Jared Jeffries turned in a Mr. Basketball-like performance in leading second-ranked Bloomington North to a 68-45 win over third-ranked Indianapolis Pike before 3,100 Friday night at North Gym.
The Indiana University recruit accounted for 54-percent of North's points. He finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal. He made 13 of 15 from the field, including all four three-point attempts. The 6-foot-9 senior forward was 7 of 8 from the foul line.
"Tonight I was proud of the way I shot," Jeffries said. "When I got the school record (with 42 points against Owen Valley), I was sort of supposed to be able to do that. Tonight I had to earn it. I really was feeling it."
Jeffries got plenty of help from front-court mates Mike Bridgwaters and Sean May as unbeaten North clinched at least a tie for the Conference Indiana championship. Bridgwaters finished with 16 points and three rebounds. May had 11 points and 11 boards.
"Jared was really on tonight," Cougar coach Tom McKinney said. "He really shot the ball well. Bridgwaters had a heckuva game. He's not a workhorse; he's a warhorse. And Sean did a fine job on the boards.
"But I have to credit our guards' defensive play. We turned the ball over a little too much (17 times), but our guards never let Pike's guards get going in any kind of real flow."
Red Devil standout Chris Thomas did score 21 points. However, the junior got 13 of those after halftime. North's Matt Kalua and Kelvin Boatner rotated on Thomas, who also had the unenviable task of having to guard Jeffries, who has a nine-inch height advantage on the Pike standout.
"Kalua really put the pressure on Thomas," McKinney said. "Kelvin didn't do much offensively, but he played well on defense."
North (7-0, 17-0) built an early 16-5 lead behind six quick points by Jeffries, but the Red Devils (5-3, 14-4) went on a 10-0 run to get back into it. Pike's fullcourt man-to-man press caused problems for North, which had 14 first-half turnovers. While Pike was getting back into the game, North went scoreless for nearly five minutes.
That's when May, a 6-8 sophomore, provided perhaps the night's biggest bucket with a trey for 19-15 to break a 4-minute, 53-second Cougar drought. Bridgwaters added a layup for a 21-15 BHSN edge. Thomas hit two free throws for 21-17.
North then scored nine straight points for a 30-17 lead. Yet Thomas hit two late baskets to make it 32-23 at the intermission.
The Cougars put the game out of reach with an 18-0 run to start a 25-6 third quarter.
"We played hard, but North's just an extremely talented team," Pike coach Alan Darner said. "Big, quick and talented beats small, quick and talented every time. It was hard for us to penetrate because their big people were just sitting back there waiting to block shots. That's why we shot so many outside shots.
"North looks like one of the five best teams in the country."
Pike shot only 36 percent. North was much more accurate, hitting 64 percent. That enabled the Cougars to offset a a seven-turnover deficit with ease.
North effectively eliminated the Red Devils from the Conference Indiana race. Only Bloomington South still has a chance to catch the Cougars. But South is two behind in the loss column with three to play.
Thanks to Jeffries, what was expected to be a close game was a rout.
"Jared popped out and shot the three tonight," Darner said. "That's almost unfair. He can play defense, run the floor, post up and handle the ball. Then he makes it hard for us to get a good shot."
Meanwhile, Jeffries shot about as well as he can. And he added another chapter to what is shaping up to be a Mr. Basketball season for the McDonald's all-America. Anybody who saw Friday's performance will not soon forget his alley-oop dunk, his powerful slam off a base-line drive or his three-point marksmanship, all against a very talented, though smaller team.
The Cougars won the JV game 54-49. The North JV's are now 11-6.
McKinney's Cougars hit the road Tuesday night (Feb. 22) for their next outing. They travel to Columbus North for a 7:30 tilt.
© 2000 dbulla@indiana.edu