Warriors roll by Athenians to championship

GREENCASTLE — Danville never trailed in an 84-62 win over Crawfordsville on Friday night in the IHSAA Class 3A Greencastle Sectional semifinal. The Warriors jumped out to a 12-0 lead, and despite a comeback effort led by Crawfordsville’s Ty Lynas to get the Athenians back in the game, Danville put its foot back on the gas until the final horn. Trailing 12-0, Lynas scored seven points on a 10-6 Athenian run midway through the first quarter. Danville led 22-15 at the end of the quarter, before Lynas added another pair of baskets, and Mekhi Wallace cut the lead to 23-21 with a layup with 5:44 left in the half, leading to Warriors’ coach Brian Barber calling a timeout. And it was all over from there. The Warriors ended the half on an 18-6 run, and after Crawfordsville once more cut the lead the single digits in the second half, Danville widened its lead to 61-44 at the end of three quarters. Dillon Ware led Danville with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting. The Warriors connected on 32-of-62 shots from the field as a team, but Crawfordsville coach David Pierce was more concerned with what happened on shots the Warriors didn’t make. “I felt like we played hard enough and were focused enough on our game plan,” he said. “but why can’t we block out? We had mental lapses, and teams like Danville will make you pay.” Danville out-rebounded Crawfordsville 42-25, turning 15 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points, and 12 Athenian turnovers into 15 points. “It’s a lot of points that make a difference,” Pierce added. “It’s a tight game if we don’t give up those points.” Crawfordsville connected on 22-of-57 shots, including just 6-of-27 from behind the arc. Juniors Lynas and Jesse Hall helped keep the Athenians in the game in the first half and ended the game with 17 points apiece. “I thought Ty was great in the first half,” Pierce said. “It got us right back in it after that 12-0 start.” Senior Karsten Williamson added 11 points, while sophomore Ian Hensley chipped in nine. Sam Comer added 16 for the Warriors, while Kobe Ward add 14 and Garrett Fulwider 11. With the win Danville improves to 21-4 on the season and advances to the sectional final where they will meet North Montgomery after the Chargers defeated Frankfort 49-46 on Friday night. Danville is seeking its third sectional title in the last four years, while North Montgomery is playing for its first since 2009. Crawfordsville’s season comes to a close with a 13-11 record, and the Athenians will graduate seniors Williamson, Carson Scott, Cole Watt, and Nate Mayer. “They’re a really special group and really nice guys,” Pierce said about the foursome. “We were really happy with this group.” Danville 84, Crawfordsville 62 CHS 15 12 17 18 — 62 DV 22 19 20 23 — 84 CHS (13-11): Ty Lynas 6-16 4-4 17, Carson Scott 0-2 0-0 0, Karsten Williamson 3-7 4-4 11, Ziair Morgan 2-5 0-0 6, Jesse Hall 7-14 2-3 17, Cole Watt 0-1 0-0 0, Nate Mayer 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Kellerman 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Hensley 3-10 2-2 9, Mekhi Wallace 1-2 0-0 2; Totals 22-57 11-12 62. DV (21-4): Peyton Roof 3-8 2-2 9, Tyler Dostin 0-1 0-2 0, Dillon Ware 12-17 7-9 31, Braxton Fulwider 0-2 0-0 0, Kaleb Stevens 1-1 0-0 3, Garrett Fulwider 5-9 1-2 11, Kobe Ward 5-12 4-6 14, Sam Comer 6-12 2-4 16; Totals 32-62 16-25 84. 3-Point Shooting: CHS 6-26 (Morgan 2, Lynas, Hall, Williamson, Hensley), DV 4-12 (Comer 2, Roof, Stevens). Rebounds: CHS 25, DV 42 Turnovers: CHS 12, DV 8