Richmond’s team bus, apparently routed through Akron on its trip to Kokomo’s Memorial Gymnasium Friday night, arrived about an hour late.
Turns out the game was still over before a 5th grader’s curfew.
Operating with an 8:40 p.m. tip-off, Kokomo went to work in a hurry. With their four seniors in the lineup on senior night, the Kats blew the socks off the Red Devils right out the gate. By 9 o’clock it was 20-6 at the first quarter break and for all practical purposes, it was game over.
Kokomo sprinted to a 43-19 halftime lead and won a laugher, 80-53.
It marked the Kats’ 10th win in their last 13 games and leaves them at 12-7 heading into their regular season finale at Maconaquah Friday. The victory also gave the Kats a first division 4-3 North Central Conference finish.
Fierce defensive pressure when it counted dictated the tone in this matchup. In the first quarter, Kokomo forced Richmond into turnovers on 10 of its 16 possessions, limiting the Red Devils to 2 of 7 shooting.
“We wanted to apply a lot of pressure and take [Richmond] our of their comfort zone,” said Wildkat coach Brian McCauley. “It was all about effort and intensity. We ran the passing lanes and [Richmond] felt the pressure.”
Dean Foster, in his first year coaching Richmond, but a coach who has logged 431 wins and had teams in four Final Fours, complimented the Wildkats.
“We scouted them once and saw them on tape,” he said. “They looked good then, but not nearly as good as they were [Friday night].
“There are things you have to do when you play a team that is quicker and taller and we weren’t able to do any of them. Kokomo started well and just got more confident as the game went on.”
Richmond, 5-14 overall, didn’t have the size or strength to compete on this night.
Kokomo’s inside trio of Patrick Hopkins, Tyrone Brown and Cheyse Swain combined for 16 of 18 shooting, 33 points and 16 rebounds — by halftime.
The second half was a bit rag-tag — as expected perhaps with the outcome decided. It did include a few notable moments, such as 3-pointers by Hopkins (the first of his career) and Parker Salinas (despite having a broken finger on his shooting hand).
Hopkins led his team with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Swain may have set a team season mark in the production per minute category. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore came off the bench to play just 12 minutes, but during that time hit 8 of 11 shots for 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
“He’s just a tremendous athlete with great hands and a real feel around the basket,” McCauley said. “He’s strong and plays with a lot of energy. He has a solid skill level and has made great progress this year.”
Hopkins’ fellow seniors didn’t disappoint before taking a final Memorial Gym bow with 5:17 left in the final quarter. Brown finished with 12 points and 7 boards, Arnett added nine points and Yeoman was a steady force with six points, a team-high four assists and no turnovers in his first start.
“I was really proud of our seniors, [Friday] night and really all season,” McCauley said. “They came into the program when it was down two years ago. They didn’t accept mediocrity and have helped the program turn the corner.”
Kokomo’s JV squad finished 10-0 in Memorial Gymnasium with a 64-33 victory. Huston Clark’s 5 of 6 shooting and team-high 12 points helped improve coach Matt Weaver’s squad to a 16-3 record.
Sports
HOOPS: Wildkats overpower Red Devils
Kokomo rolls to 43-19 halftime lead en route to blowout win
- Sports
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Comets, Kats, Panthers sending athletes to state
After announcing his retirement late last week, Eastern boys track and field coach Paul Nicholson knew Thursday’s Kokomo Regional could be the final meet of his 43-year career. Senior Josiah Price and junior Grant Cole made sure it wasn’t.
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New Western basketball coach is right at home
Bart Miller’s passion for Western basketball runs deep.
Miller, like his father and brother before him, played for the Panthers. He started and was the third-leading scorer on the Panthers’ 1990 Kokomo Sectional championship squad.
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Tipton, Madison-Grant reach final of Eastern Sectional
Tipton’s softball team had enough to get past Elwood and into the championship of the Class 2A Eastern Sectional on Wednesday night. Friday night, the Blue Devils will need more to hoist the hardware.
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Beeler, Hurst pitch Panthers into title game
Western softball pitchers Erika Beeler and Madi Hurst are getting their first meaningful postseason innings in the circle in this year’s Class 3A Twin Lakes Sectional, but unknowing spectators would never know.
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Raiders hold off Wildkats
Kokomo and Harrison each had three hits after two innings of their Class 4A Lafayette Jeff Sectional game on Wednesday in Loeb Stadium.
Control problems for Kokomo starting pitcher Chase Hatfield allowed the Raiders to turn their three hits into four runs and they used those runs to earn a 6-5 win.
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Benton C. turns back N’western
Northwestern’s baseball team saw an early lead disappear in a 7-5 loss to Benton Central in a Class 3A West Lafayette Sectional game Wednesday.
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Eastern netters fall to defending state champions
Carmel’s girls tennis team lived up to its billing Tuesday in the Kokomo Regional semifinal round.
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Hursh silences Comets
Eastern softball coach Jerry Haines looked out to an empty field after his squad lost 1-0 to Tipton on Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 2A Eastern Sectional and made an observation that may as well have been a warning.
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Eastern’s girls track, tennis set for regional action today
Eastern ranks No. 4 among the five Howard County high schools in enrollment — but it is clearly No. 1 when it comes to 2012 girls spring sports.
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Local softball squads eye demanding sectionals
In any sport, the postseason is a proving ground.
This week in Greentown, whomever emerges from the proving ground of the Class 2A Eastern Softball Sectional will be legit. No questions asked.
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