(Shamar Avance had a big day. Photo via Alanna_Ampil)

The annual FORUM Tipoff Classic was held at Southport High School with no fans this year. That didn't stop the event from having another great day of games and individual performances. Here is what transpired on Saturday.

In a battle of storied programs, Lawrence North faced Ohio perennial power Moeller. The game featured a center match-up between Indiana signee Logan Duncomb and Butler signee DJ Hughes. To begin the game, Hughes took the action to Duncomb and even hit a rare three-pointer. He had 10 points in the first half. Early on, Shamar Avance played well. His three at the second-quarter buzzer gave LN a 32-25 lead.

Duncomb was solid from the start – he had a big putback dunk in the first half. He was the consistent scorer – 11 points, 7 rebounds at the half. Alex Williams was 0-4 from three in the first half but had seven points.

To open the second half, Moller ran an alley oop for Aidan Noyes, and he slammed it home. Moeller started the half on a 15-2 run. Williams hit a couple of threes and Noyes scored six during that run.

It was Avance that righted the ship for Lawrence North. He scored all eight of Lawrence North’s points in the third quarter. The senior guard didn’t back down from the long and aggressive defense of Moeller. He kept attacking.

The fourth quarter was a grind with both teams struggling to find open looks. It was Hughes and Avance leading the way offensively for the Wildcats.

Lawrence North found itself up two with Avance going to the line with 37 seconds left. He missed the front end of the bonus. Moeller corralled the rebound then patiently worked its offense before Evan Mahaffey found a driving lane and scored with two seconds left.

Lawrence North called a timeout before throwing a baseball pass to Hughes for a three at the buzzer. It was off the mark, and the game went into overtime.

After not scoring in the third or fourth, Duncomb scored in the lane to open the extra frame. On the next Moeller possession, Elijah Jackson scored to give the Crusaders a four-point advantage.

CJ Gunn was quiet for most of the game, but he scored seven straight for Lawrence North to push the Wildcats back in front. Moeller tied the game with a free throw from Williams, but he missed the second.

With time winding down, Lawrence North lost control of the ball for a moment by the left block, but Avance found the handle and was fouled by Duncomb with 1.1 seconds left. Avance made the first free throw before missing the second on purpose.

Moeller was awarded a timeout on the rebound before having clear control of the ball. After a discussion, the officials put 0.7 seconds on the clock. Moeller threw a full-court pass, but Avance batted the ball away to seal the 58-57 victory for Lawrence North.

Avance finished with 23 points. CJ Gunn had 15 points and six rebounds. Hughes tallied 14 points and six rebounds. Alex Williams led Moeller with 19 points. Aidan Noeys scored 14, and Duncomb tallied 13 points and eight rebounds.

Lawrence North is now 3-0.

Blackhawk Christian vs. Silver Creek

Even without Trey Kaufman, Blackhawk Christian and Silver Creek delivered another great game. The two battled down to the wire in 2019 and repeated the performance this season, but it did not look like that would be the case early on. Blackhawk Christian sprinted to an 8-0 lead behind buckets from Zane Burke, Callan Wood, and Marcus Davidson. Burke and Davidson carried the load with 12 first-quarter points.

With Silver Creek in a hole, Kooper Jacobi took his aggressiveness to the next level in the second quarter. He scored 12 in the second period alone to keep Silver Creek in the game. Branden Northern was the other scoring option for Silver Creek. He was slashing to the basket with some success. He had nine in the first half.

Caleb Furst started to look to score more in the second period, and he was dominant on the glass in the first half. He had 11 points and eight rebounds by the break.

Down 11 at the half, Silver Creek kept scratching and clawing. Jacobi and Branden Northern were ultra-aggressive and tough to stop. Blackhawk’s balance continued to wear on Silver Creek, and the Dragons were unable to cut into Blackhawk’s lead in the third.

That changed quickly in the fourth as Silver Creek started the period with an 8-0 run. Threes started to fall for Silver Creek in a hurry. Northern hit a couple and Nolan Gilbert added another. Midway through the fourth, Silver Creek had tied the game.

Coming down the stretch of the fourth, Furst scored then Burke had a bucket of his own to put Blackhawk up four points with 80 seconds left. Jacobi answered immediately with an and-1 then Blackhawk had a costly turnover trying to in-bound the ball from its corner.

Silver Creek had a chance to take the lead with under a minute to play, but Jacobi was only able to split a pair of free throws.

With the game tied, Blackhawk held for the last shot before Burke missed a pull-up jumper from 17 feet. Silver Creek grabbed the rebound and quickly called time out. With only 0.9 seconds left, Silver Creek could only manage a long-distance heave.

In overtime, it looked like the Dragons were going to run out of gas. Burke scored a quick eight points for Blackhawk, and the Braves build a seven-point lead with under a minute to play in the first overtime. Once again, Northern and Jacobi wouldn’t let Silver Creek go quietly. Jacobi made two free throws to pull Silver Creek within two, but there were only 18 seconds left.

