(2019) PF Trayce Jackson-Davis to INDIANA

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

In those down-to-the-wire games come state tournament time, style points won’t count for anything.

What will count is making winning plays when the game is on the line, and the Center Grove boys did just that on Tuesday night to hang on for a 41-38 victory over Mooresville in the West Gym.

Though it might not have been the sexiest win of the season for the Trojans (14-7), coach Zach Hahn was pleased with what he saw from his team in crunch time.

"At the end of the day, when it mattered, we got two stops, Spencer made free throws, and these are all things I haven’t seen us do in the last three or four weeks," Hahn said. "This is showing me growth, whether people believe it or not. This is growth as a program, and it’s a positive thing. 

"Anytime you can walk away with a win, it’s a positive thing."

The Trojans appeared to be taking control of the game when they went up 32-24 with 3:26 left in the third quarter on back-to-back lobs from Spencer Piercefield to Trayce Jackson-Davis. But the Pioneers (13-7) clawed their way back, eventually regaining the lead, 36-35, on a pair of Jon Eineman free throws with 6:01 to go in the game.

Ben Nicoson put Center Grove back on top with two foul shots, but Luke Fowler responded in kind at the other end with 5:19 remaining. Mooresville didn’t score again, however, and Justin DeGraaf’s go-ahead layup at the 4:50 mark held up as the winning bucket.

A Fowler jumper missed the mark with 6.4 seconds on the clock, and Piercefield then hit two free throws to make it a three-point game. Eineman’s halfcourt heave at the final buzzer came tantalizingly close but rattled around the rim and out.

Points were hard to come by for much of the night.

After inching out to an early 14-9 lead, Center Grove hit a snag offensively, making just one field goal over the final 11 and a half minutes of the half. The Pioneers weren’t able to take full advantage, going scoreless for the final 4:15 of the second quarter themselves, but the visitors still went into the locker room with a 20-19 edge.

"We got wide-open shots; we just weren’t knocking them down," said Jackson-Davis, who led the Trojans with 17 points and eight rebounds. "We hold a team under 40 points, we’re usually going to win, but our offense was just really sluggish. … We’ve just got to score the ball."

Piercefield had eight points, Nicoson seven and DeGraaf six for Center Grove. Fowler and Eineman had 16 and 12, respectively, to lead the Pioneers in defeat.

Center Grove plays at North Central on Friday.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Center Grove (15-7) defeated North Central 53-34. TJD led Center Grove with 18 points, 6 reb. and 5 blks.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Adam Wire - The Daily Journal

Center Grove’s boys basketball team controlled three quarters of Friday night’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference game at North Central, and it was more than enough to ease to a 53-34 victory over their MIC rival.

The Trojans (15-7 overall, 2-5 MIC) outscored the Panthers (5-15, 0-7) 49-18 in the first, third and fourth quarters, which easily offset North Central’s 16-4 second-quarter advantage. Center Grove held the Panthers to 7 of 40 field-goal shooting (17.5 percent) in the first, third and fourth quarters, and the Trojans shot 18 of 40 overall (45 percent).

Trayce Jackson-Davis and Spencer Piercefield handled most of the scoring for the Trojans, combining for 32 of the team’s 53 points. Jackson-Davis finished with 18 points, including 12 in the second half, along with six rebounds, five blocked shots and three assists, all of which led to 3-pointers.

Piercefield was the recipient of two of those assists. He hit three 3-pointers en route to 14 points, and also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Center Grove bolted to a 17-4 first-quarter lead, but North Central’s 16-4 second-quarter edge trimmed the Trojans’ lead to 21-20 at halftime. Center Grove went scoreless for the first 6:33 of the second quarter until a Piercefield layup ended the drought.

The Trojans regained control in the third quarter, however, outscoring the Panthers 21-10 in the period. A 9-0 run midway through the period extended Center Grove’s lead to 34-23 with 3:31 left in the quarter.

Jackson-Davis did most of his scoring damage during this quarter. He scored nine of his 18 points in the period.

Justin DeGraaf added six points and Ben Greller contributed five for the Trojans, who have now won three of their last four games.

Overall, Center Grove held North Central to 25 percent field-goal shooting (13 of 52). They also outrebounded the Panthers 31-27, and North Central shot just 5 of 23 from 3-point range (21.7 percent). The Trojans hit 5 of 11 from 3-point range (45.5 percent).

Freshman guard Leland Walker led the Panthers with 13 points. No other North Central player scored more than six.

Center Grove returns to action Tuesday at Brownsburg.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Brownsburg scored 24 points in the final quarter to pull away for a 62-56 win over Center Grove.  Center Grove (15-8) was led by Trayce Jackson-Davis’s 13 points and 13 rebounds.

