After finishing an intense game against rival, Valparaiso High School, and winning by just a short three points during overtime, Chesterton’s boys basketball team traveled to Boone Grove on Saturday, February 19th, to play the Wolves.  The night before, the Trojans had continued their winning streak with an exhausting fight against the Vikings, and with this in mind, Trojan fans anticipated Saturday night’s game to be a blow-out.   Sadly, this was not the case, as Boone Grove followed closely behind during the first half and finally took the lead in the third quarter of the game.  Thankfully, Chesterton had an impressive bounce back in the fourth, taking home yet another win.

The game began immediately with Boone Grove taking the lead.  During the first quarter, junior Sean Kasper connected on a three-point shot on an assist from fellow junior, George Vrahoretis.  Following Kasper’s three-pointer, sophomore Tyler Parrish made his first of three steals in the game. The Trojans gained momentum and ended the first quarter up by only one point, the Wolves hot on their heels. The score did not stay 10-9 for very long, as there was a strong fight for dominance between the teams. 

To begin the second quarter, Kasper converted a successful fast break, pushing the ball down the court, and driving it straight into the basket for two points after Boone Grove had tied up the game 13-13.  Once the Wolves had again tied up the game, 15-15, Kasper missed a three-point shot, but it was rebounded by senior Chris Mullen after stealing the ball back from Boone Grove.  By the end of the first half, Chesterton was in the lead 20-17, but the Wolves were still within reach. 

Entering the second half, it was clear Boone Grove had three aspects of their game that were quintessential for a possible success over the Trojans: their small but mighty point guard, junior Connor Melchi, their top-notch talented senior Trey Steinhibler, and their teamwork on the offense.  Melchi was able to keep Chesterton senior Travis Grayson awake by asserting his skills and giving Grayson a good fight for the ball.  Both Melchi and Steinhibler, brought a skilled game, collectively scoring a majority of their team’s points: Melchi with 12 points and Steinhibler with 17 points.  Chesterton’s turned up the defensive intensity during Saturday’s game as they pushed the Wolves away from the basket.  Boone Grove’s offense was successful in their fight a multitude of times, but it just was not enough to dominate over the Chesterton Trojans.  

Going into the final quarter of the game, Trojan fans were on their toes, wondering if Boone Grove could possibly come out on top, after they had continuously kept their lead throughout the third quarter.  Entering the final quarter with a score of 36-37, the Wolves up, it was clear Chesterton had some clean up work that needed to be done, and to say they swept would be an understatement.  The Trojans easily gained back their lead with the teamwork of Grayson and Parrish.  Right from the start, Parrish had a successful fast break, stealing the ball from Boone Grove’s Melchi and had just enough room to make a layup, turning the score back in Chesterton’s favor.  Following this play, Parrish made a three-point shot with an assist from Grayson.  In the final minutes of the game, six-foot-six sophomore Justin Sims, made one of his now famous dunks, with an assist from Grayson, sending the Chesterton stands roaring.  Sims was not the only one who excited fans, as Vrahoretis finished off the game making a dunk of his own, with an assist from the elder of the Parrish brothers, Carson.    

Grayson finished the game with scoring the most total points (22) out of each of his teammates, which was not as many as the 40 points he dropped the night before, but on this night, he didn’t need that many.  Tyler Parrish scored 14 points and Sims scored 11 points, both attributing greatly to the team’s success.  

The Trojans are scheduled to play Gary West Side in Chesterton’s last regular-season game tonight, February 25th, at home.  Junior varsity will begin at 5:30pm and varsity will start at 7:00pm.  Students can buy their tickets online or purchase them at the doors for at the game itself.