NEWS

Pioneers season ends with loss to Brownsburg

Eric Scott Miller
Correspondent

AVON — Sectional boys basketball got underway Tuesday night with Mooresville drawing an opening-round game against Brownsburg at Avon’s Andy Mohr Gymnasium.

The Pioneers entered sectionals with having won seven of their last eight games. Brownsburg has had what they consider to be an off-year.

“Every year, they’re in the Top 30 in the state of Indiana. They’re down this year and they’re number 30. They’re 11-8 and they have them ranked in the Top 15 in the newspaper,” Mooresville coach Bob Carter said.

Despite being less than their normal dominant, the Bulldogs took the early lead and never relinquished it throughout the contest, beating the Pioneers 60-48.

“I didn’t think we needed to be perfect, but I thought we needed to be really good and we were okay. The game was good, but we weren’t able to play good enough,” Carter said.

In the first half, things were pretty close. Brownsburg held on to a five-point lead after the opening quarter and the Pioneers cut that to three points at the half.

Then the game changed. Brownsburg started the second half with 11 unanswered points and put this Mooresville team back in a familiar and uncomfortable place.

Carter said, “The key was the start of the second half. They come out and hit a couple of shots and push the lead up to 10 or 12 and got into the type of game we have difficulty in. We’ve struggled all year in playing from behind. It gave them too much of a cushion and gave them a level of being too comfortable. We panicked a little bit on offense which is part of it, too. You get that 10 or 12 point cushion now you’re panicking on offense trying to get it back too fast.”

The Bulldogs weren’t giving anything up on the other end of the court, either. “Their defensive pressure took us out of some stuff, too, and sped us up a little bit,” said Carter.

Leading the Pioneer scorers was senior Miles McGowen with 15 points. Senior Luke Fowler joined him in double figures with 11 points. Others contributing to the scoring were senior Zach Woodson with seven points, junior Ashtyn Holtzclaw and senior Dane Stevenson with five points each, sophomore Cannon Mills with three points and junior Nick Wiley with two points.

The Pioneers shot 14-for-19 (73.7 percent) from the foul line against the Bulldogs.

For Carter’s team, this was the last high school hurrah for his seniors. “It’s kind of upsetting that this senior group as done so much,” he said.

“I was going through teams today and was surprised how many teams didn’t get 20 games in,” Carter observed. “We talked before this year about even being fortunate enough to be able to play. We’re disappointed that it ends, but thankful that the guys got to have a season, compete and play.”

His seniors will leave their mark on not just the boys’ basketball program at Mooresville.

“They’ve done a great job, not only in basketball but with the big impact they’ve had in basketball, they’ve had a bigger impact in the school. Their senior class is a great class. Not just sports, winning and losing, but as role models that the whole community of Mooresville is proud of. They are really good kids. They come from good families. They’ve got great parents,” Carter said.

Mooresville senior Luke Fowler looks to pass the ball under pressure from Brownsburg junior Shon Tupuola during the sectional game on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. (Eric Scott Miller / Correspondent)
Mooresville senior Miles McGowen and Brownsburg junior Shon Tupuola jump for the ball to open the first round sectional game at Avon on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. (Eric Scott Miller / Correspondent)
Mooresville junior Zach Woodson drives to the basket during first half action of the March 2, 2021 sectional game against Brownsburg. (Eric Scott Miller / Correspondent)
Mooresville junior Nick Wiley takes a jump shot during first half action of the March 2, 2021 sectional game against Brownsburg. (Eric Scott Miller / Correspondent)