ROSSVILLE – It was an opening act of a generation delivered by Rossville junior Brayden Thiele-Hahn on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
A heat check that became a heat wave for Thiele-Hahn, who hit 3-pointers and attacked angles reserved only for those players of elite stature.
Thiele-Hahn scored a school record 52 points on 20-for-29 shooting and 10 of 18 from 3-point range in a virtuoso performance to beat Delphi 77-48 at home in his team’s season opener.
“I couldn’t really miss,” Thiele-Hahn said. “I wasn’t expecting this at all, to be honest.”
Thiele-Hahn broke his school’s previous single-game scoring record set by Garry Kamstra in 1972. Kamstra, who played at Cincinnati from 1973-76, scored 50 points, and it was against Delphi as well.
Thiele-Hahn was effective on both ends of the floor, finishing with a double-double with 10 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
“I told the guys in there that that is what hard work does,” Rossville coach Corey Dunn said. “He works harder than any kid we have. He’s put the effort in, put the time in, he’s worked on the deficiencies in his game, which aren’t many. He affected the game in every aspect. He’s a humble kid, does it the right way. We’re just glad he’s in a Rossville uniform.”
How Thiele-Hahn got hot
Thiele-Hahn kept getting fed the ball. Simple jumpers in the first quarter became artistry in the third quarter after 27 at halftime.
The captain hit a 3-pointer, fading to his left, and then another 3-pointer the next possession with 4:55 in the third quarter.
“I just kept shooting,” Thiele-Hahn said. “I want to thank my trainer, Chase Fry, my teammates, and my coaches. I fell in love with basketball, and I’ve always wanted to be great at it. I’ve always wanted to make it somewhere in basketball.”
Delphi coach Chad Pulver credited Thiele-Hahn after his team battled from an early deficit to lead 17-16 with 2:32 in the first quarter.
Guard Kaydn McAtee scored 14 points, but Pulver soon found himself as both opposition and spectator to Thiele-Hahn’s magnificence.
A performance to remember
“It was a show, and what the difference was, though, was that when they pulled away, we were allowing them to throw the ball 35 feet,” Pulver said. “They would have the ball bounce once, and their guy was untouched going to the basket.”
Nothing Delphi attempted to change Thiele-Hahn’s offensive approach worked. The Oracles sent double teams and traps—face guarding, help side defense, all to no avail.
“When the guys are coming to the sideline and asking if we were going to do something different, are we going to face guard him again, and the reality is he was well outside what most people would be concerned about as far as a player taking a shot and the odds being in our favor,” Pulver said. “We were trying to limit his touches, and it wasn’t like we weren’t making adjustments.”
Moving ahead after historic night
Thiele-Hahn was in the gym at Rossville as popcorn and trash were being swept and vacuumed by custodial staf.f
It was game one. There weren’t sectional titles on stake or any trophies to be won.
But it was an unforgettable night for the Rossville program, which, for its 1A class, has been a power player in the Lafayette area for Indiana high school basketball.
The Hornets have won 20 sectional titles, five regional championships, and their lone semistate and state title came in 2002.
Thiele-Hahn’s performance could foreshadow what’s to come for Rossville.
Not being one to dwell on past accomplishments, Thiele-Hahn will take a day off for rest and festivities before getting back to practice.
“I’m going to continue to be the same guy,” Thiele-Hahn said. “We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Rossville junior Brayden Thiele-Hahn breaks over half-century scoring mark
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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