Roncalli and New Palestine have both been quietly having good seasons on the southeast side of Indianapolis. The two teams met Friday night inside a packed gym at Roncalli, with the home team coming away victorious behind inspired play from seniors Jimmy King and Joe Swan.
The premier matchup in this game was between high scoring senior guards Jimmy King (25.5) of Roncalli and Ryan Curry (21.8) of New Pal. Even though the pair did not guard each other, the first quarter lived up to the billing. Curry was able to find his way into the paint for six first quarter points. King was effective because of his ability to move without the basketball. He cut backdoor to open scoring then was able to use a backscreen and receive a pass from Danny Annee for a layup. After one period, New Pal held a slim lead 15-14.
One major factor in the first half for Roncalli was senior power forward Joe Swan. Swan was able to find gaps in the New Pal defense to make a himself available for midrange jumpers. He had a career high 10 points against Lutheran on Tuesday night, and was able to step into his shot with confidence, knocking down several jump shots. "Joe didn't play last year," said Roncalli coach Michael Wentz, "so we call him our MVA, most valuable addition. He's got a nice midrange shot, and can drive by bigger guys." King struggled to find his touch from deep, going 1-5 from behind the arc in the first half, instead freeing himself for midrange looks which he was able to convert. Roncalli controlled the second quarter en route to a six point halftime advantage.
It was more of the same after halftime for the Rebels, as King and Swan were able to score in the same ways they did in the first half. Ryan Curry was able to hit a couple shots from behind the arc, but no other Dragons were able to get going offensively. "We tried to focus on transition defense, because we know they like to play fast, and just limit them to one shot." said Wantz. His team was able to accomplish those goals, and doubled their margin to 12 after three quarters.
New Pal still had a window of opportunity to claw back into the game, but that window was slammed shut by Jimmy King, who scored eight straight points to start the quarter. He was also a factor on the defensive end, generating steals and scoring in transition. Roncalli would extend their lead past the 20 point mark as the benches finished out the game.
New Palestine 15 15 14 9 - 53
Roncalli 14 22 20 17 - 73
New Palestine: Ryan Curry 21 points (6/13 FGs, 3/6 3Ps, 6/8 FTs); Cody Long 7 points; Kevin Riley 6 points; Ben Farley 5 points; Alec Cook 4 points; Logan Duffy 3 points; Johnathan McKay 3 points; Jaret Rightley 3 points
Roncalli: Jimmy King 28 points (12/20 FGs, 1/6 3Ps, 3/5 FTs), 6 asts, 3 stls; Joe Swan 14 points; Tyler Schoettle 13 points; Max Clifford 8 points (2/5 3Ps); Danny Annee 6 points; Myles Sturdivant 4 points
Roncalli and New Palestine have both been quietly having good seasons on the southeast side of Indianapolis. The two teams met Friday night inside a packed gym at Roncalli, with the home team coming away victorious behind inspired play from seniors Jimmy King and Joe Swan.