Area hoop squads rounding into form
"We just want to get better as the season goes on."
High school basketball coaches say this so often it's become a cliche.
But for all five Greene County boys high school basketball teams it's been true so far this season.
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Let's start with the Shakamak Lakers.
After Tuesday's 71-70 loss to Cloverdale in yet another barnburner, Clovers coach Patrick Rady said, "For us we feel fortunate to get the win. To beat a Shakamak team that's been playing like they have been we're pleased to get the 'W'."
The Lakers picked up an impressive win, 72-59 Saturday at West Vigo. Remember, this is the same West Vigo team that beat Linton-Stockton 44-38 in the fifth-place game of the Wabash Valley Classic when the Miners laid an egg.
Yes, Shakamak has been playing better - even in its losses.
But if there is one thing holding the Lakers back, it has been their propensity for slow starts.
That has been a recurring theme in postgame conversations with Shakamak coach J.B. Neill.
Even in Friday's 61-35 win at White River Valley the Lakers struggled initially. WRV led 14-13 early in the second quarter until Shakamak went on a 16-1 run.
If the Lakers can find a way to bust out of the gates quickly...
Still, it's an improved Laker team.
The return of Braden Scott and the arrival of Mathias Caucheteur have been welcome additions to proven scorer Tanner Yeryar and solid rotation player Parker Green.
Players like Rylee Landry, Cameron West and Lane Gilbert have stepped forward and produced. Gilbert has evolved into a lock-down defender and a gritty rebounder. Landry has developed into another scoring option.
Win or lose the Lakers have been fun to watch.
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In the loss to Cloverdale, Rylee Landry's 3-pointer gave the Lakers a 2-point lead with 28.6 seconds left.
In the end it came down to this - as J.B. Neill said, "Cooper Neese with 20 seconds to go, he's hard to guard."
Really Shakamak's best bet was to foul Neese and hope somehow he missed a free throw. He didn't.
I've seen Cooper Neese play six or seven times this season. There are reasons he's a Butler University recruit.
Yes, Neese can shoot it. That's a given.
He's also quick, strong, athletic and can jump. He can run the floor and get to the rim.
Is Neese a legitimate Division I prospect? He certainly passes the "eye test."
And Neese is just a junior...
Speaking of impressive wins, Eastern Greene came from behind on the road to beat South Knox 61-54.
This was one of those games in a tough four-game stretch - all away from home - after the Greene County Invitational. Losing all four games in that stretch was a distinct possibility. Not anymore.
It's not surprising the Thunderbirds could beat South Knox - if they had been at full strength. But Eastern Greene got it done with three starters out with injuries.
Jeff Graham is out indefinitely with a broken ankle suffered in practice - his second major injury of the year after missing four games with a concussion.
Trevor Yoho sat out Saturday with a bad back and Matt Sanders rolled an ankle, also in practice.
But Nathan Eckerle delivered 23 points and in the process earned Athlete of the Week honors.
Friday at Bloomfield a 9-0 Thunderbird run in the fourth quarter wasn't quite enough to overcome a 13-point deficit as the Cardinals pulled away in the final minute.
Coach Jon Neill would have liked Eastern Greene to play all four quarters with the aggressiveness they displayed late.
But the way Bloomfield has played this season, the Cardinals would still be tough to beat.
The last leg of Eastern Greene's four-game road trip is Friday at Linton-Stockton.
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For Linton-Stockton it was business as usual with comfortable wins over North Daviess and Owen Valley, as expected.
Perhaps most impressive was the Miner defense holding Owen valley ace Cam King to five points. King had been limited to just three points until he scored his fifth on a rebound putback inside the three-minute mark.
"King's a huge key for them. But we've done a good job defensively against other teams' best players. Our kids take a lot of pride in that," Hart said.
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Sometimes it's said, "The game was closer than the score indicated." While 61-35 doesn't sound close at all, White River Valley had Shakamak on the ropes early.
WRV led 14-13 early in the second quarter before the wheels fell off.
This is another team where some of the pieces are starting to come together. John Park is getting his feet under him. As Park works his way into basketball shape and gets more comfortable in game action, the athletic forward will give the Wolverines another rotation player.
Tyler York has gotten back into the mix as well. The senior forward has been inactive since a broken arm December 5 but returned to the floor against Shakamak.
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Looking ahead at this week's schedule, Bloomfield has just one game, hosting struggling North Central Friday. North Central visits Shakamak Saturday.
After Friday's Eastern at Linton contest, Eastern Greene returns home Saturday for its homecoming game against Sullivan. The Miners host North Knox.
WRV plays host to Loogootee and travels to Clay City Saturday.
Terry Schwinghammer is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 27. He can also be reached via email at tschwing32@yahoo.com.
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