Bluejays Protect Nest From Bobcat Attack

On a night that featured two Starke County teams, the North Judson San-Pierre Bluejays and the Oregon-Davis Bobcats were more than willing and able to provide great entertainment despite the final 87-39 score, in favor of the blue and gold.

North Judson Head Coach Kyle Evans was well aware of the deception behind the 1-win Bobcats, as O-D was coming off their first win of the season on the road at LaCrosse. The Bluejay roster took their Starke County rivals seriously from the start, and would be relentless on both ends of the floor.

As a team, North Judson would account for eight team steals which, more often than not, would result in points at the other end. The Bluejays would have six individuals record at least one steal, with Ty Schumacher and Cheyenne Allen leading the way with two apiece. The majority of the scoring, not surprisingly, came from one of the state’s leading scorers, Cooper Hochstedler, who scored in every way possible for his Bluejays, on his way to a game-high 29 points. The 6’4 Senior would knock down three three-pointers, to go along with a great night at the free throw line, hitting seven of ten. Hochstedler would not limit himself to only scoring points, as he would also record six rebounds and a steal in the winning effort. Freshmen Cheyenne Allen and Ty Schumacher would put together consistent games from a scoring standpoint, as Allen was second on the team in scoring with thirteen, while Schumacher put up twelve, scoring six in each half, with two three-pointers.

The Bobcats would be able to hold their own on the defensive end as well, as they were able to come away with six steals of their own. All six steals would come from six different individuals, emphasizing the importance of team defense that first year Head Coach Larry Sennert has been preaching since his first day at the helm. Garrett Weil would once again have a tremendous effort from start to finish for the Bobcats. Weil was able to lead the team in scoring, putting up twenty points in the effort, which included consistency at the free throw line, as well as knocking down three, three-pointers. Jared Bryan would be the team’s leader in rebounding, pulling down seven boards in the effort.

In all, thirteen individuals would score at least two points between the two teams. It would be the depth and the outside shooting of the Bluejays that would be the difference in the end, as the ‘Jays knocked down thirteen three-pointers as a team, with eight players hitting at least one. It would be Cooper Hochstedler’s individual performance of twenty-nine points, six rebounds, and one steal that would earn him the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game.

Each team would find success at the free throw line as the Bobcats would hit eleven of fourteen for seventy-eight percent, while the Bluejays would hit seventeen of twenty-four for seventy percent. The Bobcats will enjoy a long break to build on the momentum they have started up in the last two games, as they will not be back in action until January 17th, when they travel to Argos. Meanwhile, the Bluejays will not have as much time, as they will return to action on January 3rd, when they play host to the Morgan Township Cherokees.

Scoring Statistics

North Judson (87): Cooper Hochstedler-29, Cheyenne Allen-13, Ty Schumacher-12, Payton Cox-9, Blayne Wilcox-8, Kelson Jordan-7, Wyatt Stowe-6

Oregon-Davis (39): Garrett Weil-20, Connor Danford-6, Jared Bryan-4, Dylan Murphy-3, Ryan Pitts Jr.-3, Braden Swanson-3