First round match-up of the Hall of Fame Classic featured a great game between Washington and Center Grove. Washington has Indiana University bound senior Cody Zeller while Center Grove has two Division I signees in Andrew Smeathers and Jonny Marlin.

The game began with both teams shooting very well. Zeller actually started off the game with a 3-pointer near the top of the key. Fellow Washington senior Kurtis Anthony had a couple of 3's early as well. Not to be out done, Marlin hit a few shots in the lane while Smeathers had a dunk and a 3 in the quarter. Washington led 26-17 after the first quarter to show how well each team shot the ball.

Zeller started the game with 12 points and 4 rebounds in the first period. Then Center Grove had Mark Kwiatkowski face guard Zeller while playing a 2-2 zone. This was very effective has Zeller had to use a lot of energy to even touch the ball. He did get loose a few times, but it was very rare for Zeller to touch the ball. Marlin continued to play well on both ends. Junior Joe Reed did a nice job of sealing Zeller on the offensive end and was able to get a couple of easy looks. Center Grove cut the Washington lead to 38-36 at the half.

In the third quarter the defense on Zeller continued to make the Washington offense stall. Without the ability to get Zeller the ball, the Washington offense came to a stand still...literally. Smeathers, who picked up 3 first half fouls, came out ready to shoot in the second half. He hit a deep 3 and then attacked the rim for a 2-handed dunk although he was unable to complete the play, he recovered and got his own rebound resulting in a Washington foul on the putback. Center Grove took a 52-48 lead into the final quarter.

Center Grove started to pull away in the fourth quarter with Zeller's output being limited. With about two minutes left, Washington started to make a run. Kurtis Anthony hit a couple of tough 3's and Zeller got a couple of baskets. Center Grove was up 4 with about 45 seconds left when Zeller got a steal around half court. He wasn't ability to control the ball until the 3-point line then he tried a spin move into a lay-up which he missed. Then on the rebound he fouled which was his 5th. That pretty much sealed the game for Center Grove.

CG won 68-64. Zeller finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Marlin had 20 for Center Grove while Smeathers had 14 points. Joe Reed chipped in 11 points. Kurtis Anthony had 13 for Washington in the loss. Robert Pittman added 10 points.

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Cody Zeller 6'11 C 2011 Washington

Although Zeller was slowed down by a double team off the ball, he was still impressive. He made a couple of tough shots off the dribble. He showed his range by hitting a 3. Zeller rebounded out of his area and went 7-7 from the free-throw line. I expect him to be very good next year, but I don't think he will be a go-to player in the Big Ten.

Andrew Smeathers 6'7 SF 2011 Center Grove

Smeathers was hampered by foul trouble in the first half. In the second half, he was much better although he forced a couple of shots. He doesn't always make the best decisions with the ball in his hands right now. Smeathers will also need to put on a good amount of muscle as he is very thin right now.

Jonny Marlin 5'10 PG 2011 Center Grove

Marlin was probably a surprise to a lot in attendance at the Hall of Fame Classic. He was able to get into the lane anytime he wanted. When he did get to the lane he either finished with a floater or found an open teammate. Marlin should be able to contribute as a freshmen at IPFW next year.

Joe Reed 6'7 C 2012 Center Grove

Reed didn't have a spectacular game but he was effective in the post against Zeller. He has nice size at 6'7 while also being pretty strong. He will need to expand his post move repertoire and shooting range. He played up a year in AAU this past spring/summer with Smeathers and Marlin on Spiece All-Indiana. He wasn't very noticeable during those games. A possible LM prospect, but more likely a really good D2/NAIA prospect.

Davis Wentland 6'5 SF 2011 Center Grove

Wentland showed the ability to knock down shots from the outside off the bench. At 6'5, he has nice length for a SF at the NAIA/D3 level. He also seemed to rebound pretty well although he is thin right now.

Tyler Gliesmann 6'6 SF 2011 Center Grove

Gliesmann was mostly a defender/role player. He seemed to be pretty athletic with good lateral quickness. Gliesmann could be a good prospect for some NAIA/D3 programs that are looking for some versatile defenders.

John Degenhardt 6'7 C 2011 Center Grove

First look at Degenhardt and obviously it was a tough match-up when Zeller was guarding him. Degenhardt didn't look like a very good athlete and his shooting form didn't look very smooth. He attempted one 3-point shot and it wasn't pretty to look at. Possible NAIA/D3 prospect if a program is looking for some size that they could develop offensively.

Nate Wozniak 6'9 C 2013 Center Grove

Wozniak didn't play very much in this game. Nothing really stood out about him while he was on the floor except his height. We will follow his progress this spring/summer to see what he is capable of.

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