(2018) PG Robert Phinisee to Cincinnati

[WayneFleekHoosier 49,179]

Lost by 4. 23 pts, 11rbs, 5 ast, 5 TOs.

 

On 9/23 shots

 

 

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[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

FINAL, Hoops Classic 3rd place:  McCutcheon 86, Central Catholic 42.

Phinisee 39 pts, 9 boards, 7 steals, 5 assists for Mavs.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

 

[Hoosierfan2017 22,498]

6/12 from 3!!

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

LAFAYETTE - It says something about how competitive the annual Lafayette area boys basketball tournament really is when the two most ballyhooed local teams are relegated to a fight for third place.

So it was Saturday night, when Class 4A No. 5 McCutcheon and Class A No. 5 Central Catholic met in the third-place game of the Franciscan Health Hoops Classic at Lafayette Jeff's Crawley Center. McCutcheon won the game 86-42.

Senior Robert Phinisee racked up 39 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists for the Mavericks.

"I don't think any one team out here this year is a lot better than anybody else. I felt like everybody had a chance to win," said Phinisee, who has signed to play at Indiana beginning next year.

"It was huge for us to get it going early, and I think we did that. When we get our offense going, I feel like we're pretty tough to beat."

McCutcheon, which last won the Hoops Classic in 2015, took advantage of three scoring spurts to put the game away.

The first run came during the first quarter, when the Mavericks used an 11-0 run to turn an 8-8 tie into a 19-8 lead. Then, up 41-25 at halftime, they opened the third quarter with another 11-0 run that ran the score to 52-25.

Yet another 11-0 run late in the third made it 65-29 and all but ended the game. McCutcheon led by as many as 46 points during the fourth quarter.

"I think we have spurt-ability because of our steals and our defensive length. That's something we have to do," first-year McCutcheon coach Tyler Scherer said. "With Robert and our other scorers, we have to score in quick spurts, and that starts with our defense."

While Phinisee was racking up baskets, including a 6-for-12 performance from 3-point range, teammates Koby McNeely and Keldon Tyson did their part. McNeely hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, while Tyson finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Bryson McGhee added six points and 10 rebounds.

"It's very important for us to take the pressure off Robert. He's got a lot of pressure on him already," McNeely said. "We're pretty good when we get our offense on a run. When we get our side guys going, we can be pretty hard to stop."

Sophomore Carson Barrett collected 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Central Catholic, which is a three-time state champion but has never won the Hoops Classic. Jonah Switzer added seven points.

"It's a tough tournament for us. We play 3A and 4A teams all week," Knights coach David Barrett said. "We just didn't handle that well this time. It's our first three games of the year, and it's a grind. It's a struggle. These teams are good, year in and year out."

Both McCutcheon (3-1) and Central Catholic (1-2) next play on Dec. 8, when the Mavericks host Kokomo and the Knights play at Clinton Prairie.

McCutcheon and Central Catholic have a rematch scheduled for Jan. 5.

[Uspshoosier 47,526]

Final: #11 McCutcheon defeats Kokomo 84-55. Robert Phinisee with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists for the Mavs. @robphinisee1 @JeffRabjohns @insidethehall


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[HooHooHoo22 3,902]

Final: #11 McCutcheon defeats Kokomo 84-55. Robert Phinisee with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists for the Mavs. @robphinisee1 @JeffRabjohns @insidethehall


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What a game !


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[Old Friend 8,389]

35 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Final: #11 McCutcheon defeats Kokomo 84-55. Robert Phinisee with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists for the Mavs. @robphinisee1 @JeffRabjohns @insidethehall


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Love it.  Thank you.

I said it as soon as Miller became our coach.....while we all want Langford, this is the kid I wanted as much.  He will be a 4 year player; and probably a 3-4 year starter who will make everyone better.   He is simply a terrific player.

[ebridges24 2,449]

Who was that other point guard we were recruiting.....oh well, who cares right?

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

LAFAYETTE - There are some nights a basketball player knows there's nothing his opponent can do to stop them.

Unfortunately for Kokomo, McCutcheon's Robert Phinisee and Rowen Farrell both enjoyed that same feeling.

Phinisee scored a game-high 32 points and Farrell added 21 with the aid of five 3-pointers to lead the Mavericks to an 84-55 North Central Conference boys basketball victory Friday night.

"I really just try to go into every game confident," Phinisee said. "When I get rolling, the team gets rolling."

Kokomo (1-1) never led and its only tie was at 3 when Jeremy Baker matched Koby McNeely's 3-pointer. McCutcheon (4-1) expanded a 10-point lead to 26-9 thanks to three consecutive steals in just under 90 seconds that produced a basket for Isaac Angstadt and five points for Farrell off a layup and a 3.

