By JOSH SIGLER
It seems almost ironic that a team with as tough a defense as the Peru boys basketball team has been able to produce a 1,000-point scorer.
Senior Wes Zimmerman seems an odd candidate for it, as well, considering his solid yet unspectacular scoring average over the past two seasons of 13.6 points per game.
On top of that, Zimmerman has led Peru in scoring just four times through the first 16 games this season.
Nothing seems odd to coach Eric Thompson, whose squad has the state’s best scoring defense at 38.6 points a game.
“Wes has worked very hard,” Thompson said. “This team fits well together, and he doesn’t put his accomplishments above the team. Any one of these guys could lead us in scoring.”
Zimmerman has been a steady mainstay for the Bengal boys over the course of his four years, and reached the 1,000-point mark for his career in the fourth quarter of a 50-41 home win over Western on Jan. 29.
“It was a good feeling,” Zimmerman said. “I had a lot of friends and family in town — a lot of people came to see me. It’s a nice accomplishment and nice to have that burden off my back.”
Zimmerman is the eighth Peru boy to reach the 1,000-career point benchmark, and the first since Brandon Jones accomplished the feat in 2000. Jones’ 1,529 career points are third all time, behind 1975 Mr. Basketball Kyle Macy (2,137 career points) and 1971 Indiana All-Star John Garrett (1,746).
“There’s obviously been some great players here,” said Zimmerman, who is also Peru’s leader in rebounds (6.1 per game entering last weekend).
“I still have quite a ways to go to catch Macy,” Zimmerman quipped, “but it definitely feels good.”
The Class 3A No. 2-ranked Tigers need victories over Northwestern on Thursday and at Hamilton Heights in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26 to claim the program’s first outright Mid-Indiana Conference title.
Zimmerman and teammates are hoping MIC crown is just the start of favorable things to come for their squad. Personal milestones pale in comparison to what the Tigers may be able to accomplish this season
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve won two sectionals but no MIC, and have never made it out of the regional,” Zimmerman said.
“All those are much more important goals in my mind. Our goal is to win state. I don’t care if I score five points or 5,000 points — none of that matters to me. I just want to win state, and to do that we have to get out of the regional.”
