Raiders win in return to Tyson
Julie Pollock Elliott
South Ripley’s Blake Gunter scores on Saturday night in the return to Tyson Auditorium. Gunter poured in 25 points, sparking the Raiders to a 70-56 win over the Chargers
It was nostalgia at its finest. The wooden bleachers were filled, the crowd was loud, parking extended all the way through the town square and beyond and the ball was bouncing on a deadwood floor while a sea of green and white watched on. Tyson Auditorium was back in full force on Saturday night and South Ripley boys basketball delivered for its hometown.
A raucous crowd watched the junior varsity deliver a blowout victory and following was a varsity tilt that saw the Class 2A No. 5 Raiders win once again inside the friendly confines, pulling away for a 70-56 final over visiting North Decatur.
The Raiders have won three-straight games out of the gate. It is the first time South Ripley has been on a three-game win streak in which a game at Tyson has been involved since 2008, the last year the historic gymnasium was used for high school basketball full-time.
North Decatur (0-3) spent all night trying to quiet down the Versailles crowd and their physical brand of basketball almost got the job done but for every Charger swing was a Raider response. After leading by just one through the first eight minutes, South Ripley used a barrage of baskets in the second quarter to go up by seven points at halftime and a two-possession lead was then had through three frames.
After numerous attempts by the Chargers to try and stay within striking distance, South Ripley launched a final assault which halted all comeback attempts. The Raiders went off for 26 points in the fourth quarter, increasing the margin and quickly negating 17 points scored by North.
There were several who contributed to the Raider cause and at all the right times. That starts with sophomore forward Blake Gunter who turned in a career-high performance on the inside, totaling 25 points to lead the green and white. Gunter scored 14 of those points in the second half and seven of those came inside a crucial third period to keep North Decatur at-bay. Bryson Sipples added 13 points after clutch shooting in the second and fourth quarters and Eli Gilpin scored eight of his 10 points during a Raider spurt in the second quarter.
Drew Volz finished with nine points for South Ripley and Dylan Jessee came off the bench for nine points, all of which were on three 3-pointers in the second half that provided big sparks on offense.
All of that effort surpassed the efforts of North Decatur’s Logan O’Dell who drilled six 3-pointers en route to 27 points. 17 of those points came in the second half. Owen Rennekamp added 14 points.
South Ripley (3-0) is at Class A No. 2 Hauser on Friday night and will then host Franklin County on Saturday.
SATURDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL GAME
at Tyson Auditorium
CLASS 2A NO. 5 SOUTH RIPLEY 70,
NORTH DECATUR 56
ND – 7. 15. 17. 17. – 56
SR – 8. 21. 15. 26. – 70
NORTH DECATUR (0-3) – Logan O’Dell 27, Owen Rennekamp 14, Matthew Fields 6, Charlie Parmer 5, Wyatt Reisman 2, Garrett Schwering 1, Mason Kunz 1, Sam Crowell 0, Henry Kinker 0.
SOUTH RIPLEY (3-0) – Blake Gunter 25, Bryson Sipples 13, Eli Gilpin 10, Drew Volz 9, Dylan Jessee 9, Mason Bascom 2, Landon Werner 2, Ethan Schmaltz 0.
3-Point Goals – ND 10 (O’Dell 6, Rennekamp 2, Fields 2), SR 6 (Jessee 3, Sipples 2, Gunter 1). Total Fouls – ND 13, SR 13. Free Throws – ND 10-19, SR 12-22. Fouled Out – None.
