Chesterton boys basketball played tough conference opponents in consecutive weeks, playing Portage and then Valparaiso. Although their opponents played tough games and the scores were back and forth, the Trojans fought their way back into the lead and held on in both games. The Portage Indians looked to be the top team in the DAC, following their thrashing of the Crown Point Bulldogs. However, the Trojans rose to the occasion and played at their level, with some ups and downs throughout the game. The Valpo game followed suit, with both teams going through short scoring droughts. The Trojans sharp shooting propelled them to victory against Portage, and their ability to force turnovers and points in the paint earned them the victory versus the Vikings. Sectionals will be played at Valparaiso, where Chesterton will face Portage in the semifinal on March 7. Merrillville and Valparaiso will play in a quarterfinal match to move on to face Hobart in the semifinal, which will also be played on March 7.
The Portage Indians entered the Chesterton gymnasium to meet a loud environment, filled with a large number of both Chesterton and Portage fans. Stingy defense by both teams kept the game close, and clutch shooting by the Trojans led them to victory. In the first quarter, both teams played tough defense and couldn’t put up many points. With half a minute left in the quarter, Chesterton passed the ball around, not able to find a soft spot in the Indians’ defense. Sophomore point guard Malachi Ransom then passed the ball to open junior Caden Schneider, who sunk a three from the top of the key as time ran out. The second quarter was also slow for the offenses. Halfway through the second quarter, Portage went on an eight point scoring run, and was up 20-13. Chesterton then tightened their defense back up, and a pair of free throws each from sophomore TJ Ray and junior Logan Pokorney brought the Trojans within three. Portage then scored one more basket, leaving 21 seconds on the clock. Ray brought the ball down the court, and Pokorney did a quick in-and-out cut back to the corner, where he received the ball from Ray, turned, and sank the three pointer to end the half. Chesterton was down 22-20 as they headed into the locker room.
The Trojans went up in the third with an eight point scoring run, but Portage bounced back. Pokorney got Chesterton off to a sweet start as he got a quick steal and an easy layup to tie the game. The Trojans went up 28-22, but then the Indians scored two baskets. Pokorney then hit another corner three, and then Portage scored another two baskets. The third quarter ended with CHS up 31-30. The fourth quarter got fans very riled up, as both teams committed several fouls. With five minutes left, Pokorney had a smooth give-and-go with Schneider, where Schneider spotted Pokorney open and passed him the ball for the quick two points. Not only did Pokorney make the basket, but he fought through contact and was fouled. He made the free throw to put the Trojans up by three points. Chesterton had solid defense in the paint, got the ball back, and scored another point through a Pokorney free throw. Portage really tightened up on defense, since they were running out of time. Portage forced Chesterton to make two turnovers, although Ray made two more free throws in between. Chesterton also tightened up, getting some defensive rebounds. The next two Portage possessions, they scored five points and took a one point lead. With a minute and a half left, Schneider went to the line to shoot two, and sunk both of them, even with the huge crowd and immense pressure. The next possession for the Trojans, Ray was fouled and sunk both free throws to put CHS up by three. Portage then shot a two pointer and got fouled. They made the first, missed the second, grabbed the rebound, and threw up another shot, where they got fouled again. They tied the game back up, putting the game in the hands of Chesterton in the next possession. Chesterton took a timeout and had 18 seconds left. Ray brought the ball down, charged down the right lane, hit a quick crossover to shake the defender, and then hit a two point jumper. Ray left them with 1.4 seconds, and Portage was unable to score. Chesterton took the victory 44-42 in a game with lock tight defense and a loud atmosphere.
“That was probably one of our best team efforts to win a game this year. I think our next game will be a good matchup and I’m excited for it.” Schneider said.
Coach Urban was satisfied with the Trojans’ improvements.
“After Lake Central, we said we had a month to figure things out. It was just about us getting better, and we were looking for improvement whether we won or not,” Urban said.
Coach Urban was referring to their loss at home against the Lake Central Indians, where the Trojans had a close battle all night but let the game slip near the end.
“Hopefully it’s a confidence boost in what we’re doing. It was a good game, but we need to turn a page and gear up for the next one,” Urban stated.
The Valpo game was played in a hostile environment, but the Chesterton fans came with the team. The stands were once again crowded, with fans from both teams being very audible that night. In the first quarter, Pokorney and freshman Bradley Basila hit back to back three pointers. Chesterton then missed three consecutive deep jumpers. Chesterton would have to fight for points through contact in the paint. Junior Rob Czarniecki got the ball at the corner and ran down the baseline, slipping by the defense for a nice lay-in. Both teams would then force turnovers, one of which resulted in Ransom getting two points on the breakaway. On one possession, junior Jaylon Watts went down the lane, beat the defense, and then just missed the basket. The very next possession, Watts did the same exact thing, and this time he put the ball through the hoop. The first quarter would end with CHS up 14-10. Pokorney got the second quarter going by hitting another three. Nobody would score for a while as neither team could get a basket to fall, until a few minutes later when Valpo knocked down a free throw. A few basket exchanges, including free throws by both teams, brought the score up to 29-25 with Chesterton in the lead. With half a minute left, Pokorney stole the ball and dashed down to the lane to get the last two points before halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams would go to the paint and try to attack the rim. Neither team found much success, and the Vikings rigid zone defense gave the Trojans a much harder time. Eventually the Vikings would tie the game back up at 35 a piece and two minutes remaining in the quarter. Then, the Trojans picked up their tempo. Ransom got a screen from Schneider, made a move to the opposite elbow, and put up a contested jumper for the two plus a free throw. After they got a defensive rebound, Ransom brought up the ball and drove straight to the hoop, putting up another two.
The next possession, Pokorney made a quick drive and finished a left side layup. Then, perhaps for the play of the night, senior Anthony Gonzalez made a quick move on defense capitalizing on a Valpo error. When he was defending near the top of the key, his man mishandled the ball, and Gonzalez quickly dove to the floor, knocking the ball away. Pokorney took the ball off the floor and through the hoop, giving the Trojans a nine point scoring run to finish the quarter, and take control of the game once again.
CHS opened up the fourth quarter scoring when Watts dished the ball to Ray for a deep three. The scoring heated up, and Valpo started to mount a comeback. With four minutes left, Valpo was within one point. However, two more baskets from Pokorney in the paint gave the visitors a five point lead. The Trojans tried to slow down the game, but the Valpo pressure caused Chesterton to hurry up. Luckily, Pokorney was able to find space in the paint and get another four points. The last few buckets gave CHS a nine point lead with two minutes, just about sealing the game barring some insane comeback. The final score would be 62-52, leaving Trojan fans with a good mood as they drove down Meridian back to Chesterton.
