Center Grove players hoist the championship trophy after defeating Franklin in the title game of the Johnson County tournament.
Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
For the third time in 30 days, Center Grove won a game on Whiteland’s home court.
This time, the Trojans got to take home the nets.
The fifth-ranked team in Class 5A, ahead by 20 points late in the third quarter Saturday night, withstood a furious charge from Franklin to hold on for a 65-56 triumph in the championship game of the Johnson County tournament.
Center Grove is now 14-1.
Grizzly Cubs guard Micah Davis put on a 31-point display, the junior’s dizzying array of left-handed floaters and runners off glass helping pull Franklin to within four points (59-55) with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Center Grove withstood the spirited comeback, first with guard Marcus Ankney’s layup and then with Will Spellman’s two-handed dunk and a pair of free throws from Ankney.
“It feels great because it’s our first championship of the year. This is what we worked for,” said Ankney, a 6-foot-3 senior whose 19 points complemented Spellman’s 24 points and seven rebounds. “We’ve all put in the work. We’ve all been in the gym.
“To win a championship is a good feeling. To do it with these guys is awesome.”
Other than a 4-4 tie midway through the opening quarter, Center Grove led the entire first half, including a 33-21 upper hand at halftime.
After Davis drove the baseline for a left-handed dunk to trim the Trojans’ lead to 21-16 at 5:25 of the second quarter, Center Grove went on a 9-2 scoring run, the final three baskets coming in transition courtesy of senior guard Ethan McComb, junior backup post Peyton Byrd and Spellman.
A Grizzly Cubs timeout at 2:30 preceded an old-fashioned three-point sequence from Davis, but McComb returned the margin to 12 points with his 3-pointer.
Center Grove was coasting along with a 47-27 lead at the 2:01 mark of the third before Davis scored eight straight points to close out the period.
A putback from junior Ryder Street to open the fourth quarter got Franklin to within 10 at 47-37. Spellman answered for the Trojans, but Street’s baseline triple with 6:50 remaining made it a single-digit deficit for the first time since 30-21 late in the second.
Franklin continued to whittle away at the lead, but was unable to get over the hump.
“Obviously, they have one of the best guards in the state, and we didn’t do a very good job of trying to contain him,” said Trojans coach Zach Hahn of Davis. “He was just driving it, and, either they called a foul or he made the basket for about 15 straight possessions in the second half.
“We had to shore some things up. We finally got some rebounds late that sealed the deal, and we made some other guys make a shot for once.”
Few were bigger than the fourth-quarter 3-pointers from junior guards Jalen Bundy and Joey Schmitz, the latter from the left baseline lifting Center Grove to a 55-46 lead with 4:26 remaining.
Hahn also credited his guards for being able to deliver textbook assists throughout the game to the 6-6 Spellman.
“I think that’s the guts and the will to win that these guys have,” Hahn said. “They’re willing to take the big shot. I just couldn’t be more proud of our effort. For 32 minutes, we played really, really hard.”
McComb and Bundy each had eight points for the Trojans. Senior forward Dylan Beverly had 10 points and four boards for Franklin (6-7).
The Grizzly Cubs outrebounded Center Grove, 24-23, but shot only 23 of 54 from the floor (42.6%) compared to the Trojans’ 24 of 41 (58.5%).
“I figured it would be pretty up tempo — Franklin likes to push it — but we all have confidence in our ability to hit shots and get a big lead,” McComb said. “As long as we can hold onto it, that’s what we’re comfortable doing.
“The big thing we talk about is redemption this year, and we want to prove to everybody around the area that we belong on top.”
