Boys basketball: Noll stays perfect with rout of Hammond

HAMMOND — Bishop Noll moved to 14-0 with Friday’s 93-54 victory over Hammond. Which begins to beg the question — with two-thirds of the season behind them, can the Warriors duplicate last season’s undefeated regular season effort?

“We’re still just looking day-to-day,” said Bishop Noll coach Drew Trost.

“We’ve got some big games coming up. What we’re really focusing on is our execution, which I thought we did well tonight. It’s not just about being a talented team. Talent is nice, but at some point, you run into equally talented teams and execution makes the difference.”

It took less than a minute for the Warriors to open a 7-0 lead. Larry Crisler scored a lay-in off the opening tip, and then followed up with a tip-in dunk. Ronnye Beamon hit a three-pointer on Bishop Noll’s next possession and the Warriors never looked back.

The Warriors put up a whopping 28 points in the second quarter to take a 45-28 lead into the locker room. Senior guard Jonathon Bock contributed all nine of his points in the quarter. It was Bock’s first action of the season as he returned from a broken collarbone.

“It’s great to see him back,” said Trost of Bock. “He really adds a lot to our team with his passing, shooting and defense. And he’s another senior that has some experience.”

Crisler finished with 16 points and six rebounds to lead the Warriors while Beamon and John Dodson each added 15 points. Hammond (5-8) was led by Joseph Pleasure’s 17 points, which included five three-pointers, a few of the rainbow variety.

Hammond coach Johnny Ryan declined to comment as the Wildcats struggled through a week where they dropped two games by a combined 73 points.

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