HIGH SCHOOL

Bearcats energy on display in win

David Polaski
dpolaski@muncie.gannett.com
Central's Trenton Hatfield shoots past Pendleton's defense during their game at the Muncie Fieldhouse Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.

MUNCIE — If Trenton Hatfield was the most tired Central basketball player walking off the Muncie Fieldhouse court Tuesday night, nobody could really blame him.

He fought through dozens of screens all night, often multiple per possession, en route to Central's 72-62 win over Pendleton Heights.

The Arabians offense is predicated around setting screen after screen until one of their numerous 3-point shooters comes open and takes a shot from 3-point range.

If Hatfield slowed down and stopped fighting through screens, it meant someone like Pendleton Heights' Mark Albers, Trent Miller or Max Grbic got a shot they wanted.

"I feel like I just ran a 5K out there," Hatfield said. "You mentally prepare for doing that all game, and if you even let up for a moment against them, they'll attack."

Watching 3-pointers fly was a common theme for Central throughout the night, which saw Pendleton Heights launch 30 shots from deep, hitting 12.

In order to keep itself on the winning side of the scoreboard, the Bearcats turned to Phil Corthen and Jamel Barnes in the first half. Corthen knocked down a trey give his team an early 5-0 lead, before knocking down a pair in the second quarter to extend the lead.

Keeping pace with the long-range bombs Pendleton Heights was hoisting, Barnes dropped three 3-pointers in the first half, including a four-point play with 7:37 left in the second quarter to give Central a 22-16 lead.

"Phil was on fire and when you have a guy that's rolling like that, you don't want to force anything that's unnecessary," Central's Andre Jones said. "Just stay patient and wait for things to open up."

Corthen and Barnes both had 17 points, as Barnes knocked down two more shots from deep in the second half. But the third quarter was dominated by Jones, who took advantage of lax Pendleton Heights transition defense.

Central's Andre Jones shoots past Pendleton's defense during their game at the Muncie Fieldhouse Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.

After a one-handed putback dunk off a Corthen miss, he brought in a defensive rebound and pushed the tempo, finishing a layup while getting a foul and hitting the free throw with five minutes left in the third quarter. After the Arabians missed their next shot, he finished again in transition, giving the Bearcats a 46-34 lead.

"I thought he played well from the very beginning," Central coach Jeff Holloway said. "We're asking him to guard guys he's not used to, to chase shooters around and break through screens. He knew his role might change."

Despite the concerted effort to stick to shooters and prevent open looks, Pendleton Heights used consecutive 3s from Albers to cut Central's lead to 66-60 with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter. Averaging 20.8 points coming into the game, Albers had a game-high 23 points.

Jones immediately responded, finishing at the basket through contact and knocking down the free throw to extend the lead back to nine. He finished with a team-high 20 points.

"I thought he was pretty dialed in from the beginning tonight," Holloway said.

Contact prep sports reporter David Polaski at (765) 213-5848. Follow him on Twitter @DavidPolaskiTSP.