Epic Basketball Game/McCutcheon Scouting Report

Before I even begin, let me first say something.
This post is NOT, I REPEAT, NOT about Twin Lakes football or athletics.
*sigh*
Okay. Glad to get that off my chest.
I DO, however, need to talk about an EPIC basketball game last night.
And if you weren't at the Berry Bowl, you missed a hum-dinger of an NCC showdown.
Logansport. Anderson.
Two teams who have had their share of amazing matchups in the past.
Two teams who wanted to get off to a 1-0 start in the uber-competitive NCC.
It was no-holds-barred, drag-out, physical, and competitive to the end last night.
Unfortunately, somebody had to win, and somebody had to lose.
Thankfully for Berry faithful, Logan pulled out a 74-73 victory on the home floor.
It was grind-it-out from start to finish.
Logan seemed to have the upper hand early on, making good plays and showing that defense to shut down Anderson's talented players.
Logan led by 3 after one quarter and expanded the lead to 5 at the half, 32-27.
Logan's amazing sophomore, Antonio Penny, already had 14 points at the break.
That alone shows you how impressive of a player he is, and what a contributor he is to the offense.
But then Logan seemed to ONCE AGAIN have that one bad quarter that always plagues them. Anderson tightened up the defense and forced the Berries into some bad mistakes, as the Indians outscored Logan 18-9 in the third to take a 45-41 lead heading into the final stanza.
The Indians seemed to have grabbed control of the game and looked to send the Berry faithful in a disappointing drive home.
But Mr. Penny would refuse to let that happen.
With Logan trailing 60-57 in the final seconds, Penny was all alone behind the three-point line and drilled the triple with 7 seconds to go. Anderson drove the length of the floor and got into the lane, but two Berries were there to meet the attempt and the shot was blocked, sending the game into the first overtime.
The Berries won the opening tip and seemed to grab momentum back, making steals and big plays, especially when Penny drove to the hole and scored plus a foul, giving Logan a 68-64 lead. The fans began to hope that it was all but over.
However, Penny has struggled from the foul line lately, and he missed the shot, keeping the Indians' hopes alive.
Then, Logan fans became more worried when Penny fouled out of the game late in the first overtime.
The Berries would have to step up without their star, who scored a career-high 34 points.
Anderson would tie the game at 68-68, but the Berries had one final chance to win, even after a critical turnover that led to the tie. Bo Bullard went the length of the floor and let fly a 30-foot jumper, but like Gordon Hayward's shot against Duke in the title game last year, it rattled out and we needed a second overtime to decide this barnburner.
Neither team really grabbed momentum in the second stanza, but Anderson was slowly gaining momentum. The Indians took a 73-72 lead after two free throws, and forced Logansport to call a timeout with 12 seconds to play.
After the timeout, Anderson's defense did another amazing job of cutting off any attempt for senior Austen Hildebrand to get into the lane, but Hildebrand found a cutting Cameron Biggs wide open beside the basket.
Bounce pass. Layup. Buzzer.
BERRIES WIN!!!!
It was an amazing ending to an amazing basketball game.
Now, Logansport stands at 4-2, 1-0 in the NCC, and heads to Lafayette tonight for a showdown with the McCutcheon Mavericks.

***MCCUTCHEON SCOUTING REPORT***
Don't be fooled by McCutcheon's 2-4 record.
The Mavs have been competitive in all four of their losses, losing by 2 to West Lafayette, 1 to Frankfort, and 9 to Lafayette Jeff and Harrison.
The Mavs finished 7th in the J&C Hoops Classic, after beating Benton Central 51-38 in the 7th place game and the other win came easily, 51-28, against North Montgomery.
Rick Peckinpaugh has always done an amazing job as Mavs head coach. He's been there now for 26 years and 32 overall, and his teams are always competitive.
Bottom line, his teams always come ready to play, especially at home.
What does concern me the most is the fatigue factor for Logansport, having to play one night after Anderson gave them everything they could handle.
But the thing about McCutcheon that the Berries could exploit is that McCutcheon mostly can't score (they only average 51 points per game and have scored 51 in their two wins), and they haven't won any close, grind-it-out games. McCutcheon isn't used to that style; they are used to winning easily.
If McCutcheon can completely shut down Penny and the offense and catch Logan napping after a tough game, this one may get ugly quickly. But if the Berries come ready and refreshed and can put up points in bunches, McCutcheon may (or may not) struggle to keep up and they'll be out of it.
PREDICTION: All Logansport has to do is hold McCutcheon under 51 points and they'll be in good shape. Considering the way Logan's O has looked lately and the D is playing well in strides, I think Logan can do JUST ENOUGH to earn another victory. The Berries are 1-2 on the road this season. They need a big road win for another confidence booster, and this would certainly continue those steps in the right direction. LOGANSPORT 56, MCCUTCHEON 49

Twin Lakes travels to North White tonight and Pioneer hosts Argos. Good luck to all, enjoy the games, and see you next weekend!