The North Decatur 7th Grade Boys Basketball team captured the Mid Hoosier Conference
Tournament Championship this past Saturday.
Back Row, Left to right: Manager Branden McBride, 8th Coach Brian Hocker, Manager Matthew Caudill, Wyatt Reisman, Assistant Coach Matt Hoeing, Simon Barber, Charlie Parmer, Kipton Ruf, 7th grade Coach Jimmy Ryan
North opened up the first round of the tournament at Waldron last Thursday. In a tightly contested game, they were able to survive 27-24. They took an 8-point lead into the 4th quarter and weathered the Mohawks’ 4 of 5 three-point shooting barrage. Waldron had the ball with a chance to tie but could not convert. Stats for the Chargers were: Charlie Parmer 10 points & 10 rebounds, Henry Kinker 7 points, Wyatt Reisman 6, and Clayton Ruf 4.
Next up in the semifinals, contested at North Decatur, they faced the Edinburgh Lancers. North took a 19-11 lead into halftime and came out in the 2nd half and shut down the Lancers, allowing only 2 points in each quarter to win 36-15. Numbers: Parmer 14 points & 15 rebounds, Reisman 13 points, Simon Barber & Kipton Ruf 3 points each, Kobe Hoeing 2 points, and Kinker 1 point. As a team, the Chargers had 2 turnovers while forcing 17. The Hauser Jets defeated the Southwestern Shelby Spartans in their semifinal to set up the championship game.
ND carried over the defensive intensity from their semifinal game and jumped out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back, winning 43-14. Tallies for the champs were: Parmer 20 points & 11 rebounds, Reisman 11 points, K. Ruf 8 points & 5 assists, Kinker 3 points, and Barber 1 point.
After starting 1-3, the team closed out the season by winning 15 of their final 16 games to finish with a sparkling record of 16-4. As well, they went undefeated in MHC play during the regular season at 6-0. Coach Jimmy Ryan stated: “I’d like to congratulate my team. I am beyond proud of each and every one of these boys. Many thanks to the parents, teachers, fellow ND coaches, and fans who supported us all year. Hard work definitely paid off!”
The team was recognized and presented the championship trophy to Principal Debbie Reynolds and Athletic Director Scott Johnson at halftime of the ND-East Central Varsity Boys game.
Story provided by the North Decatur Athletic Department.