"I thought getting off to a good start was really critical," McCutcheon coach Tyler Scherer said. "Once we were able to get that lead, we put them on their heels. We were incredibly active, in the first quarter especially, in getting our hands on passes."

McCutcheon would lead 39-16 before the Wildkats showed signs of life. Kokomo scored 12 of the final 14 points of the first half and scored the first basket of the third quarter on Nate Hemmerich's layup to close within 41-30.

But 3-pointers by Phinisee and McNeely got the Mavericks back on track and their lead was 62-41 by quarter's end.

During that stretch, Phinisee brought the crowd to their feet with a slick move at the free throw line that left his defender flat-footed while the Indiana signee went in for a one-handed slam.

"I didn't plan on dunking but I saw the lane open up so I gathered my feet and took off and decided to slam it at the last second," Phinisee said.

Phinisee nearly had a double-double, handing out nine assists. That unselfish play was pleasing to Scherer, who won his home debut.

"Rob and Rowen had the hot hand, and they were feeding off each other," Scherer said. "The team did such a good job moving the basketball and getting them open shots."

Farrell was 5 of 6  behind the 3-point line and 8 of 12 overall from the field. McCutcheon shot nearly 61 percent overall and 62.5 percent from behind the arc.

The sophomore guard knew he was going to have a big night during warmups.

"Honestly, I could tell my shot was really good," Farrell said. "I just knew it was going to be my night right off the bat."

Reserve forward Ben Miller also was in double figures for McCutcheon with 11.

"He gives us instant energy," Scherer said. "He's one of those guys who does all the little things. He reads the ball well coming off the rim. He's a very good offensive rebounder."

Trajan Deckard's 16 points led three players in double figures for Kokomo. Jeremy Baker added 12, while Anthony Barnard put up 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

McCUTCHEON 84, KOKOMO 55

KOKOMO-White 2-5 1-2 5, Edwards 1-2 0-0 2, Robinson 0-0 1-2 1, Deckard 5-11 4-4 16, Wallace 0-1 0-2 0, Wade 1-2 1-2 3, Barnard 3-10 3-4 10, Jones 1-2 0-0 2, Chamberlain 1-3 0-0 2, Baker 4-9 3-4 12, Hemmerich 1-3 0-0 2, Richards 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-48 13-20 55.

McCUTCHEON-R. Phinisee 12-20 5-6 32, McNeely 2-5 2-2 8, Farrell 8-12 0-2 21, Tyson 3-6 1-2 7, Angstadt 1-2 0-0 2, Miller 4-4 3-5 11, McGhee 1-2 0-1 2, J. Phinisee 0-0 1-4 1, Del Real 0-0 0-0 0, McCurine 0-0 0-4 0. Totals 31-51 12-26 84.

 

[IUHAHN81 2,509]

Gonna end up being LOVED by Indiana! So glad we got him.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

Still early in the season but nonetheless --

McCutcheon’s Robert Phinisee through five games this season:  29.4 PTS  / 7.4 REBS / 6.6 AST

[Crimson and Cream 5,858]

This kid is special. I knew it the first time I ever saw him. Intended to go to Friday's game but work got in the way. Darn holidays. Hopefully McCutcheon plays Kokomo again in the sectionals later on so I can get out to see him.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

INDIANAPOLIS — For a few brief moments, the fans got what they wanted.

Indiana University recruit Robert Phinisee battling back and forth with future Purdue Boilermaker Eric Hunter.

When it was taken away, the fans let the crew officiating Saturday’s McCutcheon-Tindley matchup in the TipOff Classic hear their displeasure.

Phinisee was whistled for a series of questionable foul calls, the fifth and final one an egregious charge call that was met with a lengthy chorus of boos inside Southport Fieldhouse.

“Pretty frustrating,” Phinisee said. “I feel like I let my team down a little bit, but I feel like we finished strong still and we can take things away from that.”

From there, Tindley, led by Hunter’s 25 points and nine rebounds, finished off a scrappy Mavericks team playing inspired without their best player 63-58.

Sophomore Rowen Farrell ran the point and Kobe McNeely delivered from the outside, but it wasn’t enough to overcome last year’s Class A state champion.

Farrell finished with 14 points, McNeely scored 12 on 4 of 8 3-point shooting and Isaac Angstadt provided nine rebounds.

“This is a pretty unique stage for a lot of guys to play on,” McCutcheon coach Tyler Scherer said. “There’s 6,000 people in the gym and for everybody maybe other than Rob, KT (Kelden Tyson) and Isaac (from the 2016 Class 4A runner-up team), this is a new stage. That is a semistate atmosphere in regular season game number six.”

In a showcase event set to match up two of the state’s top seniors against each other, both delivered.

Before fouling out, Phinisee carried his team through the first half, scoring 17 of his 22 points in the first two quarters, including a dunk in traffic that earned praise from both fan bases.

