2010 Hall of Fame Classic
December 30, 2010
New Castle Chrysler Arena - New Castle, Indiana

The talent was plentiful on this day as college recruits suited up for the 2010 Citi Securities Hall of Fame Classic. Five of the top ten players in the State of Indiana were in action on this day:

College coaches and fans packed the world's largest high school arena to see what the best players in the state could do on this day.

Game #1 : Center Grove 68 - Washington 64

The first game of the day featured last year's 3A state champion (Washington Hatchets) versus the Center Grove Trojans.

The 6'11" Indiana Hoosier recruit, Cody Zeller, scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Washington, but it was not enough. Zeller faded late in the game before Center Grove's dynamic duo of Johnny Marlin and Andy Smeathers took control of the game. Marlin scored 20 points and Smeathers pitched in 14 as the Trojans advance to the championship game 68-64.

Washington will always be a force with Zeller in 3A basketball. However, this 2010-11 version of the Hatchets is not as good as last year's state championship team.

Game #2 : Bloomington South 65 - Warsaw 62

In the second game of the morning session, Warsaw's very own Nic Moore was scheduled to take on Bloomington South and their 53 game regular season winning streak. Bloomington South's Dee Davis was the first matchup of the season for Nic Moore in which a defender shared the same type of quickness.

This matchup was highly anticipated by all fans. Moore and Davis put on a show.

Moore dropped 34 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in front of 7200+ people. Davis scored 27 points to lead the Panthers.

The two teams played to a 19-19 tie in the first quarter.

Warsaw took a 30-29 lead into the half.

The Tigers led 45-43 going into the final quarter. Bloomington South outscored Warsaw 22-17 in the final frame to win by 3. The Tigers had many opportunities to win this game. Late turnovers and poor free throw shooting gave this one to the Panthers.

Final Scoring for the Tigers:

For many in the Southern half of the state this was their first opportunity to see what the HYPE is all about -- surrounding Warsaw's 5'9" sensation. Much like Kevin Ault in 1995, Moore would get this opportunity to show the entire Hoosier Hysteria population why forums and message boards all across the internet are clearly tabbing him as the best all-around player in Indiana -- Except for those folks who had never seen him play.

Nic Moore lived up to the HYPE on this day and then some...

Moore hit shots from everywhere on the New Castle floor and over anyone that tried to stop him.

Moore finished with a Hall of Fame Classic total of 62 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. The other top 4 players had nice tournament performances themselves, but it was obvious that Mr. Moore was the best player on this day:

Nic Moore's 62 points surpassed (1996 Mr. Basketball) Kevin Ault's 51 points in the 1995 Hall of Fame Classic.

Consolation Game : Warsaw 44 - Washington 42

For many this was the matchup they paid to see.

Nic Moore versus Cody Zeller.

It is no secret at this point that these two stars are the front-runners for the prestigious 2011 Indiana Mr. Basketball award. While they are very different in height and position, both of these players have the skill set to win the award. Both of these athletes have proven themselves in the IHSAA tournament as well as on the AAU circuits.

The teams were tied 15-15 after one quarter. Moore had 8 points while Zeller scored 4 for Washington.

Warsaw opened up a seven point cushion going into the break 26-19. Nic Moore had 17 points at half and Zeller just 6.

The Hatchets closed the gap in the 3rd period to just a single basket 40-38. Moore 24 pts - Zeller 13 pts.

The final quarter was very slow and methodical as each coach called timeouts to rest their players. The second game in a day is always the most challenging on the body and the mind. With just over a minute to play and the score knotted at 44-44, Washington had possession. They decided to sit on the ball and go for the final shot.

After passing the basketball around for nearly 40 seconds, Nic Moore was able to knock the ball out of Kurtis Anthony's hands. The Hatchets maintained possession, but were now forced to throw the ball in bounds. Again, Nic Moore uses his ultra-genius basketball mind to effect the outcome of a basketball game. He does the little things so well.

Washington cannot get the ball inbounds as the throw in was called a traveling violation. Possession belonged to the Warsaw Tigers with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Tiger junior Lucas Grose held the ball at the top of the key as both team's crowds rose to their feet. EVERYBODY in the gym knew where the ball was going.

Nic Moore #11.

Moore took the pass from Grose with 7 seconds on the clock. Zeller left his man to double team Mr. Moore. Zeller wanted to use his 6'11" frame and nearly 9 feet wingspan to get a piece of Moore's shot.

Too fast. Too quick. Too smart. Too good.

Moore avoided both on-ball defenders, including Zeller, and exploded past two other help-side men to get into the paint area. He then used his Tigger-like (you know... Tigger -- from Winnie the Pooh) jumps to rise above the remaining Hatchet defender.

Moore scored from 8 feet out with just three ticks on the clock.

He wanted the ball. Moore thrives in that situation. The fans all knew they had just witnessed the reason why the HYPE was so furious surrounding Warsaw's Mr. Basketball candidate.

On the biggest stage, Moore proved all day long that he deserves the title of Indiana's best.

Final Scoring for the Tigers:

Championship Game : Center Grove 88 - Bloomington South 82

Bloomington South's 53-game regular-season winning streak -- the third-longest in Indiana high school basketball history -- was broken on a day that saw the UCONN girls' 90 game streak fall to the Stanford Cardinal.

The Panthers fell to Center Grove in a thrilling finish to a great tournament.

Center Grove's 88-82 double-overtime victory over Bloomington South gave the Trojans the championship trophy of the 2010 City Securities Hall of Fame Classic. In this star-studded field, this is a huge accomplishment for Center Grove coach Cliff Hawkins and his players.

Center Grove senior guard Jonny Marlin scored nine points in the final 48 seconds of regulation to rally the Trojans (8-2) from a 58-51 deficit. The Trojans fell behind again in the first ovetime, but Marlin rallied his troops. Johnny's 3-pointer with seven seconds left tied it at 73. Clutch free throw shooting secured the win for the Trojans.

Dee Davis led the Panthers with 25 points. Davis was named the tournament MVP as the final votes had to be submitted at the 2:00 mark of the final quarter. Typically, the MVP goes to a player on the winning team and at that stage of the game Bloomington South looked to have this game under control.

The message boards were filled with disagreement after the game on the MVP voting, but there was no doubt Dee Davis was one of only three players who was in the discussion.

Nic Moore, Davis, and Johnny Marlin were the only 3 that had a chance at the trophy. In hindsight, Marlin who have been named MVP if the votes were taken after the game as he led his team to the Championship trophy.

Congrats Center Grove!

With school returning to session next week, the Warsaw Tigers will be back in action. Warsaw returns to the Tiger Den on Friday night, hosting Northridge and then again on Saturday vs. FW Northrop, also at home.

Northridge is playing good basketball and Northrop has a pair of sophomore twins that are both going to play Division 1 basketball.

Go Tigers!

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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