On Tuesday evening, Lawrence North traveled to Tindley for a 4A vs. 1A battle. It also marked Indiana University signee CJ Gunn’s first game of the season as he returned from a foot injury.

 

Legendary Lawrence North coach Jack Keefer brought Gunn off the bench in his return, but the Wildcats started hot nonetheless. MaCoyion Brown, Omar Cooper Jr., and Danny Royster helped Lawrence North build a quick 12-3 lead. Tindley is a contender in 1A, but the Tigers were still looking for their first quality win of the season. However, it did not look like it would come against the Wildcats with the LN start.

 

Gunn made his season debut two and a half minutes into the game. It did not take long for him to impact the game as he missed an 18-footer on his first touch. However, he followed it with a nifty baseline drive and finish. Two possessions later, Brown found Gunn spotting up in the corner for a three-pointer, then he quickly scored again. It was seven points in two minutes for Gunn. His spurt helped LN open a 19-7 lead.

 

A couple of minutes into the second quarter, Brown threw a pass off the backboard to Gunn in transition for an alley-oop dunk. LN led 30-18 after that highlight play, but Tindley started to chip away at the deficit from the free-throw line. That would be a theme throughout the game. Tindley went six of nine from the charity stripe in the second quarter and 10-18 in the first half.

 

Offensive rebounding was also tremendous for Tindley. Aaron Humphrey and Jayden Pinkston helped the Tigers grab ten offensive boards in the first half. Humphrey attacked off the dribble and on the glass from start to finish. His strength and aggressiveness put Lawrence North on its heels. He had nine points and five rebounds in the opening half.

 

After being tied at the half, Lawrence North scored six of the first eight points to take a 40-36 lead. Freshman guard Azavier Robinson scored two times during that stretch for LN. Then, Tindley’s three-point barrage started. First, Arlondo Hall nailed two before Billy Brown knocked down two. Next, Jeff Pinkston hit a corner three before Hall made another. That three-point blitz helped Tindley take a 56-48 lead to the fourth.

 

Things went off the rails in the fourth. It started as the officials called Gunn for a foul, and Cooper argued the foul resulting in a technical foul. Cooper, an Indiana football signee, was called for a technical earlier in the game after a dunk. So, he was disqualified from the contest. It was a six-point Tindley possession with the four free throws and a Jayden Pinkston layup. That extended Tindley’s lead to 64-48.

 

Later, Billy Brown hit a three to give Tindley an 18-point advantage.

 

The CJ Gunn Show began after that. First, he made a three-pointer off a pass from Kobi Bowles. Then, on the next possession, Gunn hit a three following a feed from Robinson. The following time down, Gunn took things into his own hands and made another three.

 

Lawrence North turned up the heat with full-court pressure. With their attention set on steals, Lawrence North allowed Jayden Pinkston to slip behind the defense multiple times for layups and dunks. He scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth.

 

Royster grabbed an offensive rebound with two minutes left before finding Gunn for a three. The senior guard drilled it to cut Tindley’s lead to 78-75. Gunn was 6-11 from three-point range in his season debut.

 

The game's critical moment happened when Humphrey went for a layup while Tindley led 80-77. At first, it looked like Robinson blocked his attempt, and Lawrence North would have a chance to tie the game, but a foul was called on the freshman. There was a tech called after that play. Humphrey made three of four free throws, but Tindley turned the ball over on its possession.

 

Royster quickly scored on the other end to keep LN in it, 83-79.

 

Robinson was again called for a foul, and Keefer and the Lawrence North bench went wild. Keefer received his second technical foul of the game then went to center court to argue, leading to another technical. The resulting six free throws and ball put the game away for Tindley.

 

The Tigers walked away with an 88-79 win.

 

Humphrey led Tindley with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Brown tallied 17, and Hall added 16 points. Jayden Thomas scored all nine of his points in the first half.

 

Gunn finished with 32 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Royster recorded 15 points and six rebounds, while Robinson scored ten points, grabbed six rebounds, and had four assists. Mac Brown tallied nine points and eight assists. Cooper scored nine points before the DQ.

 

The free throw ended with Tindley shooting 40 and Lawrence North attempting two.