The tone of the Ben Davis-Pike game was set early and often…by the officials. There were 30 fouls called in the first half. The officiating didn’t directly favor one team over the other but the depth of Ben Davis was beneficial.

Ben Davis built an early 12-4 lead and really never looked back. Senior Datrion Harper keyed many of the points in the first quarter. Harper was a factor in many phases of the game – defense, scoring, setting up teammates. He was fantastic for Ben Davis from start to finish.

Pike is not a deep team, at least, early in the season. Dorian Porch is will be depended on to score, rebound, and defend. He picked up three fouls before the five-minute mark in the first quarter. That put Pike behind the 8-ball immediately.

2018 wing Aaron Henry asserted himself on the offensive end in the second quarter. His scoring helped Ben Davis widen its lead. He had a couple of really smooth drives and finishes then pulled up from 14-17 feet on the baseline and drilled that. In the second half, Henry displayed a quicker release on his three-point shot.

Pike showed life early in the second half. The Red Devils scored the first four points of the half while Ben Davis struggled to score. The Ben Davis lead was down to 10 points with 4:52 left in the third quarter. Pike never got closer than that the rest of the game thanks to the play of Harper. He scored six points while the Giants went on an 8-0 run to end Pike’s chances.

Trevaughn Bush quietly had a really good game. The senior only played 13 minutes but had 10 points, six rebounds, a couple assists and blocks. He was really good in the second half for Ben Davis.

Darian Porch and Isiah James were pretty good when they were on the court. Unfortunately, they only played about 16 minutes each because of foul trouble. Porch fouled out in only 16 minutes. The offensive rebounding for Pike will be a major key for its success this year. That’s why the Red Devils need Porch and James on the court.

The Ben Davis lead increased throughout the fourth quarter with it ending at 68-41. Aaron Henry filled the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Datrion Harper finished with 18 for the game-high. Henry and Harper were a combined 13-16 from the field.

Ben Davis – Datrion Harper 18 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-4 FT), RJ Turner 9 points (3-6 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, Jalen Newsom 3 points (1-4 FG, 1-3 3FG), Aaron Henry 17 points (6-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, 4 assists, Kyle Finch 2 rebounds, Josh Brewer 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, Jalen Windham 0 points (0-3), Cameron Maul 2 points, Trevaugh Bush 10 points (4-6 FG), 6 rebounds, Zion Conway 2 points

Pike – Justin Williams 2 points (0-9 FG, 0-6 3FG, 2-2 FT), Elijah Pennington 4 points (2-6 FG), Darian Porch 5 points (2-5 FG), 6 rebounds, Brandon Vernon 11 points (4-12 FG, 2-8 3FG, 1-2 FT), 7 rebounds, Isiah James 10 points (4-10 FG, 0-3 3FG, 2-8 FT), 5 rebounds, Ahmoni Jones 0 points, Tyree Pegues 3 rebounds, Michael Jerrell 2 points, 4 rebounds, Ditwan Gary 5 points, 2 rebounds, Caleb Redman