Big Interior Play Defines North’s 78-55 Win Saturday

Nick Gonnella

Greensburg — The North Decatur boys basketball team picked up its first win Saturday night, scoring 31 points in the second quarter on its way to a 78-56 win over Milan at home.

The Chargers responded to a tough opening loss to Greensburg behind junior Isaac Loechle’s 28 points and a strong interior presence that overwhelmed the Indians.

North Decatur (1-1) shot nearly 50 percent on short baskets, converting 14 of 21 (67 percent) inside 10 feet. The Chargers shot 22-for-45 overall (49 percent).

Aggressiveness and sharp ball distribution helped North take early primacy over the Indians.

After building a 9-5 lead on Thomas Speer’s score off an assist from senior Alex Pulskamp, a Milan 3-pointer capped a 5-0 Indian spurt until Pulskamp’s hoot shot off Speer’s steal gave North the lead back.

Milan hit another trey to start the second quarter after the first quarter ended with a 13-all tie.

That’s when North’s play makers took over. The Chargers blitzed Milan with a 22-3 run, fueled by 10 points from junior Isaac Loechle.

Senior Eric Lusk added six points to help North take a 44-28 half-time lead.

“The difference was the second quarter,” said North head coach Kyle Nobbe. “Loechle played a phenomenal game for us.”

Nobbe said North was able to open up the offense utilizing Pulskamp and junior Justin Huber.

“We wanted to establish Alex and Justin on the inside,” he said.

Huber recorded a game-high nine rebounds in just 14 minutes despite occupying the bench with early foul trouble. He also scored 10 points in that short time period.

Nobbe said it will be a big boost for the team if Huber gets on a “consistent run” and allows himself to contribute more without facing foul trouble.

The pace of the game slowed down as Milan outscored North 12-11 in the third quarter, but the Chargers led 55-40 at the end of three periods.

North’s perimeter shooting assured the home team that Milan would not get any closer than 20 points as the fourth quarter unfolded. Loechle’s trey from a feed by Lusk pushed North ahead 61-40 at the 6:30 mark, and Brown’s triple gave the hosts a 70-50 lead. North extended the margin by outscoring the Indians 23-15 in the final period.

Nobbe said his team was aware that Milan was out for revenge after the Chargers defeated the Indians in last year’s sectional tournament by one point.

“It was a really good win for us tonight,” he said. “We knew we were going to be challenged.”

North brought the challenge to the visitors with an emphatic defensive performance, forcing 21 turnovers and out-rebounding the Indian 31-25. The Chargers took the edge on the defensive boards, 24-14, and added six steals.

Nobbe said Lusk and Pulskamp “did a tremendous job,” but said it was a collective defensive effort that prevailed.

Pulskamp compiled 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He added a 9-for-12 effort from the foul line as his presence in the paint helped draw fouls and spread out Milan’s defense.

“He set the tone for us in the post,” said Nobbe of Pulskamp.

Leading all scorers was Loechle with 28 points on 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) shooting overall. He went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and shot 10-for-12 from the foul line.

Also scoring for North was Lusk with 10 points and Tyler Brown with six, while Speer and senior Derek Moore added four apiece.

“Lusk knocked in some shots tonight,” said Nobbe. “He did a tremendous job communicating. We want to get Brown shooting.”

Junior point guard Quentin Dieckmann was unable to play Saturday, but Nobbe said having him back into the lineup will strengthen North’s depth.

“You add Quentin to the piece, especially the way he can pressure the ball in half court defense,” said Nobbe, “that just gives us one more weapon out on the floor. Our depth will get better and continue to improve.”

North shot 28-for-34 at the stripe, shooting 82 percent after going just 8-for-18 last week. Pulskamp added a 9-for-12 effort at the line.

The Chargers host South Decatur for the annual Civil War game this Friday at 7:30 p.m., then have a week off before traveling to Jac-Cen-Del Dec. 11.



Junior Varsity Chargers Tally Double Overtime Win



The junior varsity Chargers defeated the Indians in a thrilling double-overtime victory in the first game, 58-51.

Milan jumped out early for a 16-8 lead after the first quarter, but North responded with a 14-6 run to tie the game at 24-all going into the half.

The third quarter was uneventful as Milan outscored North 6-4, but North pleased the home crowd with a 15-13 edge in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

After combining for 18 points in the first overtime, the teams found themselves in another extra period. North outscored Milan 8-1 in the second overtime session to take the 58-51 win.

Sophomore Paul Badgley led North with 20 points, and junior Andrew Means followed up with 16. The Chargers also received contributions from freshmen John Hammersmith (six), Kevin Geis (two) and Jason Kirchhoff (one).

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