Tuesday night in boys varsity basketball on WRBI, a strong third quarter by East Central propelled the host Trojans to a 47-34 victory over Lawrenceburg.
The two EIAC clubs traded 3-point buckets during the first five made shots. After a third lead change at the end of the first quarter, EC held a 14-13 edge.
The St. Leon lads got up seven early in the second but led by just two at halftime, 20-18. For the Trojans, Caleb Mergenthal’s two treys for six points were a team high. Teammate Jadyn Dennis followed with five. Logan Rohrer’s five points were tops for the Tigers.
While East Central didn’t blow out Lawrenceburg in the third quarter, the Trojans more intense play certainly set the tone for the second half. The hosts did increase their favorable spread to 10 by the third stop, 34-24.
That momentum carried over early into the fourth which prompted the Tigers to go deeper into their bench. The LHS backups more than held their own, but East Central still won by 13.
The Trojans were led by Ryan Selhorst with 11 points, Caleb Mergenthal scored 10 while Carson Pieczonka and Casey McQueen both scored seven. Mergenthal also led the team in rebounds with six. McQueen collected a team-high five caroms. Jadyn Dennis netted six points and had a team-topping four assists.
Logan Rohrer’s nine points paced the Tigers. Teammates Andrew Myers and Dahya Patel both added five. The Tigers Jackson Bobo had five boards and younger brother Cooper Bobo dished three assists.
East Central outshot Lawrenceburg from the field. The Trojans hit 17-of-35 attempts while the Tigers converted 12-of-39.
Lawrenceburg won the JV game 37-32.
The Tiger reserves saw Mehyar Safaviyan and Charlie Meyer both score nine points and Sam Cornett contribute eight. The EC JV got eight from Rhys Hover and seven from Chase Bellman.
We thank East Central AD Don Stonefield for the accommodations and hospitality. We thank coaches David Disbro and Brad Cutter for their time in our pregame show. And we thank assistants Steve Coffman and Mason Jeffreys for additional information.