(Warren Central head coach D'Andre Davis talked to Chandler Jackson and the Warriors)

 

Valparaiso and Warren Central squared off for the 2021 Phil Cox Memorial Tournament title on Thursday night.

 

Tae Davis asserted himself early for Warren Central. The University of Louisville signee tallied nine points and four rebounds in the opening quarter to get the Warriors off to a strong start. Junior Joe Walker also played well early for WC. He stole a Valpo pass before taking it to the other end for a flush.

 

After a career-high 18 points earlier in the day, freshman Jack Smiley came off the bench ready to score again. He tallied five points in the opening frame. After that, it was a fast-paced game, and the Vikings used a balanced attack to take a 19-17 lead into the second period.

 

Warren Central senior Chandler Jackson only scored two points in the first period but found his groove in the second. He scored six points to help the Warriors keep pace with the Vikings.

 

Senior guard Breece Walls is not known as a scorer, but he looked for his shot more than usual early in the game. As always, he set up his teammates for easy looks. Derrick Brooks was a frequent recipient in the first half. Brooks scored five points thanks to the Walls feeds. Walls recorded five assists in the opening half.

 

Valpo led 29-27 at the half despite Mason Jones picking up his second foul in the second quarter and spent the final minutes of the half on the bench. He scored four first-half points.

 

Davis and Jackson scored four quick points out of the locker room to put Warren Central up, but Blaine Dalton came right back with two straight scores himself. It was that way for most of the second half – one team would take the lead, and the other would answer immediately.

 

After sitting with two fouls late in the first half, Jones picked up an early foul in the third quarter. He picked up his fourth with three minutes left in the third as well, but Valpo coach Barak Coolman elected to keep Jones in the game.

 

Davis capped the third period with a driving bucket to put the Warriors up 39-37. However, as he came down, his leg cramped, and those issues bothered him the rest of the game.

 

Jones started the fourth with a bucket in the paint. He played his best against Carmel in the fourth quarter, and he repeated that against Warren Central. Jones scored seven of his eleven points in the final stanza and also rebounded better.

 

Two minutes into the fourth, Blaine Dalton nailed a three after a kick out from Jones. That gave Valpo a 42-41 lead.

 

A few possessions later, Jackson buried a three-pointer for Warren Central. He took over the game when Davis went to the sidelines with cramps. Jackson scored ten of his game-high 24 points in the fourth. He also made critical defensive plays and rebounded well all game.

 

With 35 seconds left, Walls made a right-wing three to pull Valpo within 53-52. Jackson made two free throws for WC before Valpo could tie with 12 seconds left. However, the attempt was off the mark, and Davis sealed the game at the charity stripe.

 

Warren Central won the 2021 Phil Cox Memorial Tournament, 57-52.

 

Jackson recorded 24 points and eight rebounds. Davis tallied 19 points and ten rebounds despite the cramps. Freshman Jevon Guess had six points.

 

Walls led Valpo with 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Dalton ended with seven points as did Brooks.

 

 

 

In the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament third-place game, host Kokomo faced Brownsburg.

 

Freshman Zion Bellamy scored the first basket for Kokomo, which would be a theme throughout the first half. He exploded for 15 points in the opening 16 minutes as he hit outside shots, floaters, and driving all the way to the basket. It was quite the display.

 

Brownsburg Elhadj Diallo was not going to be outdone by a freshman. The junior flew around the court for Brownsburg early. It seemed like he was scoring or rebounding on every play as he recorded 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

 

The pace was torrid in the opening half with each time hitting shots at a high rate, and the game swung back and forth. There were nine lead changes and seven ties in the first 16 minutes.

 

Sophomore Camren Reich came off the bench to hit two first-half three-pointers, and overall, Brownsburg went four of seven from deep in the half. Kokomo, behind Bellamy’s two for two, went five of nine.

 

Kokomo led 35-34 at the half.

 

After a relatively quiet first half, Flory Bidunga started to assert himself. He nearly ripped the rim off on one of his dunks to start the half. He does an excellent job of catching in traffic and pivoting around defenders.

 

The pace slowed for both teams in the third, but they continued to shoot well. The game was tied going to the fourth.

 

Kanon Catchings only scored seven points in three quarters, but he flipped a switch in the fourth. The lanky guard started to hit shots all over the court – dunks, run-outs, mid-range, three-pointers. His ability to shoot on the move is especially impressive.

 

Although Zion Bellamy had a huge scoring night, Zavion Bellamy also posted a big game for Kokomo. His rebounding and passing were instrumental in the WildKats building a late lead. Zavion made two free throws to put Kokomo up 71-67 with 13.5 left. It seemed like the game was sealed; it was not.

 

Brownsburg’s Drew Thompson created a foul on a three-pointer with 5.5 left. He made the first two before Steve Lynch called a timeout. Then, he had Thompson intentionally miss the free throw. After a pile-up going for the ball, it landed in the hands of Grant Porath. He made the six-footer from the left lane line just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

 

Zion and Bidunga were the leading scorers in fourth for Kokomo, while Catchings scored 15 of Brownsburg’s 23 in the frame. Zion Bellamy ended regulation with 26 points, and Bidunga had 19 points and 18 rebounds. The sophomore dominated the glass all game.

 

Early in overtime, Jace Rayl gave Kokomo the lead with a triple. Later, Porath tied the game again with a corner three.

 

Zion Bellamy pushed Kokomo ahead with a free throw before a crucial play in the game. Catchings pulled up from the right elbow and drew a foul, while Brownsburg trailed by one. After the play, Catchings was whistled for a technical foul.

 

There were only 11.2 seconds left.

 

Catchings split his free throws to tie the game. Zion Bellamy made both of his on the other end.

 

Again, it looked over for Brownsburg. But, it was not as Kokomo committed a five-second violation inbounding the ball.

 

This time, Thompson found himself a good look from the right-wing, but his three-pointer did not go down.

 

Kokomo won third place with the 80-77 overtime victory.

 

Zion Bellamy finished with a career-high 31 points on five of seven from deep and eight of nine from the free-throw line. Bidunga had 19 points and 20 rebounds. He was 9-13 from the field, which almost counts as an off night for Bidunga. Spear added 12 points, while Zavion Bellamy tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

 

Catchings led Brownsburg with 25 points and five rebounds. Diallo had 17 points, ten rebounds, and four assists. Reich scored 11, while Grant Porath added nine.