Published: February 28, 2008 11:44 pm            

BOYS BB: Devils respond to challenge

Freshman leads Tipton to 60-45 win over Eastern

TIPTON — In the pressure cooker that is Indiana High School tournament basketball, experience is considered critical.

Somebody forgot to tell that to Tipton freshman Greg Dickey here Thursday night. The 5-foot-9 guard came off the bench and nailed seven of eight shots, all from 3-point range, to lead the Class 2A No. 5-ranked Blue Devils over the surprisingly tough Eastern Comets 60-45 in a quarterfinal matchup in the Tipton Boys Basketball Sectional.

“[Dickey’s] played that way all year as far as the poise that he showed,” said Blue Devil coach Travis Daugherty. “Obviously, we don’t win [Thursday] without him. He stepped in and made some big shots.”

Dickey’s 21-point performance was especially important since senior guard Matt Hodges is recovering after injuring a knee and missing several games down the stretch.

“With [Hodges] still trying to work his way back into rhythm,” Daugherty explained, “we need some people who can come in and provide some offense from the perimeter, and [Dickey] did a great job of that.”

Dickey’s heroics, especially in the fourth quarter, spoiled a legitimate upset bid by the Comets, who finished the season with a 3-18 record. Eastern got out of the gate quickly, taking a 6-0 lead. Tipton (19-2) recovered and took an 18-13 lead at the first stop after Dickey nailed a triple just before the buzzer.

But the Comets had no quit in them. After a first half that featured eight lead changes and four ties, Eastern trailed just 28-27 at the half. Guards J.D. Muscari and Matt Richie combined to hit five of nine 3-pointers in the first 16 minutes as the Comets battled the Devils without blinking.

Both teams picked up the defensive intensity in the third period, and it showed in the turnover column as each team suffered seven errors. Eastern was unable to notch a field goal until the 1:13 mark, and Tipton outscored the Comets 11-3 to take a 39-30 lead into the fourth.

Eastern tried to stay close as Caleb Gibson came off the bench to can a trey and cut the margin to six, but the Blue Devils connected on all five of their 3-point attempts in the quarter, including three by Dickey, to stretch the lead to 13 points with 3:22 to play. Muscari canned a triple to cut it to 52-42, but Dickey answered with a pair of 3-pointers on Tipton’s next two possessions to make it 58-42 with 2:16 left. Eastern never got closer than 14 points after that.

Eastern coach Keith Richie praised his team’s effort.

“I am very proud of the way our kids played,” he said. “Our kids came out and they did exactly what we wanted to do. I think we put the fear into Tipton a little bit. Our kids battled and they battled for 32 minutes.

“Dickey shot the lights out. We wanted to get out there and really be aggressive with him, even if it meant putting him at the free throw line. We needed to let him know that we were there, and we did not do that. We were always one step behind.”

Tipton’s 6-8 Derek Elston, an Indiana University recruit who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards, knew his freshman teammate was hot.

“[Dickey’s] who I was wanting to pass the ball to all the time,” said Elston, who notched five assists. “I even had a couple of guys [on our team] say, ‘He’s not missing.’”

Eastern was paced by Muscari’s 14 points, followed by Matt Richie with 11 and Steven Boomershine with 10. The Comets’ future appears bright, as they lose only one senior, exchange student Borja Tabeayo, who saw most of his action on the junior varsity this season.

        

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