No sweep. Indiana All-Stars put pedal to floor, knock off Kentucky to earn series split
INDIANAPOLIS -- Kentucky might have got one, but there was not going to be a sweep of the Indiana All-Stars.
Markus Burton and Co. made certain of that early and often in Saturday night’s 95-74 Indiana All-Stars victory over the Kentucky All-Stars in front of 4,602 fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. A night after Kentucky blitzed Indiana early in its win, Indiana jumped out to a 17-0 lead and reapplied the pressure after Kentucky pulled as close as four points.
The Notre Dame-bound Burton, this year’s IndyStar Mr. Basketball from Penn, scored 26 points and had six rebounds to lead the All-Stars to their 25th win the past 28 meetings in the annual two-game series with Kentucky.
“We drove down to Kentucky and took a tough loss,” Burton said. “It motivated us. … We came out this game prepared, played hard, competed and guarded the transition very well. That was a plus for us.”
It has been since 1986 that Kentucky has pulled off the sweep of Indiana. “We didn’t want to be the first team to do that,” Valparaiso’s Mason Jones said. “We took that personal and locked in and came out strong.”
The easy transition baskets that Kentucky used to build a big lead Friday were not available Saturday. It was Indiana that was the aggressor instead, though Kentucky did claw back to within four points just before halftime and trailed 39-33 at the break.
At the start of the second half, though, the Indiana All-Stars stepped on the gas again with a 17-6 run. Burton was a big part of the problem for Kentucky.
“He’s a pretty good basketball player and there’s a reason why he’s wearing that No. 1 jersey,” Kentucky coach Rod Drake of Owensboro said. “One of the things about him is he’s so smooth with it. He controlled both games, actually. (Friday night) we just had a bigger lead. He’s a tough basketball player.”
It was a better night overall for the Indiana All-Stars other than Burton, too. The Ball State-bound Jones added energy and muscle and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Noblesville guard Luke Almodovar was a spark off the bench with 15 points and Ben Davis guard Sheridan Sharp filled the stat sheet with seven points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
“I thought the guys listened and were eager to learn,” said All-Stars coach Don Carlisle, who returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to coach for the first time since his Giants won the Class 4A state championship in March. “I fell in love with the group and the individual players. It was a little different from what I’m used to. We had a couple bumps in the road, but they handled themselves with grace and we’re going to have some really good players come from off this team.”
The All-Stars were down to 10 players for Saturday’s game. Heritage Christian’s Myles Colvin, a Purdue recruit, had obligations with USA Basketball that prevented him from playing. Linton-Stockton guard Joey Hart is injured with turf toe and visited Kentucky on Saturday, and Cathedral’s Xavier Booker reported Thursday to Michigan State.
The 10-player roster was more than enough. The All-Stars seemed more in sync and together than the previous night in Kentucky. In contrast, Kentucky appeared to be a step slow following the long bus ride.
“Everybody had to adjust,” Sharp said. “Everybody is the man at their own school so it was kind of hard at first. But when everybody figured out their roles, I feel like we clicked in together and everybody bought into their roles and what they are best at. That’s the reason why we got the job done (Saturday).”
It was a special night for all of the All-Stars, but arguably even more for Almodovar. The Noblesville guard had two goals coming into the season: win a sectional and be named an Indiana All-Star. He was probably considered an unlikely choice for the latter early in the season, but was one of the 13 named after an outstanding senior season.
Before Saturday’s game, his grandfather, 1965 IndyStar Mr. Basketball Billy Keller of Indianapolis Washington, was honored at halfcourt.
“At halftime he told me not to foul anymore,” Almodovar said with a laugh. “And I got two quick ones. But I talked to him all week about the games and practice. He’s really an inspiration for me. I called him right when I found out (I was named an All-Star). He was unbelievably excited for me and it’s an honor to be on this team. The history behind it is so big and so amazing. I’m really glad we got this one at home. He’s always been a role model for me and it’s always good to hear he’s proud of me.”
Ben Davis’ Zane Doughty and Forest Park’s Amber Tretter were named the winners of the Wooden/MCL Citizenship Award.
There was plenty of joy in the locker room after Saturday’s win, which officially marked the end of the high school careers for the state’s top players. Many will report to college Sunday or Monday. Some, like Carmel’s Sam Orme at Belmont, have already started and came back to play.
They made their last time together worthwhile.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mr. Basketball Burton leads Indiana All-Stars to split with Kentucky
