Greenwood Christian boys roll into sectional final

<p>INDIANAPOLIS</p><p>Greenwood Christian’s third-ranked boys basketball team didn’t start its sectional play in the same dominant fashion it utilized to roll through the regular season.</p><p>But the Cougars more than made up for it in the second and fourth quarters of Friday’s Class A Sectional semifinal at Indianapolis Lutheran.</p><p>Tindley’s defense helped forced GCA to miss its first six shots and commit six first-quarter turnovers. But a pair of runs — a 17-0 second-quarter blitz and a 15-1 stretch that spanned the late third and early fourth quarters — turned the game into a blowout and helped the Cougars cruise to a 73-51 win.</p><p>GCA (23-1) will face Providence Cristo Rey tonight in an attempt to defend its sectional title.</p><p>“We ripped up our nerves and threw them in the trash,” said GCA junior Styles McCorkle, who finished with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. “We have no fear on the court. We’re here to win and have fun.”</p><p>The Cougars struggled with both early, as Tindley’s defense harassed them into a 4-of-13 first-quarter shooting effort and six turnovers. The Tigers led 7-3 and 13-10 before GCA kicked it into gear.</p><p>It switched defenses to a 1-3-1, and suddenly Tindley turned the ball over with regularity. In just less than eight minutes, the Cougars flipped that 13-10 deficit into a 33-16 lead. The Tigers committed eight second-quarter miscues, while GCA hit 8 of 15 from the floor during the period.</p><p>“We got stops and were able to run and turn them over,” GCA coach Jonny Marlin said. “We had turnover issues at the start that led to easy (Tindley) baskets, but we made some stops and held them to one shot.”</p><p>The Tigers never seriously threatened after that, but they cut the lead to 37-29 with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter after outscoring the Cougars 8-2 to start the second half. GCA led 47-37 with one minute left in the third quarter.</p><p>That’s when the Cougars put the final stamp on their win.</p><p>They outscored Tindley 15-1 over the next four minutes, extending the lead to 62-38 with 4:57 to play. The teams essentially exchanged baskets after that.</p><p>“We drilled it into our preparation to run up and down the court,” McCorkle said. “We got a ton of stops.”</p><p>GCA’s frontcourt of Champ and Styles McCorkle and Andrew Anderson did most of the scoring damage. Champ McCorkle led everyone with 21 points, while Anderson added 16. Guard Derek Petersen added seven points and six rebounds.</p><p>Michael Robertson and Jayden Pinkston paced Tindley with 12 points apiece.</p><p>The Cougars dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 35-24.</p><p>“We’ve got five guys 6-4 and taller, and (the rebounds) led to some easy transition points,” Marlin said. “Something crazy always seems to happen in the tournament, but we trusted our preparation, and it helps when you have nine seniors.”</p>