This is it. The final week of the 2019-20 regular season for high school basketball in Indiana, and the draw was unveiled Sunday. It’s now time to get ready for the playoffs as a lot of intrigue and excitement awaits in the newest edition of Hoosier Hysteria.
For the East Noble Knights (11-9), they’ve had a pretty nice season considering how much they lost after last season including Ali Ali, who btw is having a great season for the University of Akron. But, EN is on the road the rest of the way after winning on their senior night 53-36 over a good Wawasee team.
The Angola Hornets (12-8) have to feel a lot better (that’s an understatement) about themselves after recording back to back wins over Eastside and West Noble for Josh Sheets’s first 2 career wins as a head coach. The game here against EN is a great way for them to get ready for a potential semifinal matchup against the Concordia/Dwenger winner @ Garrett.
In the all time series, East Noble has dominated the series leading 42-18. But, Angola has taken 5 of their last 7 meetings dating back to 2013. It’s been 8 years since the Knights have won @ the Hive. This game will be played tomorrow night at around 7:30pm.
3 Keys for Each Team to Win
East Noble
1. Must Put Enough Pressure on Angola shooters
Easier said than done. While the Hornets had their coaching change a few weeks earlier, the Hornets’ defense is still playing really well almost every night. Their 39.15 points against per game average is the best in 3A and 3rd in the entire state behind 1A powerhouse Barr Reeve and Trinity Greenlawn (only because their schedule is atrociously weak). The Hornets are the kind of team that if EN is a little too passive or don’t work hard for the boards or steals, they’ll take up as much time as they need to, and they won’t care. I think everyone knows this by now. The Knights are 4-1 when they hold their opponents to less than 50 points, but this is Angola so that alone may not be enough.
2. Rebounding
The Knights must be able to rebound the ball well enough to keep themselves within striking distance at the very least. The Knights are 9-5 when they grab 25 or more rebounds, but they’re 7-1 when they do this while shooting 40% or better. Their last two games have failed them to get to 20 boards, but good shooting has made up for some of that. However, they’ll be facing a rebounding machine in Angola with the likes of Joel Knox, Max Hamilton, Gage King, and of course Dyer Ball leading the way. Gage Ernsberger and Chris Hood are the guys that will have to work their butts off in this game. Hood will definitely have his hands full early on against a division 1 volleyball commit in Dyer Ball. One thing to note here, EN has averaged 8.1 offensive boards a game, and they’re 3-3 when they get 10 or more of these.
3. Continue to Shoot the Ball Well
Considering that EN will be struggling to get opportunities on offense due to a much slower pace of basketball that will be played tomorrow, the Knights must be able to take advantage of their opportunities when given upon. They’re 9-2 when they shoot 40% or better and 6-2 when they shoot 35% or better from downtown. Knights have shot 40% or better in 7 of their last 8 games.
Angola
1. (I repeat) Win the First Quarter
I guess they found a way to get back to having strong starts in the 1st quarters. That means the Hornets are now 10-1 when leading at the half. It’s like I said when the Hornets are feeling good about themselves and they’re playing smart disciplined basketball, that strategic, methodical defense will continue to be what it normally is. Angola is dangerous when they have the lead early and they have it late in games. The Hornets are now 9-3 in games decided by 10 points or fewer, while the Knights are 6-5. Angola is 8-1 when they hold their opponents under 40. Knights are 1-6 when they don’t score 50, and they haven’t won a game where they don’t score 40 since Dec. 29, 2012 in a 35-31 win over Busco. That EN team won just 2 games that year. However, the Knights have scored at least 40 points in 4 of their last 5 meetings with the Hornets.
2. Good Shot Selection and Limit Turnovers
That’s what has made Angola a winning team over the years is their ability to control the clock, take high percentage shots, and not beating themselves with unforced errors, and that is something that I definitely felt they were slowly getting back to this after a brief run of sloppy play. This will definitely be put to the test because East Noble is one of the more underrated defenses in the entire area, particularly with their guards despite small numbers in their steals department.
3. Build off of their momentum
In a critical week like this one, you want the Hornets to be playing their best basketball at the right time of the season because the sectional they’ll play in this season will be a tough one even though this is a team that’s won 3 sectionals in 4 years.
Players to Watch
East Noble
Chris Hood
As just a sophomore, Hood has brought an immediate impact to the Knights front court with his grit and a knack for crashing the glass. While he’s nowhere near as versatile or athletic as Dyer Ball, Hood is an absolute chore for most teams. He’s been averaging at least 15 points and about 9 boards in each of his last 4 games
Angola
Max Hamilton
I could have easily put Dyer for many reasons, but I feel like this is Max’s night to finish his home regular season career with the basketball program on a high note. We know he’s been that one guy that’s been defending against some of the best players in the area and we expect that to be the same again. We may see him guarding Nate Dickson tomorrow night, but no matter what his assignment is, I expect a big game out of him.
Conclusion: Again, this is a great game to prepare yourself for the state tournament if you’re either team. A win here could bring a big boost of confidence and a game they can build on for the tournament.
Around the NorthEast Corner 