On the other end, Burke missed two free throws, and Northern raced to the bucket for another score. Furst tried to attack, but Jacobi stole the ball from him to force another overtime.

Like the first overtime, Blackhawk jumped out to a lead in the second. Jake Boyer came up with a few crucial plays, including a three-point play to open the scoring. This time, there was no Silver Creek come back. Northern fouled out to take the wind out of the Dragons. Blackhawk won a marathon, 94-84.

Zane Burke led Blackhawk with 31 points and eight rebounds. Purdue signee Caleb Furst had a ridiculous line of 23 points, 21 rebounds, and eight assists. Marcus Davidson added 17 points and seven rebounds. Jake Boyer had 15 points and eight rebounds in the win. In the loss, Kooper Jacobi had 33 points and 10 rebounds. Branden Northern finished with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Unofficially, Silver Creek only had three turnovers and two of them were in the second overtime. Blackhawk won the offensive rebounding battle, 19-4.

Southport vs. Gary West Side

Sophomore Anthony Ball had a strong start on both ends – a couple of blocks and paint finishes. His classmate Kenyon Miller scored the last eight points of the first quarter for Southport. The Southport guard was tremendous all game.

Late in the first quarter and to start the second period, West Side junior Jalen Washington found his stroke from the top of the key. The high-major prospect knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Cougars a 19-15 lead. Following his knee injury last year, Washington is still easing his way back into major minutes.

The second half played out much like the first. Ball started quickly for Southport with scores in the lane, but Quimari Peterson and Washington countered for West Side. The pair combined for 19 points in the second half.

Each time West Side started to blow the game open, Miller would drag Southport back in the game. Southport’s AJ Dancler was not available, so Miller took over his scoring and ball-handling responsibilities. Miller tallied 14 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.

In the end, West Side had too much firepower. The Cougars offense clicked in the second half with Washington, Peterson, Parion Roberson, and Chrishawn Christmas finding their rhythm.

West Side won 60-51. Washington led the Cougars with 23 points. Peterson added 15, and Parion Roberson had 10. Miller scored 24 in the loss. Ball tallied 12 points and six rebounds.

Barr-Reeve vs. North Harrison

On Friday, North Harrison beat 3A No. 1 Silver Creek and had a chance to play 1A No. 1 Barr-Reeve on Saturday. Early on, it was truly a match-up of D1 forwards as North Harrison’s LT Hatton and Barr-Reeve’s Curt Hopf did all the scoring. Hopf scored nine of the first 11 for Barr-Reeve. Hatton scored 13 of North Harrison’s first 15.

In the second quarter, Barr-Reeve’s Hagen Knepp stepped up. After not scoring in the first, Knepp scored nine points in the second. Behind Knepp and Hopf, Barr-Reeve led 26-15 at the half.

Hopf picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter, and instead of allowing North Harrison to get back into the game, Barr-Reeve extended its lead. Barr-Reeve was great against North Harrison’s zone in the second half as Brycen Graber penetrated and found open shooters regularly. Unofficially, Graber had nine assists.

Late in the game, Barr-Reeve’s lead continued to swell. Logan Mcintire had a sequence of back to back threes for North Harrison, but Hatton didn’t get much offensive help. He scored 17 of North Harrison’s 38 points in the game.

Barr-Reeve cruised to a 61-38 win. Hopf led all scorers with 20 points. Knepp added 14.

Franklin Central vs. North Central

Entering the game, Leland Walker’s status was unclear after rolling his ankle in North Central’s win over Hamilton Southeastern on Friday night. He played and was tremendous. Walker and Mike Elliott were the North Central offense early on. The duo scored the first ten North Central points.

Franklin Central senior Sam Mettert has been solid all season and started strongly again. The athletic forward scored nine points in the first quarter to keep the Flashes in it.

To begin the second quarter, freshman Lyna Brooks made an impact for Franklin Central. The lanky and athletic guard made a three then picked up another bucket on the next possession. The 2024 guard seems poised to be a big piece of Franklin Central’s rotation sooner rather than later.

After a back and forth second quarter, Elliott and Jalen Clark helped North Central take a five-point lead into the locker room. Clark and Elliott scored nine of North Central’s last 11 points in the half. Throughout the half, North Central dominated the offensive glass. That was the difference.

In the third, Franklin Central guard Benny Ogayonne took over the game. He was able to get to the basket and pull-up in the mid-range. He pushed the Flashes to a two-point lead heading to the fourth quarter by scoring 10 points in the frame.

The Panthers quickly turned the game upside down. Walker went on a tear making a three then living at the rim. He scored nine points in the fourth to get North Central rolling. The Panthers had two big runs in the final period – 11-0 followed by 9-0. Quinton Boyd was a beast inside for North Central.

With the big fourth quarter, North Central won 70-54. Walker led all scorers with 24 points. Boyd added 13, and Mike Elliott had 12. Benny Ogayonne led Franklin Central with 20 points.

North Central is now 3-1. Franklin Central drops to 3-2.