New Albany wins Hall of Fame Classic

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Bulldogs claim second Hall of Fame title

By KEVIN HARRIS

NEW CASTLE – Class 4A No. 4 New Albany captured its second Hall of Fame Classic championship last Friday at New Castle Fieldhouse, defeating 4A No. 3 Logansport in the title game 58-33. It was the second time the Bulldogs (7-2) have won the 40^th annual tournament, with their first crown coming in 2007. New Albany advanced to the championship game earlier in the day with a 43-33 victory over Warsaw.

Junior guard Romeo Langford led the Bulldogs in the final with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. New Albany’s all-time leading scorer was named the Hall of Fame Classic MVP.

Senior guard Isaac Hibbard was the only other Bulldog in double figures, tallying 11 points. Hibbard also received an honor at the tournament, as he earned the Jennings Scholarship award.

New Albany’s defense turned this top-5 matchup into a laugher in the second half. With the Bulldogs up 26-21 at halftime, they held Logansport (8-1) scoreless in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 41-21. The Berries did not score in the latter half until about the 6:40 mark of the fourth.

Providing the main defensive spark was sophomore guard Derrick Stevenson, who held Logansport sharpshooting guard Matt Jennings to 12 points. Stevenson also grabbed nine rebounds.

Versus Warsaw (6-4), Langford had 14 points and eight rebounds and teammate Sean East scored 14 points and distributed five assists. East, a 6-foot guard, joined Langford on the all-tournament team. Hibbard chipped in nine points.

The Bulldogs (1-0 Hoosier Hills Conference) will visit archrival Jeffersonville (7-3, 2-0 HHC) at 7:30 p.m. this coming Friday.

HALL OF FAME CLASSIC

CHAMPIONSHIP

NEW ALBANY 58, LOGANSPORT 33

Logansport     7 14   0 12-33

New Albany  11 15 15 17-58

Logansport (8-1): Matt Jennings 12, Jalen Adaway 6, Will Penny 5, Jacob Cox 3, Chase Fischer 3, Tucker Platt 2, Hunter DeHaven 2.

New Albany (7-2): Romeo Langford 20, Isaac Hibbard 11, Julien Hunter 8, Sean East 6, Derrick Stevenson 6, Savion Southers 4, Marcus McGee 3.

SEMIFINAL

NEW ALBANY 43, WARSAW 33

New Albany       12 11 12   8-43

Warsaw              10   7   6 10-33

New Albany (6-2): East 14, Langford 14, Hibbard 9, Hunter 6.

Warsaw (6-3): Kyle Mangas 13, Asher Blum 9, Ross Johnson 5, Jeremy David 4, Jaceb Burish 2.