Hunter, the obvious focus of McCutcheon’s defense, had just six points in the first half, but Tindley buried one 3 after another and finished 12 of 18 for the game from beyond the arc.

“For whatever reason, we were just a step slow in the first half and give Tindley credit. They shot a high percentage in the first half and were just a step quicker getting to loose balls,” Scherer said. “We did come out and play harder in the third and fourth quarters and played with more intensity.”

In the third quarter, Hunter went off for 13 points.

Without Phinisee, McCutcheon matched Tindley at 10 points apiece over the final 3:48.

“It was unfortunate the way it worked out. You could make a case for Rob’s third, fourth and fifth fouls were all kind of questionable, but you live with it and move on,” Scherer said. “I thought our guys who finished the game did a good job with a situation that obviously we haven’t practiced before and had to try to perform and freelance some things on a pretty big stage.”

McCutcheon has shown glimpses of how good it can be. Saturday night was the first time several showed it without Phinisee dictating the offense and creating shots for others.

For the Mavericks, it showed progress.

“You don’t just not play a varsity game ever and come into the season and expect to be really good,” McNeely said. “We’re coming together and learning as a team and just all around getting better.”

TINDLEY 63, McCUTCHEON 58

McCUTCHEON – Phinisee 7-16 7-9 22, McNeely 4-10 0-0 12, Farrell 4-11 4-5 14, Tyson 1-4 0-0 2, Angstadt 1-4 0-0 2, Miller 1-2 0-0 2, McGhee 2-3 0-0 4, Mallett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 11-14 58.

TINDLEY – Johnson 4-8 0-0 11, McMahon 5-8 4-6 17, Coleman 1-4 0-0 3, Hunter 8-13 4-5 25, Malone 3-5 1-5 7, Knox 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-39 9-16 63.

End of first quarter-Tindley 16-9. Halftime-Tindley 31-24. End of third quarter-Tindley 47-45.

3-point goals-McCutcheon 7-20 (Phinisee 1-5, McNeely 4-8, Farrell 2-7), Tindley 12-18 (Johnson 3-5, McMahon 3-4, Coleman 1-2, Hunter 5-7). Rebounds-McCutcheon 33 (Angstadt 9), Tindley 23 (Hunter 9). Turnovers-McCutcheon 5, Tindley 9. Fouls-McCutcheon 17 (Phinisee, Tyson), Tindley 17.

McCutcheon is 4-2.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,717]

Indpls. Star -

>>Tindley 63, McCutcheon 58:  Even though it was a call that helped his team in the moment, Eric Hunter did not get much pleasure out of seeing Robert Phinisee leave the game with his fifth foul.

In a battle of future Purdue (Hunter) and Indiana (Phinisee) guards, Hunter got the better of the matchup with 25 points and a win. But Phinisee, who finished with 22 points, did not get a chance to see how it might have ended after fouling out with 3:28 left on a debatable charge call that was roundly booed by the fans at Southport.

“I don’t think it was (a charge),” Phinisee said. “I feel like I let my team down a little bit but we finished strong still and we can take some things away from that and build on it.”

The Purdue-Indiana rivalry aside, Hunter and Phinisee became friends after participating on the Junior Indiana All-Star team together last summer. For a stretch in the second half on Saturday, both took turns scoring in a back-and-forth duel.

“That was a bummer that he went out early,” Hunter said of Phinisee. “We finally started going at it a little bit. They went man for a minute and we were man the whole game. That stretch was fun and the crowd was into it.”

Hunter took some satisfaction in winning the game as a Purdue recruit in an event with three Indiana recruits. Defending Class A state champion Tindley improved to 5-1, while McCutcheon dropped to 4-2.

“I loved the boos when they called my name,” Hunter said with a laugh.

[WayneFleekHoosier 49,179]

Hunter has a winning attitude. I've always liked that kid and his game. Phinisee appears to be playing well too. Hunter is more combo and Phinisee more PG but in general it's a wash talent wise imo. Purdue will continue to be pretty good. They pulled out a pretty solid class.


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[HinnyHoosier 5,177]

Hunter has a winning attitude. I've always liked that kid and his game. Phinisee appears to be playing well too. Hunter is more combo and Phinisee more PG but in general it's a wash talent wise imo. Purdue will continue to be pretty good. They pulled out a pretty solid class.


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RP and Hunter with some Twitter jabs the day after going head to head.

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[Yogi's Picnic Basket 5,004]

RP is gonna play a lot next year. 

[ap2345 9,066]

3 hours ago, Yogi's Picnic Basket said:

RP is gonna play a lot next year. 

That's very accurate.

[MoyeNeeded 3,073]

Yeah, gonna see alot of Al and RP.

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