronchos in front.
That would last until the final minute of the period, when Matt Jennings found space in the lane to lay in his first points since the opening minute. The basket gave Jennings a noticeable shot of confidence, as he got an outlet pass following a Jeff miss and raced coast to coast for a lay in to give Logansport their first lead since the opening minutes.
The Matt Jennings show would continue into the start of the fourth quarter, as the 6' junior would hit a three pointer then follow that up with a runner from the right wing, ending a personal 9-0 run for Jennings and force Scott Radeker to call timeout. From there, it was Jalen Adaway's turn to make an impact. He finished an alley oop from Jennings, found Hunter DeHaven on a nifty feed inside, then went above several Jeff Bronchos to grab rebounds on defensive end.
The star of the fourth however was Jennings, who scored 15 of Logansport's 22 points in the quarter. He repeatedly gashed the defense to get to the rim, and his quick first step often left defenders trailing. Jennings made eight of his final nine shots from the floor. Late threes from David Hanyard and Danny Isbell would not be enough as Logansport stayed undefeated on the season and Lafayette Jeff would drop to 6-1.
.jpg)
A pair of undefeated North Central Conference teams faced off Friday night as Logansport headed west on SR 25 to take on the Bronchos of Lafayette Jefferson. Each team was looking to make a statement heading into the Christmas break, and the Berries used a huge 4th quarter from Matt Jennings to prevail.