Ben Davis survived Lawrence Central, 66-61, Thursday night. Jalen Windham was lights out as he went for 32 points.

Key Stretch

With 45 seconds left, Ben Davis was working the ball to run time off the clock since they were leading by two points. Dawand Jones had his defender leave to trap the ball. Jones cut to the basket and KeSean Tunstill spotted him. The pass was out in front of Jones but the 6-foot-6 junior snagged the ball with his big hand and laid it in. That is a turnover in many situations, but Jones sealed the game with his hands.

Standout Players

Jalen Windham had three points in the first quarter. He had 14 in the second. The junior guard was 5-5 from three-point range in the first half. He didn’t slow down in the second half, either. Windham finished with 32 points on 9-11 shooting. He connected on 7 of 8 triples. Windham added six rebounds as well.

Aaron Henry took the back seat to Windham in the middle quarters. He was critical to Ben Davis building an early lead, though. He set the tone with his rebounding and defense. Ben Davis started the game by going up 11-1. The lead extended to 20 points at one point. Henry was the key late as the Giants had trouble handling the ball all game. He took over the ball-handling responsibilities. Although he had 10-second backcourt violation and 5-second closely guarded violation, Henry helped cut down on the turnovers that Lawrence Central was causing. He finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Dawand Jones was huge, literally and figuratively, all game. Defensive rebounds were a struggle for Ben Davis but Jones was able to grab a majority of them. Lawrence Central had 12 offensive rebounds and it would have been worse without Jones. He finished with 16 rebounds and eight points.

Jaden Terry led LC with 16 points. He was attacking all game long while being a threat from the outside as well. He didn’t mind slashing to the paint and challenging bigger opponents around the rim. He had three steals as well. It was a strong for the senior guard.

Donyell Meredith continues to have a good senior year. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. He didn’t force anything on the offensive end. He took the challenge of defending Aaron Henry as well. I love the way that Meredith is playing this year.

Nijel Pack scored 13 points. It seemed like all of his points came at important times for Lawrence Central. His shooting was smooth as he went 3-8 from three-point range.

Surprises

After Ben Davis built a lead in the first half, it didn’t look like Lawrence Central had much of a chance to get back into the game. Ben Davis wasn’t getting lucky with low percentage shots going down or anything like that. BD was just dominating in all areas of the game. Lawrence Central found a way to turn the game around, though. There was a stretch where Ben Davis had a major problem getting the ball into the half court set. Lawrence Central was pressuring the Ben Davis guards into turnover after turnover. LC was able to get with two points but not tied the game or took the lead.

Next Up

Ben Davis returns to action today (Friday) against Brebeuf. Lawrence Central plays Park Tudor January 3.

Stats

Lawrence Central – Donyell Meredith 15 points (4-10 FG, 1-3 3FG, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 assists, 2 turnovers; Jaden Terry 16 points (5-12 FG, 2-7 3FG, 4-6 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 turnovers; D’Andre Davis 8 points (3-12 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Jacob LaRavia 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals; Nijel Pack 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-8 3FG), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers; Wesley Jordan 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks; Tyler Andrew 2 rebounds

Ben Davis – Kesean Tunstill 3 assists, 3 turnovers; Cameron Maul 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers; Dominic Day 3 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers; Jamari London; Jalen Windham 32 points (9-11 FG, 7-8 3FG, 7-11 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover; Aaron Henry 17 points (6-12 FG, 0-2 3FG, FT), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5 turnovers; Ty Nibbs 2 points, 1 rebound; Jeff Clayton 2 points, 1 rebound; Dawand Jones 8 points (4-9 FG), 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers