Boys Basketball
Drive time for the 59ers
Andrean goes to basket, comes away with win over Chesterton
The halftime talk for Andrean was pretty simple.
It was time to take the ball to the basket.
Thanks mostly to Curtis Jones, that advice led to success.
The 59ers found the paint Wednesday in a 58-55 road victory over Chesterton.
Jones, a 6-foot-3 guard, finished with 13 points. His aggressiveness inside helped open the 3-point lanes
In the first half, Andrean (10-1) struggled to score, finishing with 26 points.
“We are a shooting team,” Jones said. “When the shots aren't falling, you have to do something different. That was an ugly first half.”
It didn't look good for the 59ers in the second half after Chesterton's Ky Palombizio (16 points) made a 3-pointer with 4:26 left in the third quarter. That gave the Trojans (9-6) a 34-28 lead.
Give the 59ers a little space, however, and they can score.
Andrean went on an 8-0 run, taking the lead on a layup by Winston Carey (14 points) with 2:17 left.
Consecutive 3-point baskets by Tarik Dixon and Carey with 1:16 remaining gave the 59ers a 44-36 lead.
That was followed by another 8-0 run for the 59ers.
In a span of just over three minutes, Andrean outscored Chesterton 16-2.
Andrean coach Brad Stangel said the Trojans' sticky defense caused problems in the first half.
“We were all bottled up,” Stangel said. “We were just playing one-on-one.”
Stangel said when the team started moving the ball and driving it, the game changed for his team offensively.
“Our low post presence isn't that good,” Stangel said. “We have to do it with penetrations and kick-outs.”
Carey was clutch for the 59ers handling the ball. He controlled the tempo in the second half.
Carey was happy to get a win on the road against a Duneland Athletic Conference team.
The only loss for Andrean was to Merrillville after it blew a fourth-quarter lead.
“It feels good every time I can come out and play with these guys,” he said.
The 59ers played excellent defense against Austin Peterson, Chesterton's 6-6 junior forward.
Peterson finished with six points and didn't make a 3-pointer.
Stangel said guarding Peterson in the post was a “point of emphasis.”
The Trojans tried to jam it inside to Peterson and Jake Wadding.
They were somewhat successful getting it to Wadding. He finished with 16 points.
Overall, though, the strategy didn't work.
The best 3-point shot Peterson got off in the second half was just inside the half-court line on the last possession. That bounced off the back of the rim.
“We tried to throw it down low,” Chesterton coach Marc Urban said. “We just had a few turnovers. We just have to stay the course.”
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