COLUMBUS -- Jared Jeffries had 28 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists and a steal to lead top-ranked Bloomington North to a 72-37 win over Greenwood Friday night in the IHSAA 4-A Sectionals at Memorial Gym.
Earlier, Bloomington South edged host Columbus North 44-41. The Panthers (19-3) will meet BHSN (21-0) Saturday night at 7:30 in the Sectional championship game. North, ranked 21st nationally by USA Today, won easily at South back in January, but Jeffries expects a different game this time around.
“It’s a big game and South will definitely shoot better tomorrow night,” the Indiana University signee and McDonald’s all-America said. “They will be much tighter on defense on me this time and I know I won't get as many good looks. It will be close. It will just be a matter of who wants it worse.”
Friday night Greenwood wanted it badly, but the Woodmen (7-14) were badly overmatched.
“I had to put a perimeter player on Jared because of his quickness,” Greenwood coach Bruce Hensley said. “But we don’t have any perimeter kids over 6-foot and Jared is 6-9. We had no chance in that matchup.”
The Woodmen actually stayed close early. The game was tied 5-5 as Hensley started his team in a man-to-man and then jumped into a box-and-one. But Jeffries scored at will as he led a 25-6 run that produced a 30-11 halftime lead. The Cougar senior had 14 points by intermission.
He equaled that total in the second half and sophomore Sean May lent plenty of support, especially on the boards. May finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds. May had 11 points in the second half.
Mario Buscemi was Greenwood’s top scorer, but he only had eight points as the Cougars held the Woodmen to 31-percent shooting.
“We got some pretty good looks in the first half,” said Hensley, “but they just weren’t dropping. That mirrored our whole season. We never really shot it well this season.
“I was proud of the the way we played. I couldn’t ask anymore of these kids. We came out in a box-and-one, but Tom (McKinney, North’s coach) has seen that before and adjusted. North is just that good. They are skilled, yes. But they played the game the way it is supposed to be played, with movement, with screening, with tenacious defense, with team unity, with unselfishness.”
McKinny was proud of the offensive efficiency of the Cougars.
“Our kids played well,” McKnney said. “We made some mistakes early -- and that’s to be expected since it was our first playoff game -- but then we settled down.”
North shot 57 percent as it pounded the ball inside to May, Jeffries and Mike Bridgwaters for point-blank shots against the smaller Woodmen.
Now McKinney and his Cougars turn their attention to the Panthers.
“We’re 10-10 over the last 20 with South,” McKinney said.
On a snowy evening in January, North won 62-44 at South. Snow is expected again Saturday night.
© 2000 dbulla@indiana.edu