After a nearly month-long pause, undefeated Crown Point was back on the court. The Bulldogs traveled to Merrillville for a Duneland Conference tilt.

 

Sophomore AJ Lux jump-started the Crown Point offense with a kick out three from David Brown. Lux had a strong first period as he connected another triple later in the stanza. The Bulldogs started with a 16-2 as Jake Oostman patrolled the paint. He had four points and rebounds.

 

After struggling in the opening period, Merrillville’s offense found success in the second quarter. For most of the frame, Reece Echarry was probing the Crown Point defense and finding shots for himself or others. Dorian Harris and AJ Dixon also started to see shots go in.

 

In the middle of the second, Merrillville went on a 7-0 run to get back into the game. The Pirates were able to speed up Crown Point and force turnovers. The Bulldogs committed six turnovers in the quarter.

 

Although Crown Point was still bothered by turnovers in the third, the Bulldogs rained threes to offset it. Ty Smith, Drew Adzia, Lux, and Darren Roach made threes in the period. Crown Point’s defense also stepped up as Merrillville scored four points in the final six minutes of the third quarter. Behind the combination of shooting and defense, Crown Point took a 41-29 lead to the final quarter.

 

Early in the fourth, Dorian Harris and Jaeden Williams were aggressive and scoring well, but Crown Point extended its lead thanks to a couple of triples from David Brown. The senior forward scored eight of his ten points in the fourth quarter. On the other end, Harris responded to Brown. His second three of the quarter with four minutes left made it a six-point game.

 

After a couple of empty possessions by each team, it turned into a free throw shooting game. Crown Point went 14-16 from the line down the stretch. It would have taken an incredible shooting performance from Merrillville to overcome that, and the Pirates were unable to pull that off.

 

Crown Point won 67-53. Lux finished four of nine from deep for 18 points. Smith and Adzia had 11 each, and Brown added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Oostman had a big game with eight points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Darren Roach had seven points and four rebounds in ten minutes of play.

 

In a loss, AJ Dixon recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, six steals, and two blocks. Harris had 15 points and five rebounds. Isaiah Akinyele added 11 points. Echarry finished with six points and four rebounds.

 

Crown Point had 21 turnovers and gave up 14 offensive rebounds but still cruised to a victory. The Bulldogs are now 5-0 heading into a game against Griffith on Saturday. Merrillville dropped to 0-2 in the Duneland Conference and 3-7 overall.