Blackmon, Luers Too Much For Tigers
FORT WAYNE – A tough second quarter and just too much James Blackmon Jr. were too much for Warsaw to overcome in boys basketball action Friday night.
Blackmon Jr., an IU recruit and one of the nation’s top players, poured in 34 points to pace host Fort Wayne Luers past the Tigers 77-63.
Senior Jared Bloom netted 23 points to lead Warsaw, which drops to 10-9.
Warsaw led 18-15 after the first quarter before being outscored 18-3 in the pivotal second quarter to trail 33-21 at halftime. The Tigers shot just 9-of-28 from the field, including 2-of-11 on 3-point attempts, in the opening half.
Blackmon Jr., a 6-2 junior shooting guard, finished with 34 points on 8-of-18 shooting. He hit 5-of-12 treys and and went 13-of-14 at the free throw line. Blackmon Jr. also had eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. The Luers star, who committed to IU before he ever played a high school game, is the son of Luers coach James Blackmon. The elder Blackmon was a star player at Marion High School and then at the University of Kentucky.
John Swanson had 11 points for Warsaw, which finished the game 25-of-55 from the field including 3-of-14 on threes. Taylor Cone, Jordan Stookey and Rashaan Jackson each had six points for the Tigers, who had 17 turnovers in the loss.
Blackmon Jr. who was sidelined late in his sophomore season with a knee injury, averaged 25.1 points-per-game a year ago before being hurt in a game versus Indianapolis Tech. He averaged 20.8 ppg. as a freshman.
Randon Jackson scored 20 points Friday night for Luers, which improved to 12-6 with its fifth straight win. The Knights, who average 76 ppg., also got 11 points from Vijay Blackmon, James’ younger brother.
Warsaw defeated Luers 53-43 last season in a game that Blackmon Jr. missed due to his injury. Luers won back-to-back Class 2-A state championships in 2008 and 2009, led by former Mr. Basketball and current Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas.
The Warsaw junior varsity team continued its strong season with a 42-27 win over Luers Friday night.
Nick Sands scored 10 points and Peyton Long had nine for coach Jason Culver’s squad. Riley Rhoades and Jake Mangas each netted six points. Warsaw outscored Luers 15-6 in the fourth quarter to pull away to the 15-point victory.
Jonny Hollar and Tim Swanson each scored three points and Cody Freeman and Paul Marandet each had two and Ben Linky one for the Tigers. Freeman led Warsaw with five rebounds.
Warsaw hosts Fort Wayne Carroll Friday night in the regular-season finale. Luers plays at Fort Wayne South on Wednesday.