‘Jays Protect The Nest On Special Night

On a night that was filled with historic honors for past North Judson basketball teams, the current Bluejays did not let down those who came and succeeded before them.

In a Hoosier North Athletic Conference, doubleheader battle, the North Judson San-Pierre Bluejays played host to the Culver Cavaliers. There was a buzz in the air as the opening tip was heaved into the air on this special night. Part of the excitement was due to the Conference matchup, the other part was without question because of the honoring of two of the best basketball teams that Starke County has ever seen.

The Lady Jays were able to get the night off to a great start, as they had three individuals reach double digits in the scoring column on their way to a 57-18 win. Without question, the early game fireworks came from Junior Jordynn Dusek, who came out burning hot from the three-point line, as she was able to knock down three of the Lady Bluejays’ five first half three-pointers. With Dusek also being a threat with her ball handling, the Lady Cavaliers were then forced to pay closer attention to the 5’5 Junior, which would begin to leave open teammates Lilly Frasure, as well as Olivia Burkett.

Frasure would ultimately lead the team in scoring as she put in a game-high 17 points in the winning effort. Freshman Olivia Burkett was perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the ‘Jays, as the 5’6 guard was the second leading scorer on the team with a 16 point effort, 12 of which came in the second half. Defensively, the Lady Bluejays would have a total of 17 steals in the ballgame, led in this category once again by Frasure and Burkett, who would get 6 and 5 steals respectively.

From the Lady Cavaliers standpoint, great efforts were given throughout the ball game. None more impactful than the duo of Madi Shedrow and Alex Temme, who were able to account for all of the Cavs’ points, as they each put up 9 a piece. Shedrow would handle the bulk of the scoring for Culver in the first half, as she scored 6 of her 9 points in the first two quarters. It would be Temme in the second half who would shoulder the load scoring wise, as she was able to drop 7 of her 9 in the final two quarters. Temme would nearly reach double-double status, as she put together a tremendous game on the boards for Culver leading her team with 8 rebounds on the night. The Lady Cavs would also be able to knock down three 3-pointers in the game, with two coming from Shedrow and the third coming from Temme.

North Judson’s Lilly Frasure would be named the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game for the girls’ portion of the doubleheader, putting up 17 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 6 steals. The Lady Bluejays improve to 12-2 on the year and 2-0 in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference, while the Lady Cavaliers drop to 6-8 overall including 0-4 in the HNAC.

Between games, a special ceremony took place, as North Judson San-Pierre honored two of their greatest teams in school history: The 1995 Boys Basketball Team, which ended with a record of 25-2, advancing all the way to the Championship Round of Semi-State competition in the single class system. The Bluejays also recognized their 2005 Girls Basketball Team, which finished the season with an overall record of 22-4, and the Class 2A State Runner-up. North Judson Athletic Director Mike Sharkozy was able to round up nearly every member of both rosters to be in attendance. The crowds from North Judson as well as Culver erupted with excited cheer as the two teams were recognized for their incredible years!

In the boys’ portion of the doubleheader, the Bluejays would not allow there to be a letdown for the home fans at the Bluejays’ Nest. The ‘Jays would explode onto the scene behind some incredible sharpshooting from 5’10 Junior Trey Hampton, who would start off the game hot, knocking down 5 3-pointers in the first half, on his way to a game-high 21 points. The sharpshooting was not limited to the impressive performance by Hampton, however. Collectively, the ‘Jays would hit an impressive 13 3-pointers for the game, getting 8 to drop in the first half, with 5 more falling in the second! In addition to Hampton’s contributions from behind the arc, three others would hit multiple 3’s for the blue and gold, with Cooper Hochstedler, Blayne Wilcox, Payton Cox, and Ty Schumacher all hitting 2 apiece. Defensively, the ‘Jays would get a huge boost from Wilcox, who was able to account for 8 of the team’s 17 steals, while Hochstedler came up big as well, pulling away 4 steals in the effort.

The Cavaliers were able to get quite a few sparks out of the ballgame from Senior Owen Valiquet, who was able to lead the team in scoring with 9 points, including the team’s lone 3-pointer in the ballgame. Junior Braxton Conley would be effective on the boards for Culver from start to finish, as he led the team with 5 rebounds, to go along with his 6 points. Sophomore Jalen King was able to show off his explosiveness at points on the offensive end, as he was able to blow past the defense on a couple of occasions, to get his 5 points on the night.

Blayne Wilcox would be named the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game for the boys portion of the doubleheader, as he was the third leading scorer on the team with 16 points, led the team in steals with 8, pulled down 3 rebounds, and also hit 2 3-pointers in the win! The Bluejays improve to 12-2 overall on the year with a 2-0 record in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference, while the Cavaliers drop to 6-8 overall, with an 0-4 HNAC record.

*Statistics In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*