'It was definitely a statement.' Defending champs Ben Davis take down Lawrence North.

INDIANAPOLIS – K.J. Windham and defending Class 4A state champion Ben Davis had two objectives Friday night, and they nearly hit both marks.

While Windham fell just one bucket short of joining the 1,000-point club, the eighth-ranked Giants collectively reached their goal and tightened the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference race with a 60-53 upset win over 4A second-ranked Lawrence North.

Windham, a Northwestern recruit, finished with a game-high 29 points for the Giants (15-4, 3-1 MIC), who pulled into a three-way tie atop the conference with Lawrence North (18-2, 3-1 MIC) and Lawrence Central (10-8, 3-1 MIC).

“It was definitely a statement. The rankings came out again, and we weren’t where we wanted to be, and last week after the Zionsville game, I said, “I still feel like we’re the No. 1 team in the state,” Windham said. “We showed that tonight.”

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A perfect 33-0 last season, the Giants haven’t exactly adjusted to losing this season. They are learning from it, and Windham and junior Mark Zackery kept the trend going to lock down Ben Davis’ fifth straight win.

“It was obviously a big game, and not just because of who it is, but the hype around this. Supposed to be the best team in the state versus the defending champions,” Windham said. “I think every big game we’ve played in this year we’ve shown up, so that’s a big part of it.”

Windham was another key part of the equation, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, including eight during the Giants’ opening 8-2 run.

The senior poured in eight more points through the Giants’ 13-0 run in the second quarter that pushed the margin to 29-15. Ben Davis’ largest lead was 14 points, which it built both in the first and fourth quarters.

Wildcats junior Azavier Robinson was averaging 19.9 points per game and was honored prior to the opening tip inside Jack Keefer Gymnasium for eclipsing the 1,000-career point threshold during LN’s 93-59 win over Fort Wayne North on Feb. 3.

The Giants’ defense held Robinson to four points in the first half and 12 overall with eight points amassed in the fourth quarter alone, as the Wildcats mounted a late charge to cut the deficit to two and one possessions in the final minute.

“We told the guys, it’s not one person’s responsibility, even though Mark White did an awesome job," Giants coach Corey Taylor said. "It was all five people. It’s team defense, and I think we did a good job of being active on the ball and being active in gaps. We did a good job of boxing them out, keeping them off the glass and out of transition. That’s where he gets a majority of his points.”

Robinson was coming off four 20-plus point performances in LN’s past five games but found little success until the fourth when he buried two 3-pointers and stole the ball for a transition layup to draw the Giants closer.

Robinson’s second 3-pointer fell through with 36 seconds remaining to cut Ben Davis’ lead, 56-53, as the Giants went scoreless for five minutes. Ben Davis’ 9-for-9 free-throw shooting in the fourth sustained its advantage despite the lull.

Poor shooting hurt the Wildcats, especially from 3-point range where they converted 6-of-21 attempts compared to Ben Davis’ 5-for-12. The Giants went 15-of-16 from the foul line. The Wildcats were 3-of-5.

“We had a scoreboard sense of urgency at some point in the fourth quarter, and I think, quite frankly, our energy and our intensity picked up. That’s not really a recipe for long-term success when you wait for those dire moments to really get going,” LN coach Chris Giffin said.

“Bottom line. You can look at other things, rebounding and key turnovers and whatnot, but the singularly most important thing in basketball is still putting the ball in the basket. They did a better job of that tonight.”

White and Windham combined to go 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 20.4 seconds to fend off the Marion County champion Wildcats. Windham sank the last two, pushing his career-point total to 999.

“I’m glad I get to get it at home,” said Windham referring to Ben Davis’ upcoming home game against 4A No. 7 Cathedral on Feb. 16. “Obviously, you don’t think you’re going to go out and get 30 when you’re 30 points away from 1,000, but it just being this game and a big game, I’m glad I was able to perform the way I did in order to help our team win.”

Zackery had nine points and seven rebounds for the Giants. Sophomore Justin Parks followed with seven points and four rebounds. White had six points.

The Wildcats have lost two of their last three contests and have Pike (6-12, 1-2 MIC) left on their conference schedule on Feb. 16. Ben Davis will meet Lawrence Central on Feb. 20 at home.

“I think, if we play like we did tonight, there isn’t a team that can beat us,” Windham said. “We have a few losses that we will be able to get back in the (state) tournament hopefully, but yeah, when we play like that, we’re no doubt the No. 1 team in the state. Hopefully, that lets everyone else know that, too.”

A year ago, this time, the Giants were Marion County champions, closing in on a MIC title and prepping towards an eventual sixth-straight sectional crown and first state championship since 2017.

“You can see how hungry we were on the court today, and I think we made a statement,” Taylor said. “That was one of the goals they set. Guys like K.J. and Mark Zackery. Their goal is to come back and get one for themselves. I think we’re doing that. Moving in the right direction.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball: KJ Windham's 30 points lead Ben Davis past Lawrence North