Indianapolis Howe and Irvington Prep met in the 2018-2019 opener for near eastside bragging rights. Howe held off a late surge by Irvington to win, 78-71.

Jalen Stamps and Creshaun Brown set the tone for Howe with their defense. Stamps and Brown are transfers from Warren Central, and they brought that defense with them. The duo pushed Howe to a huge first quarter lead as the Hornets were sharing the ball and hitting outside shots. It was 26-6 late in the opening period.

Brandon Brock started bringing Irvington Prep back in the second quarter by getting to the free throw line. Howe’s aggressive defense led to quick foul trouble, and the Hornets never adjusted to the tight officiating. Brock scored 15 points in the first half to get Irvington Prep back into it.

After being down 22 points in the second quarter, Irvington was able to pull within 43-34 early in the third period. Senior guard Tewon Kelly asserted himself in the third. He scored nine points in the stanza to give Irvington a chance heading to the final quarter.

Early in the fourth period, the roof collapsed on Howe’s foul trouble. Darryl Boone fouled out late in the third quarter then Kycia Washington picked up back to back fouls to get disqualified early in the fourth. It got worse moments later as Creshaun Brown fouled out as well. Losing those three put Howe in a difficult position especially in terms of ball-handling. The turnovers by Howe led to Irvington cutting the deficit to four points with 3:30 left in the fourth.

The Irvington comeback was slowed when Tewon Kelly fouled out. He had a great game with 25 points and eight rebounds. In a game that saw Irvington miss a lot of free throws, Kelly was 12-12 from the line. The rest of his team was 12-29.

Irvington was able to get within two points with 2:37 left, but Tony Truth answered with a driving layup. It was a one-possession game a few times late, but Jalen Stamps made plays and free throws to push Howe over the finish line for the 78-71 victory. Stamps finished with 23 points on 4-5 shooting from three and 9-9 from the free throw line.

Tewon Kelly had a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Brandon Brock added 18 for Irvington.

Kycia Washington and Tony Truth each had 14 points in the Howe win.