Wednesday night at Sectional 9 saw a shootout between Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights before Anderson ran away from Greenfield-Central in the second half of the second game.

Early on, Avery Williams made an immediate impact for Mt. Vernon. After chasing down rebounds, the senior guard hit the offensive glass for a putback and a three. The Marauders played with supreme confidence from the tip.

IUPUI signee Amhad Jarrard created whatever he wanted early. As usual, Jarrard had an athleticism advantage, and he used it to create for himself and his teammates. Amhad continued to do that all game.

Senior Jamison Dunham hit a jumper to open the game and kept Pendleton Heights in the game for most of the first half as he scored 16 points. Dunham had help from Luke Candiano. The six-foot guard picked up his scoring towards the end of the first quarter and into the second.

As Dunham and Candiano shot well for Pendleton Heights, Razhaun Wells could not be stopped inside for Mt. Vernon. His teammates set him up, and Wells also knocked shots from around the world in the mid-range. However, Pendleton Heights had no answer for him in the first half.

Mt. Vernon did not miss much for the first 12 minutes of the game and built a 31-18 lead. It looked as if Pendleton Heights could get blown out, but the Marauders finally started to miss. Pendleton Heights took advantage of the opportunity by converting in transition to get back into the game.

Sophomore Josiah Gustin started the second half by scoring at the rim twice. Then, three minutes into the half, Dunham buried a three off the dribble to tie it at 46.

From there, Armon Jarrard, Amhad, and Wells seemingly scored on every Mt. Vernon possession to end the third quarter. That put the Marauders up seven going to the fourth.

Mt. Vernon’s lead stayed in the seven to ten point range for most of the fourth as Candiano and Dunham drilled shots, but Armon Jarrard and Williams kept a comfortable lead for the Marauders. But when Candiano scored with 2:45 remaining, it was just a six-point game.

Armon Jarrard knocked down a three-pointer on the next Mt. Vernon possession, and Pendleton Heights never made it a two-possession game again.

Mt. Vernon pulled away to win 86-74 behind 25 points from Armon Jarrard. Williams added 15 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.

Elijah Bridenthal, Amhad Jarrard, and Wells each scored 14 points. Bridenthal had nine rebounds, while Wells collected ten. Amhad also had eight assists.

Pendleton Heights had a ridiculous 72.8 eFG% and lost by 12. The Arabians made 13 three-pointers.

Candiano led Pendleton Heights with 27 points, while Dunham scored 25. Gustin also scored 11 in the loss.

Greenfield-Central vs. Anderson

On its home court, Greenfield-Central started 7-1 thanks to an early three by freshman Braylon Mullins and all-around production from Joe Roland. However, the good times did not last long for the Cougars as Anderson finished the first quarter on a 12-0 run. Ahmere Carson and Ja’Quan Ingram produced the most during the Anderson run.

The second quarter saw Jaylen Murphy come off the Anderson bench and find himself open under the basket multiple times for easy looks. He scored three buckets early in the period before ending the half with a paint score as well.

Dylan Moles did not score in the first quarter but slashed to the rim for a nifty left-hand finish, then knocked down a corner three-pointer later in the quarter. That three-pointer gave Greenfield-Central the 23-22 lead, and it put Moles over 1,000 career points.

From the end of the second quarter and deep into the third, Anderson scored 19 straight points. Ingram, Carson, and Tyrelle Willis played a massive factor in the spurt. Greenfield-Central could not get into the paint, and there was a lid on the basket from the outside.

Ingram grabbed seven offensive rebounds on his way to 15 total boards. He also scored ten points.

Greenfield-Central only managed two points in the third quarter as Anderson increased its pressure. Anderson scored in transition and pushed its lead to 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Anderson cruised to the 64-39 win and will play Mt. Vernon on Friday’s second game. Donnie Bowling has Anderson 20-4 on the season.

Greenfield-Central finishes its season 15-8.

Carson tallied 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. Willis added ten points, four rebounds, and three assists. Sean Paige contributed six points and eight rebounds, while Murphy scored ten points. Kedric Anderson recorded six points and four assists.

Mullins led Greenfield-Central with 13 points. Roland added eight points, three rebounds, and three steals. Rune Carpenter-Jones tallied six points, four rebounds, and three steals. Moles finished with six points.