BOYS BB: No. 8 Kats outlast Red Devils in Cox Tourney final

Dec. 24—Kokomo's boys basketball team took Jeffersonville's best shot in the title game of the fourth annual Phil Cox Memorial Tournament on Saturday night at Memorial Gym.

Class 4A No. 8-ranked Wildkats punched right back.

Kokomo beat Jeffersonville 64-57 in a game that featured nine lead changes and three ties. The Kats took the lead for good in the final minute of the third quarter and kept the Red Devils at arm's length the rest of the way to win the tournament for the first time.

"I thought that was a high level high school basketball game between two really good teams. I think they'll have a chance to be in the semistate in the south," Kokomo coach John Peckinpaugh said. "It was a resilient, gutty performance by our guys. I thought Kokomo got to see some really good basketball in this one."

Jeffersonville coach Sherron Wilkerson tipped his hat to the Kats.

"I thought their ability to make big plays, whenever we made runs at them, I thought that was the difference in the game," he said. "They were poised. They kept their composure. Every time we punched them, they counter punched us."

The Red Devils (5-3) made their biggest run in the third quarter. The Kats opened the half with a 34-24 lead, but the Red Devils came out the aggressors and they took a 41-40 lead with 2:42 left in the quarter and a 45-43 lead at 1:34.

The Kats (9-2) regained control with a 6-0 flurry in the final 30 seconds of the quarter. First, Flory Bidunga dunked inside and was fouled. He made the free throw for a 3-point play. Following a Red Devil turnover in the closing seconds, Karson Rogers beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer for a 49-45 lead.

The Kats opened the final quarter with a 7-2 run, capped by Korbyn Hammel's 3-pointer at 5:24, for a 56-47 lead. The Red Devils battled to the end, but were unable to come any closer than five.

Peckinpaugh liked how the Kats responded when they fell behind.

"I thought our guys did a great job of battling through adversity," he said. "That's why we play teams like Westfield and Fishers early on, just so we continue to get better. In November, we lose this game — kind of like the Westfield game where we have a lead and kind of stumble and don't show the grit to hang on. [Saturday], we win it, and hopefully we continue to get better.

"We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we've made a lot of strides here in the first two months."

Kokomo has won five in a row since losing to No. 1-ranked Fishers on Dec. 9.

"I feel like at first, we were a little shaky, getting used to playing with each other," senior guard Reis Beard said, noting the Kats came into the season with a rebuilt lineup. "Now I'm getting that old bond that I had with my guys last year. I think we're starting to bond as a team. We're just getting a better feel for the game with each other on the floor."

Bidunga and Rogers led Kokomo in the title game with double-doubles, just like in the Kats' semifinal victory over South Bend Riley on Saturday morning. In the final, Bidunga had 18 points, 13 rebounds, nine blocked shots and two assists. Rogers had 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one block. Bidunga showed his expanded offensive game as he hit a mid-range jumper in addition to a baseline jumper and two hook shots.

Also for the Kats, Zion Bellamy scored 14 points and dished four assists, Baris Moore hit three 3-pointers for nine points and Hammel had six points.

The Kats committed only seven turnovers.

"I thought we did the best job on the year of valuing possessions," Peckinpaugh said.

Beard did not attempt a shot and scored just one point, but he made a big impact on the defensive end with three steals.

"Reis was amazing in the second half defensively," Peckinpaugh said.

Beard thrives on defense, which showed in Kokomo's state tourney runs the last two seasons. He said the Kats are improving defensively.

"This team we have now is probably a little bit better offensively than last year with the talent, but we have to learn how we won last year wasn't our offense, it was our defense," he said. "They're starting to realize that and we're going to keep getting better each and every week."

Michael Cooper led the Red Devils with 24 points and post Tre Singleton, who battled Bidunga inside, had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Wilkerson praised Kokomo athletic director Nick Sale and Peckinpaugh for a well-run tournament.

"Class act, top to bottom, so we were very fortunate to have an invite to come to this tournament," he said.

As for the Kats, Wilkerson called them one of the best teams in the state.

"Well coached, very disciplined, play together. They are epitome of Indiana high school basketball, and that's why we came up here — if you want to be the best, you have to play against the best," he said. "Obviously Mr. Bidunga is unbelievable and Coach Peckinpaugh has done a good job developing him. I remember when he very first came to Kokomo, he was a great athlete. Now, he's a great athlete and a great basketball player."

KOKOMO 81, SB RILEY 54

The Wildkats got double-doubles from Rogers and Bidunga in comfortably dispatching Class 4A co-No. 17 South Bend Riley on Saturday morning in the first semifinal.

Rogers hurt Riley with an active game on the glass, posting a game-high 22 points and game-high 14 rebounds as well as three assists and two steals. Bidunga faced a swarm of defenders when he got the ball in the post, but still managed 19 points to go with 13 boards and seven blocked shots. Rogers hit 10 of 14 shots and Bidunga 8 of 9.

Outside, Moore had a strong outing with 15 points and three assists, and Bellamy had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Beard added seven points. Moore hit three of Kokomo's five 3-pointers.

Kokomo led 22-13 after a quarter and 39-32 at halftime, then broke the game open with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter. Moore, Bidunga, Rogers and Bellamy each scored in that span and the lead never dipped to single digits again. Kokomo was in control up 61-42 after three quarters.

"It definitely feels special," Beard said of winning the tourney. "We played two really good teams [Saturday] and we won both of them. I'm happy, I'm happy with my guys."

Pedro Velazco contributed to this story.