County tournaments have been a way for neighboring communities to establish bragging rights for several decades, and there may not be a more diverse county tournament than the one found in Madison County. From large 4A schools to tiny 1A teams, from urban areas to the farmland, a wide variety of teams and players come together to figure out who gets to have those bragging rights for the next year.
The Madison County Tournament tipped off Monday night, with one quarterfinal featuring a rematch of a December contest that saw the Bulldogs of Lapel defeat Pendleton Heights by a 48-40 score.
As the game opened, Lapel would look to establish an interior presence on the back of 6'5 sophomore JonRoss Richardson. This strategy would come with mixed results, as Richardson would score seven points in the opening quarter, but the Bulldogs would commit several turnovers trying to get the ball into Richardson's hands.
Butler signee Sean McDermott would hit a pair of long two point jumpers, and a layup with the clock winding down from Kenton Dunham, brother of
Butler's Kellen Dunham, would give the hots Pendleton Heights squad a 16-10 advantage after a quarter.
Each team would settle into a deliberate pace in the second quarter. "We were much more patient this time around. Lapel is a team that can give people trouble because they're so long and can really defend." said Pendleton Heights coach Brian Hahn. McDermott would struggle to find his mark from behind the arc, but made an impact moving without the basketball and finding openings around the rim. JonRoss Richardson would continue his strong play on the interior for Lapel, tallying 11 points in the first half. But Pendleton Heights would grab momentum going into the locker room when junior Caleb Hardy grabbed classmate Kenton Dunham's missed three point heave and laid it in to beat the halftime buzzer. Coach Hahn was impressed with Hardy's contributions on the night. "When Caleb is playing hard and rebounding like he's capable of, he gives us another dimension on the interior." Hahn said.
The third quarter would see the home team put on a defensive clinic, forcing Lapel into difficult catches and missed opportunities. "We made them shoot contested shots and really work for their opportunities, especially in the third quarter, taking away their inside scoring." said Hahn. Paying extra attention on Richardson, the Arabians forced the sophomore to catch the ball on the perimeter and stifle any dribble penetration from Lapel's guards. Pendleton Heights would steadily increase their margin, out scoring Lapel 16-5 in the quarter to build a 41-24 lead.
The lead would eventually reach 19 before Lapel would go on an 8-0 run on the backs of Richardson and junior Kameron Herrington. From there, McDermott and Caleb Hardy would keep balls alive for Heights to get extra possessions, forcing Lapel to foul. Although Pendleton Heights did not attempt a free throw until the last part of the fourth quarter, they made them count, as McDermott, Dunham, and Hardy combined to go 8-8 from the stripe to close the game out, resulting in a 55-43 Arabian victory.
Lapel 10 9 5 19 - 43
Pendleton Heights 16 9 16 14 - 55
Lapel: JonRoss Richardson 21 points (9/13 FGs); Kameron Herrington 8 points; Noah Hendershot 7 points; Brady Smith 3 points; Cody Vibbert 2 points; Brady Cherry 2 points
Pendleton Heights: Sean McDermott 17 points (7/13 FGs, 1/5 3Ps); Caleb Hardy 14 points, 10 rebounds; Kenton Dunham 12 points; Max Grbic 7 points;
Mark Albers 3 points; Conner Gustin 2 points