(Connor Essegian pictured after the FORUM Tipoff Classic)

 

The NECC Tournament championship saw a pair of unbeaten teams square off as 14-0 Eastside, ranked 6th in the state in 2A, took on 14-0 and top-ranked Central Noble Saturday night. The Cougars used an explosive second half from their Wisconsin-bound guard Connor Essegian to pull away from a game Eastside team, nearly doubling up the Blazers in the second half.

 

Looking for a three-peat of NECC Tournament crowns, Central Noble jumped out to a 9-3 advantage as Connor Essegian nailed baseline jumpers from each side of the floor in the early going. The 6'4 guard would give the near-capacity crowd at West Noble a preview of what was to come, as he also hit a three-pointer in the first period. With the clock winding down and Eastside trying to hold for the final shot of the quarter, a pass slipped through Eastside's hands and into the hands of Essegian, who raced down the floor and threw down a two-handed slam with a few seconds left in the opening period.

 

The size advantage that Central Noble held over Eastside started to show early in the second, as a defensive game plan centered around closing off driving lanes for Eastside star Gabe Trevino forced the Blazers into contested looks. The Cougars would use the defensive stops to jump out to a 22-8 lead a couple of minutes into the second. Unfortunately, that success may have bred some complacency in the top-ranked squad, as the possessions that followed included quick shots that often led to Eastside transition opportunities.

 

Eastside would go on a 13-0 run to close to within a pair before Essegian would put back a Conner Lemmon missed three. But the Blazers would get to even ground with a bucket in the final possession of the half, totaling a 17-3 run to head into the locker room. Logan Fry would hit a pair of threes in the run and three total in the first half to lead his team with nine at the break.

 

Coming out of the locker room, Owen Willard would give Eastside their first lead of the game on a floater from the right side, but Connor Essegian would bury a deep three on the next possession to take the lead back. It was the first of several threes in the third quarter, as the sharpshooting guard would score 17 of his teams' 18 points in the third. Multiple times, Essegian would corral a rebound, dribble down the floor, find a screen, and step behind it to knock down another triple. Fortunately for Eastside, the end of the third came before Essegian could heat check his way into another three.

 

It was more Essegian in the fourth, as he scored 28 of his game-high 39 in the second half, including a couple of late baskets that put any hope of an Eastside comeback out of reach. Conner Lemmon and Logan Gard combined for eight points in the fourth quarter to support Essegian.

 

The defensive game plan was the unsung hero for the Cougars, as Ryan Schroeder did a masterful job limiting opportunities for Gabe Trevino, who went just 3-15 from the field. Unfortunately, it was a poor shooting night overall for Eastside, as they went just 15-48 from the field and 5-18 from behind the arc.

 

Conversely, the Essegian-led Cougars shot 22/41 from the floor, made seven of their 16 three-point attempts, and outrebounded the Blazers 30-21. Essegian grabbed ten rebounds to go along with his 39 points, and senior forward Logan Gard patrolled the paint with eight boards and three blocks.

 

These two teams will meet again in regular-season conference action next Friday night in Butler.

 

 

 

Eastside        7  18   9  10  -  44

Central Noble  16   9  18  19  -  62

 

Eastside: Logan Fry 11 points (4/5 FGs, 3/3 3Ps), 2 rebs, 2 stls; Owen Willard 9 points (2/6 FGs, 1/3 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 asts; Gabe Trevino 8 points (3/15 FGs, 2/4 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 asts; Santino Brewer 8 points (4/16 FGs); Caeden Moughler 5 points (2/3 FGs, 1/2 3Ps); Nick Snyder 3 points (3/4 FTs), 6 rebs, 2 blks

 

Central Noble: Connor Essegian 39 points (14/22 FGs, 5/11 FGs, 6/6 FTs), 10 rebs, 2 stls; Conner Lemmon 7 points (1/4 FGs, 5/6 FTs), 5 rebs; Logan Gard 6 points (3/6 FGs), 8 rebs, 3 blks; Ryan Schroeder 5 points (2/6 FGs, 1/2 3Ps), 5 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 2 blks; Jackson Andrews 3 points (1/2 3Ps), 4 asts; Sam Essegian 2 points (1/1 FGs)