Sectional title is not end goal for Pike but clears a hurdle. 'It’s been a while for us.'
· Yahoo Sports
PLAINFIELD – When Jeff Teague started as coach at Pike three years ago, the plan was to build with an eye toward this season.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
The Red Devils took their lumps, winning six games in his first year before improving to 12-10 last year. This season, Pike was touted as a state championship contender even before the season began. And on a Saturday night when heavyweights like No. 1 Fishers and Lawrence North were upset in sectional championship games, third-ranked Pike could celebrate something tangible – a sectional title trophy – after a 79-68 win over Brownsburg in Class 4A Sectional 11.
“Our coaching staff had a plan,” Teague said after the game. “We knew in Year 1 we were going to struggle and Year 2 we were going to be OK and Year 3 we were going to be better. Year 4 we thought we’d be state champs. We’re speeding up the process a little bit hopefully.”
It is the first sectional title for Pike since 2020 and just the second since the Red Devils won five in a row from 2011-15.
Pike (23-3) will play No. 4 Mt. Vernon (24-3), a 64-50 winner over Greenfield-Central in the Sectional 9 championship, in next Saturday’s regional. The Indiana High School Athletic Association will announce the regional site. Pike defeated Mt. Vernon 84-81 in overtime nearly a month ago in a game that broke the state record for combined 3-pointers with 30 between the teams.
“I think they have the best player in the state,” Teague said of Mt. Vernon guard Luke Ertel. “They are playing at a high level and I’m sure he’ll be Mr. Basketball. It’s going to be a battle. We’re excited. We enjoy playing these kind of games.”
Pike looked every bit the part of a state championship contender in the second half of the sectional title game against Brownsburg, dunking everything in sight. The Red Devils, leading just 35-34 at halftime, used a 9-0 run at the end of the third quarter to finally create some separation from the Bulldogs (15-10), who were looking to win the sectional for a second consecutive year.
Pike could never completely shake the Bulldogs, but the lead never dipped below nine points in the fourth quarter. Jahari Miller led a balanced attack with 17 points and four assists. Landon Lampley added 15 points and Isaiah Hill scored all 14 of his points in the second half, while also blocking eight shots and pulling down five rebounds.
The Red Devils scored 44 points in the second half, shooting 58.3% from the field.
“They have all the pieces,” Brownsburg coach Steve Lynch said of Pike. “They have a great rim protector and the length in the Lampleys, especially when (Kenneth) shoots it like he did (3-for-5 from 3-point line for 11 points). Miller is a great perimeter player, and the guards are quick and athletic. They are going to be a force coming from the southern half of the state.”
Brownsburg (15-10) was dealt an unfortunate blow early in the game when senior guard Brandon Addison went down with what is feared to be a fracture in his left foot. Addison played a huge role in Brownsburg’s 77-73 win over Ben Davis in Friday’s semifinal, scoring 19 points. He was off to a strong start again on Saturday, draining his first shot and dishing an assist before he hit the floor hard on a foul.
Addison did not return, spending the rest of the game on the end of the Brownsburg bench. Senior Chrishon Woodward led Brownsburg with 18 points and junior Branden Sharpe added 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Juniors Brandon Day had 10 points off the bench and Chase Wilson added nine.
“You just feel bad for him,” Lynch said of Addison. “It almost reminds you of (Tyrese) Haliburton (getting hurt in the NBA Finals). The kid is playing for the championship and giving all he has. To see him go down with that injury, I just feel awful for him. Just want to say thanks for everything he’s done for our program. I am a great kid, hard worker and a lover of basketball. But we had other kids step up and battle against an excellent basketball team.”
Pike is an excellent team. Tested, too. In Friday’s semifinal, the Red Devils had to rally from 15 points down in the third quarter to beat fifth-ranked Plainfield on its home floor.
“It’s been a while for us,” Hill said. “The past two years, everybody doubted us. They thought we were going to lose and not get out of sectionals again. But we showed them we could get out of sectionals and now we want to get to state.”
It has been a learning experience for Teague, too, as a first-time head coach. The former Pike star and NBA guard called himself a coach who “likes to have fun.” But there is a fire that burns in Teague as a competitor, though he called it “more nerve-wracking” to coach than play because he cannot directly impact the game.
“I’m not the most serious coach,” he said. “I like to joke and laugh and stuff like that. But the group came together and they love playing together. You see these guys in the locker room and all they do is joke with each other. They love being around each other. It’s a good group.”
A good group with a trophy to prove it.
“When we’re driving and kicking the ball, sharing it and throwing lobs,” Miller said, “that’s when we’re at our best. We’re having fun.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball: Pike knocks off Brownsburg to win Class 4A Sectional 11