Northeastern won its third sectional in a row as the Knights beat Centerville 68-43 on Saturday, March 5.
HAGERSTOWN, Ind. – Robert Smith wasn’t going to miss this chance.
Last year, the Northeastern senior was injured and missed the sectional championship game.
“I didn’t get to play last year, so I had to come out here and put out all my effort,” Smith said after Northeastern’s 68-43 victory over Centerville in the Class 2A sectional at Hagerstown.
His effort’s led to a career-high 30 points to go with six rebounds as the Knights won their third straight sectional crown.
“My teammates were finding me,” Smith said. “I promise you, I did not know I had 18 (in the first half) until after I got out here and looked at the scoreboard. I wasn’t looking for points. I was just looking to win.”
With the win, the No. 4 Knights are now 22-4 as they head to the regional round to face Cloverdale (19-7) at Greenfield-Central next Saturday at 10 a.m.
“I said we would have wanted to play this game last night at midnight if we could,” Northeastern Head Coach Brent Ross said. “You just can tell when your kids are ready to play.”
“Union County frustrated us so bad last night,” Ross added of his team’s Friday night 56-47 win over the Patriots. “We needed to get back in the gym. I love when we have a quick turnaround after a game like that.”
Robert Smith
Robert Smith got started early with 11 points in the opening period as the Knights built a 16-6 advantage over the Bulldogs (7-15).
“We needed to go to him more last night,” Ross said. “We made our adjustments. He did a great job.”
By halftime, Northeastern led 38-16 as the Knights took control.
“They’re a good ball club and they’re cutting down nets for a reason,” Centerville Head Coach Seve Beach said.
But Beach quickly turned the focus to his team as he completed his initial season with the Bulldogs.
“I can’t say enough to explain how happy and proud I am of our kids,” Beach said. “They were the most coachable group of kids I’ve been around.”
“They work hard and that makes it fun for everyone,” he continued. “I’m unbelievably proud of them.”
Tyler Smith added 11 points for the Knights, while Bailey Stewart and Nate Reynolds tossed in eight points each.
Ricky Torres
Ricky Torres finished his career with a team-high 13 points for the Bulldogs. Michael Brewer scored 11 points with Alex Brandon and Justin DuPree contributed six points each. In addition to Torres, Centerville’s Devin Christian also played in his final contest.
The Regional
Cloverdale beat Monrovia 59-53 in the Southmont Sectional to advance. It was the fourth win in a row for the Clovers.
The second contest of the day features No. 7 Indianapolis Howe (20-7) and Indianapolis Broad Ripple (18-7) at noon. The championship game is at 8 p.m.
Howe won the Shenandoah Sectional as the Hornets beat the host No. 5 Raiders 53-41, while Broad Ripple won its own event with an 80-36 victory over Indianapolis Scecina.
Box Score
CENTERVILLE (7-15) – Ricky Torres 4 2-2 13, Matt Stamper 0 1-2 1, Alex Brandon 3 0-0 6, Justin DuPree 1 4-7 6, Michael Brewer 4 0-0 11, Myles Cunningham 2 0-0 4, Devin Christian 0 0-0 0, Dante Torres 1 0-0 2, Josh Duke 0 0-0 0. Team – 15 7-11 43.
NORTHEASTERN (22-4) – Tyler Smith 5 0-1 11, Bailey Stewart 3 2-4 8, Robert Smith 13 4-5 30, Nate Reynolds 2 2-2 8, DaShawn Hampton 1 0-0 3, Austin Clay 2 0-0 6, Harrison Rice 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Mikesell 0 0-0 0, Jalen Hillard 0 0-0 0, Quinton West 1 0-1 2, Alex Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Gabe Beatty 0 0-0 0. Team – 27 8-13 68.
Centerville 6 16 24 43
Northeastern 16 38 53 68
3-pointers – Centerville 6 (R.Torres 3, Brewer 3), Northeastern 6 (N.Reynolds 2, Clay 2, T. Smith, Hampton). Rebounds – Centerville 30 (R.Torres 5, Stamper 5), Northeastern 32 (R.Smith 6). Turnovers – Centerville 15, Northeastern 11. Fouls – Centerville 14, Northeastern 15.
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