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Boys basketball: Andrean cruises past Merrillville
Updated: December 10, 2011 11:34PM
MERRILLVILLE — The “Battle of Broadway” hasn’t been much of a battle lately.
More like a one-sided massacre engineered by the team closest to Route 30. Merrillville has won the last five games by an average of 29.25 points.
The last time there was an Andrean blip in the curve came when Luke Harangody was playing for the 59ers. Andrean won three straight with Harangody roaming the middle.
Saturday, the tide turned for the 59ers — at least for this season — with a 64-46 win for Andrean. It’s the first time since 2005 that the 59ers have defeated Merrillville.
Andrean coach Carson Cunningham pulled a move from the Phil Jackson bag of coaching tricks, asking his team to channel its inner honey badger.
What is a honey badger?
“A voracious small animal,” Cunningham said.
Said DJ Gonzalez: “We really wanted it.”
The 59ers played like some kind of possessed animal early, racing out to a 19-8 first quarter lead. The lead arrived with a little help from the Pirates, who turned the ball over seven times.
Andrean took the lead 12-6 with 2:50 left in the first quarter on jumper by Nick Davidson. The 59ers upped their advantage to 17-6 with 49 seconds left in the first on a 3-pointer by Matt Ruberry.
The 59ers stretched their lead to 24-8 after a Collin Wojcik basket in the second quarter with five minutes left.
The Pirates whittled the lead down to 10 at halftime and they made one furious run at Andrean in the third quarter, outscoring the 59ers 10-2. A running layup by Jake Raspopovich with 2:39 left in the third cut the lead to 35-33.
Merrillvile had a chance to take the lead on its next possession but they missed a 3-pointer.
Josh James squelched the run with a bucket inside and then Nick Davidson finished a 3-point play. That gave Andrean a 40-33 lead. The 59ers never looked back after that.
“Andrean has a great high school team,” Merrillville coach TJ Lux said. “Inside, outside and experienced. You have to give it to them.”
The 59ers had the kind of offensive balance that is hard to stop.
Nick Davidson finished with 18 points while DJ Gonzalez, a lightning quick, underrated guard, pitched in with 13.
Collin Wojcik had 11 and Skyler Moss came off the bench to help Josh James, who struggled with foul trouble. He finished with 11 points.
The Pirates were admittedly leg weary.
Lux ran them through a morning practice after LaPorte beat them without the services of Ed Seay, their 6-7 center. Seay has battled a leg injury on and off. He finished with a team high 13 points for Merrillville.
Lux said the practice didn’t help in the short term but he’s hoping it pays off long term.
“We have to get better, especially defensively,” he said.
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