SHERIDAN – If you did back far enough into the history of Sheridan basketball, you uncover a jewel of a program.
The Blackhawks of the 1950s, coached by Larry Hobbs, were a juggernaut. Sheridan won seven consecutive sectional titles – three on its home floor – and even went on to win the single-class regional championships in 1950 and ’55. Sheridan of that era was so tough at home that sportswriters joked the Blackhawks would win the state title if they picked up the floorboards and moved them to Butler, where the state finals were played.
Time passed. Sheridan became synonymous with football over the years, winning nine state championships under Bud Wright. There was intermittent basketball success but nothing close to the 1950s era. The program has just three sectional victories – total – since the 2006-07 season.
But a packed parking lot on a frosty January Friday night showed the excitement is back for Sheridan basketball. And an exciting victory – a 59-53 win over Taylor to clinch a share of the Hoosier Heartland Conference championship – should keep them coming back.
“Winning is fun,” said fourth-year Sheridan coach Bill Bowen, a 1971 Sheridan graduate who coached at Hamilton Heights and Tri-Central previously. “I just really enjoy coaching. I started four years ago, and the kids have really bought in. The basketball history here is not real long and real deep, so it’s kind of new and kind of tough to develop that culture.”
Nights like Friday, a win against a talented conference rival, certainly help. Sheridan (11-2 overall, 7-0 Hoosier Heartland) trailed 37-31 at halftime in an up and down, no-shot-clock-necessary game. Taylor (10-5, 3-2) took all the momentum to the locker room after a pair of 3-pointers by Drey McClatchey and one by Javionne Harris to end the half.
If there was something said in the locker room to spark the Blackhawks, senior Devon Hamilton missed it entirely. He was crowned the Hardwood Homecoming king during the halftime festivities. “I voted for him,” teammate Trey Page said.
Hamilton, a 6-3 senior, scored eight of his team-high 14 points after halftime to lead a balanced attack. Jax Peerman and Desh Donathan each added 13 points and season leading scorer Trey Page finished with nine points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals. Of Sheridan’s 24 made field goals, 18 came on assists.
“Those assists are really essential to the game,” Page said. “That’s what gets points on the board. You have to be a team-first player. It can’t just be you hunting shots. When you hunt shots and you are the leader of the team, other players are going to be like, ‘I’m going to do that, too.’ You just have to show how to play your role and know how to play your role.”
This is a bit of a “prove it” weekend for Sheridan, which comes off Friday’s big conference win with another tough challenge on Saturday at Covenant Christian (7-5).
“We’ve been proving it all season from the first game to now,” said Peerman, a senior who averages 10.5 points and a team-high 6.3 assists. “Rossville was a good win. But this one was a statement.”
A statement in part because it came against a sectional opponent. The Blackhawks, after winning all those sectional titles under Hobbs, one just one more … in 1983. That is a lengthy drought that Sheridan hopes to snap this season. The six-team sectional field is a tough one that also includes Lapel (9-4) and Frankton (10-4).
But this is a program learning to win. The shouts caused by clinching a tie for the conference title were audible in the hallway outside the locker room after Friday night’s win.
“It was a great atmosphere tonight,” Page said. “I want to see that throughout this year and next year. We’re bringing back Sheridan basketball and this team can do it.”
Other highlights from Friday’s games
*Cooper Zachary scored 36 points on 11-for-12 shooting, setting a school record with 10 3-pointers, in Class 4A top-ranked Fishers’ 76-28 win over Franklin Central. The Tigers (17-0) play at No. 7 Carmel (11-2) on Saturday night. Carmel is the last team to beat Fishers in the regular season – two years ago. The Tigers now have a 47-game regular season winning streak.
*Speaking of Carmel, the Greyhounds held off Ben Davis 68-66 on the road. Evan Harrell led Carmel (11-2) with 25 points and five rebounds and Cash Daniels added 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Taj Long led Ben Davis (10-4) with 22 points. Sherman Moss-Wright added 16 points and JaShawn Ladd had 12.
*Brownsburg (9-7) won 51-44 at Zionsville (10-7). The Bulldogs are now tied with the Eagles in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference with matching 4-1 records behind 5-0 Fishers. The Tigers have Westfield and Zionsville remaining on the HCC schedule.
*DeZhon Hall went over 1,000 career points in Crispus Attucks’ 67-52 win over Christel House. Hall finished with 21 points. Blessed Thomas led the Tigers with 22 points.
Here are the other Super 25 results from Friday night:
1: Fishers (17-0): Defeated Franklin Central 76-28
2: Crown Point (14-0): Defeated LaPorte 48-42
3: Silver Creek (17-1): Did not play
4: Plainfield (17-1): Defeated Decatur Central 77-54
5: Mt. Vernon (15-2): Defeated New Castle 63-42
6: Lawrence North (15-2): Did not play
7: Pike (14-3): Did not play
8: Carmel (11-2): Defeated Ben Davis 68-66
9. Cathedral (14-3): Defeated Richmond 93-53
10: Northridge (14-1): Defeated Plymouth 62-37
11: Ben Davis (10-4): Lost to Carmel 68-66
12: Portage (16-0): Defeated Michigan City 67-56
13: Pendleton Heights (12-2): Defeated Greenfield-Central 63-45
14: Terre Haute North (13-3): Defeated McCutcheon 74-27
15: New Albany (10-4): Defeated Evansville North 75-57
16: South Bend St. Joseph (11-4): Defeated Elkhart 79-58
17: South Bend Riley (12-3): Defeated New Prairie 66-26
18: Oak Hill (13-0): Defeated Madison-Grant 81-28
19: Zionsville (10-7): Lost to Brownsburg 51-44
20: Penn (11-3): Defeated South Bend Adams 66-52
21: Brownsburg (9-7): Defeated Zionsville 51-44
22: Chesterton (13-3): Defeated Lake Central 47-35
23: Whiteland (14-2): Defeated Mooresville 82-66
24: Shelbyville (13-4): Defeated Speedway 55-38
25: Parke Heritage (13-3): Did not play
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Bringing back Sheridan basketball.’ Blackhawks clinch share of league title
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
