The first quarter was highly competitive...that was about it. Hamilton Southeastern led after one quarter 25-23. The Royals were led by Zach Starr. Starr had 7 of HSE's first 9 points and didn't stop most of the night. I had him down for at least 17 points on the night. I wasn't planning on keeping his stats so that number might be low.
Not to be out done by Starr, Terone Johnson had 19 points in the first half. Johnson and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera dominated the second quarter which helped North Central open up a 49-30 halftime lead.
The second half was much of the same. Gary Harris got a little more aggressive for HSE. Harris had a nice breakaway dunk but he only finished with 11 points on the night.
North Central ended up winning with a score of 88-61. Johnson led North Central in scoring with 23 points. Smith-Rivera had 21 points on 9-17 shooting. Patrick Ingram had 9 points by going 4-5 from the field.
Hamilton Southeastern was without Jake Browne. I'm unaware of why he was not in uniform for this game.
Zach Starr 6'1 senior did most of the ball handling for HSE and was the Royals main scoring option. He has a good looking shot and also finished inside the lane against contact a few times. I think he is a shooting guard in a point guard body. He looks like a NAIA/D2/D3 prospect.
Gary Harris 6'4 sophomore is a highly rated player for the 2012 class in Indiana. He didn't look for his shot much at all in the first half. Harris was especially passive when North Central was in a zone (they played zone most of the game). He has the skills, but I think he needs to be more aggressive trying to score. His team needs him to do it that in order to be successful. Harris is definitely a mid-major or higher prospect at this point.
Dzenan Mrkaljevic 6'7 senior...don't ask me or the public address announcer at North Central how to say his name. He didn't do much scoring, but he looks like he can. He has small forward skills with good mobility and athleticism. He had 5 rebounds and a couple of blocks, but only 4 points. I only had him down for 1 shot attempt although he play a majority of the minutes.
Terone Johnson 6'3 senior is very good. He will give Purdue another scoring option with his outside shooting next year. If DeShaun Thomas wasn't in his class, he would be in the discussion for Mr. Basketball this year.
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera 6'4 sophomore is listed at 219 lbs. He is a tank and he knows how to use his body. He is crafty with the ball using hesitation moves and head fakes to get defenders out of position. He is definitely a mid-major or higher prospect and I'm not doubting his determination to be able to play at the highest level.
Trip McFall 6'3 senior showed his ability to defend, get to the rim with the dribble, and to shoot from the outside in this game. I think he has the skills and athleticism to play at the NAIA/D2 level. He seems like a competitor and most teams need those type of guys.