[Uspshoosier]

Nothing like JV OT. Lol. Especially on senior night


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[Uspshoosier]

Nothing like JV OT. Lol. Especially on senior night


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2OT


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[Uspshoosier]

It’s been a fun ride watching this young man grow as a basketball player over the last 4 years.  Congrats TJD on a heck of a career and making basketball mean something at center grove again.     Can’t wait to see what’s next at IU. 

This is TJD on senior night 

[BGVille Hoosierfan]

TJD was absolutely dominant in CG's 68-38 win against my old school Columbus North. TJD had 8 dunks including a Karl Malone esque dunk (hand behind the head and ball cocked back to his feet) on a fast break. He was a highlight reel tonight and finished with 24 and 5.


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[mamasa]

TJD was absolutely dominant in CG's 68-38 win against my old school Columbus North. TJD had 8 dunks including a Karl Malone esque dunk (hand behind the head and ball cocked back to his feet) on a fast break. He was a highlight reel tonight and finished with 24 and 5.


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And, I’m not liking this just because I went to Columbus East [emoji6]


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[Walking Boot of Doom]

He’s a culture building player. Hyped for him to get on campus.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Game write-up from the Columbus newspaper.

http://www.therepublic.com/2019/02/22/trojans_top_bull_dogs_in_regularseason_finale/

[Uspshoosier]

Go Trojans


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[Uspshoosier]

Already halftime in a very low scoring contest.  Center Grove  14      Greenwood   12    
Game is being streamed at:  
[/url]  

No need to watch that garbage. Hard to watch. Greenwood took them the 2OT in the county tourney by holding ball. Wouldn’t surprise me if we lose today


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[JaybobHoosier]

No need to watch that garbage. Hard to watch. Greenwood took them the 2OT in the county tourney by holding ball. Wouldn’t surprise me if we lose today


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I don’t blame coaches for using it because they can, but I HATE it! Just put up a 35 second shot clock and go!


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[fwgreenway]

13 minutes ago, JaybobHoosier said:

 

I don’t blame coaches for using it because they can, but I HATE it! Just put up a 35 second shot clock and go!


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Exactly......am I looking at this wrong? Isn't it 'time' to put a shot clock in high school ball. 45 sec. or 35sec. - whatever, just stop teams from completely stalling the game.

[Uspshoosier]

Center Grove wins it 32-22. TJD had 4 I think


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[woodenshoemanHoosierfan]

 

I don’t blame coaches for using it because they can, but I HATE it! Just put up a 35 second shot clock and go!

 

 

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There would be more problems than benefits with a shot clock. Look at the problems they have at the college level. Now imagine all these schools having to find 1 more competent person to operate the shot clock. Many schools have a hard time finding a competent person to operate the clock, stats panel, or keeping book, especially small schools. 

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[Class of '66 Old Fart]

9 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Center Grove wins it 32-22. TJD had 4 I think


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Game announcers also said he had 4 pts. but was 0-3 FT.  Center Grove plays Franklin Central Friday night at 6:00.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Center Grove ground its way to a 32-22 triumph over Greenwood.  The host Trojans (17-8) will face Franklin Central in Friday’s first semifinal.

Greenwood (9-14) came out taking a very deliberate approach in the opener, holding the ball for more than three minutes on its first possession, but it did not have the desired effect right away — turnovers on three of their first four trips helped put the Woodmen in an 8-0 hole after the opening quarter.

Gradually, though, their patience paid off. Matthew Allen provided a spark with back-to-back buckets at the start of the second, and Bryce Hoffman got to the basket for three layups, the last of which came with five seconds left in the half and cut the Trojans’ lead to 14-12.

“When you know you’ve got a team like that with the firepower they have, you don’t want to start that way,” Greenwood coach Joe Bradburn said. “But at the same time, we established the tempo that we wanted. … I was proud of our guys because they stuck to our game plan.”

Spencer Piercefield and Justin DeGraaf layups stretched Center Grove’s lead to six with 3:21 left in the third period, but the Woodmen stayed within range. After Trayce Jackson-Davis finally scored his first points of the night on an alley-oop from Piercefield with 5:09 to go in the game, T.J. Price hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 24-20 at the 4:05 mark.

But that was as close as it got down the stretch. Another lob from Piercefield to Jackson-Davis with 2:08 on the clock made it a seven-point game, and Center Grove took care of business at the foul line to close it out.

Though the pace of the game may have frustrated the Trojans at times — Jackson-Davis was held scoreless for nearly 27 minutes and finished with just four points — they never lost their composure.

“I feel like we’re really prepared for almost any defense that a team throws at us, just based on what kind of teams we’ve played already,” Center Grove guard Ben Nicoson said. “Stall ball, diamond and two, stuff like that. So I feel like we have the offensive capabilities and the mindset to attack anything that teams throw at us.”

Price led all scorers with 12 for the Woodmen, including all 10 of his team’s second-half points. Piercefield and Nicoson paced the Trojans with six each.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Halftime and Center Grove leading Franklin Central 32 - 21.  Not a bad first half for our future Hoosier.